Category Archives: New to Cloth nappies?

Nappy fabrics

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Natural or synthetic fibers?  which materials are absorbent? You will find below all relevant information to choose fabrics for your cloth nappies.

Natural materials:

Cotton:  is particularly susceptible to pests and disease, the production requires heavy use of pesticides. (I opted for the organic cotton because it is better for the environment.)

- Cotton is easy to wash and dye.

- Strong and durable

- Cotton is hypoallergenic and does not irritate skin.

- Cotton is absorbent and removes liquid from the skin.

Bamboo: is environmentally friendly!

- Strong bactericidal and fungicidal properties.

- Bamboo is very absorbent. (more absorbent than cotton fabric)

- It dries very slowly.

Hemp: Hemp is one of the purest plants on Earth.

- Hemp fabric is stronger, more durable and more absorbent than cotton fabric.

- It also has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

- It is grown without pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals.

- It dries more slowly than cotton and bamboo.

Wool: is ideal for baby’s sensitive skin or suffering from erythema.

-Wool is naturally watertight.

- Allows plenty of air to circulate.

- it does require special care (wool shampoo) you will need to lanolise every 2 or 3 weeks.

Tencel: is an eco friendly fabric!  Made from the natural cellulose found in wood pulp, the tencel  is fully biodegradable.

- Soft, light and comfortable.

- It is stronger than cotton and more durable than polyester.

- Tencel absorbs 50% more moisture than cotton.

Synthetic materials:

Polar or microfleece: is a synthetic fabric made from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It can be made out of recycled PET bottles

- Microfleece is a soft, lightweight, warm and comfortable fabric.

- It is hydrophobic ( it wicks moisture away and keeps baby dry.)

Suede cloth: is a 100% polyester fabric that works similar to microfleece.

- It is hydrophobic ( it wicks moisture away and keeps baby dry.)

- it resists stains better than any other materials.

Microfiber:  is a very thin synthetic faber made from polyesters and polyamides.

- It is breathable and absorbs very quickly.

- It dries very quickly.

 Polyurethane Laminate, or PUL: is a waterproof and breathable fabric.

- PUL is perfect for nappy covers and AI1/AI2 or Pocket nappy outers.

Minky: is a plush, microfiber fabric.

- It is incredibly soft and smooth to the touch.

Why use cloth?

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Cloth can save you money

Even if from the start the investment is important, cloth nappies are more economical than disposable ones. Even taking into account washing costs, you could save hundreds of pounds by using cloth nappies rather than disposables. The more children you plan to have, the more you will save, cloth nappies can be used again and again.

Cloth is better for the environment

At the moment, about 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away every day in the UK. The average baby will use more than 6,000 disposable nappies before potty, disposable nappies take 300-400 years to fully decompose.
By choosing cloth nappies, you could reduce your household rubbish by half.

Cloth is better for your baby’s health

By choosing cloth nappies, you are helping to protect your baby’s skin from harmful chemicals. (Sodium polyacrylate, chlorine, plastics, adhesives……)

Cloth may help with toilet training

Toddlers in cloth nappies appear to be toilet trained earlier than those wearing disposable nappies. This may be because they become aware of when they have wet, as the moisture is not whisked away as quickly as by a disposable nappy.


How many nappies do I need?

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It is important that you have enough nappies to comfortably fit in with your washing cycle:

-some clean nappies ready for use

-some waiting to be washed

-and some drying.

However, allowing adequate washing/drying time, i suggest approximately:

A minimum of 24 nappies for a newborn with one cover per every five nappies for two-part nappy systems.

A minimun of 18 nappies for a toddler.

I can’t be responsible if you become addicted to cloth nappies ;-)

  

Washing your nappies

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 - Before using cloth nappies

The nappies need to be pre-washed at least once before use. If you are using hemp nappies, you will need to wash them alone several times before the first use to remove the natural plant oils.

Care instruction: It is always best to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

- Before washing machine

1- Remove as much solid matter as possible. It’s better if you use a flushable biodegradable liner. The liner which contains the poo can then be hygienically flushed down the toilet.

2- Place soiled nappies in the nappy bucket.

They can be stored in a nappy bucket until there is enough nappies for a full wash load.

There are 2 basic methods for storing wet and soiled cloth nappies:

- Wet pailing (cloth nappies are placed in a bucket filled with water.) You can put 5 drops of tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.

- Dry pailing (placing dirty nappies in a nappy bucket without water). You can put 5 drops of tea tree oil, as well.

This method seems to be the preferred method.

3- When the bucket is full you simply empty it into the washing machine.

- Wash the nappies in a washing machine

  • If your nappies were stored in a ‘wet pail’, dump the nappies and the soak water in the machine and run a spin cycle to remove the water and run a cold rinse . ( Or like me, you can do it by hand ;-)
  • If your nappies were stored in a ‘dry pail’ , run a cold rinse and wash.

-Wash in hot water.

-Use 1/2 the amount of detergent recommended by the manufacturer.

-Rinse in the warmest water possible.

-Run a spin cycle

To dry your nappies, the best option is to line dry, sunlight is a natural bleach.

I know! We don’t have a lot of sun here in England.. so i am using my cloth dryer ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can:

Wash your nappies/covers at 40° or 60° depending on the wash care label.

Wash them with other clothes if the solids have been removed.

Do not: 

-Do NOT use bleach, or fabric softeners. ( fabric softener can reduce the absorbency of the nappies.

-Do not use too much washing powder when you wash your nappies.
-Do not regularly soak your nappies in chemical sanitizers.

-Do not wash or dry your wraps at high temperatures.

-Do not use nappy sanitizer when washing your wraps.

-Do not use nappy rash cream on your baby unless you place a paper disposable liner    between your baby’s bottom and the nappy.

These creams can affect the absorbency of the nappy by coating it with a waterproof film.