The Cloth Nappy Blog

Fitted Nappies are highly recommended for newborn babies, as night nappies and for rashy babies because they are not water-resistant at all.  This means they can be used with a cover to give you two sets of elastic to contain newborn poo, or boosted up as much as you need for night, or in hot weather they can be used without a cover to give more breathability.  Because the whole nappy is made of absorbent materials they will usually hold more than a water-resistant nappy of the same size.

Mandy-Mac OSFM fitted nappy from Brindabella Baby

Unlike flats and prefolds they are shaped, with elastic around the legs and usually somewhere on the waist as well.  They come in a wide range of materials and shapes to suit different babies. They usually have 3 or 4 layers in the wet zone plus boosters that are either attached or just lain in the nappy before you do it up to adjust the absorbency. They often have a fashion outer fabric and some type of wicking fabric on the inside to draw moisture through to the absorbent layers and keep baby dryer.

Layers are good for absorbency but bad for drying time.  This is why most nappies have separate boosters, so you can wash and dry them separately and more quickly.  It is a tradeoff between time and fiddliness.

Some are sized, some are one-sized. The sized ones are usually trimmer, but you have to buy more. One-size are more economical and useful if you have more than one in nappies, but can be bulky on a small baby.  The nappy above is a one-size fits most on a newborn.  It has a snappi closure, but fitted nappies can also have velcro or snap closures.

Pros:

• Good fitting.
• Elastic legs gives good containment.
• Very absorbent because the whole nappy will absorb, not just partial layers.
• Can be re-used or onsold. There is a good market for second-hand nappies.
• Usually very pretty.
• Not as bulky as flats or prefolds, especially hemp or bamboo versions.
• Make good night nappies because they can be boosted as much as needed.

Cons:

• Can be expensive (can also be fairly cheap, depending on brand).
• Not water resistant.
• Can be slow to dry depending on the number of layers.
• Can be complicated if there are several layers to put on plus a cover.

So how do you keep your nappies on?

In the old days it was pins, and you can still buy nappy pins with the safety closure.  I find they’re great for putting elastic or cord through casings!  If you are using muslin or flannelette flat nappies or some prefolds, pins are still the best way to go.  Or as an alternative you can use a well fitting cover and fold the nappy as a pad inside it.  Some newborn covers are called ’snibs’ and are actually tied on to make them easier.  I’ve used snibs provided by my hospital in the early days and they’re quick and simple.

Snappis

Snappis

These are the modern alternative to nappy pins. They work by hooking on to loops on the material, not the weave itself, so they only work on terries, usually cotton or bamboo.  Many people start out with snappis because they work so well on flat nappies or diapers, and there are many basic fitted nappies that have terry outers and can be used with snappis.  They are fantastic for DIY’ers because you don’t have to buy velcro or snaps, just cut up a terry flat.  I’ve seen people claim they use a snappi on fleece, but personally I wouldn’t.  If you are hooking sharp things into the body of the fabric it is going to damage it.

The biggest advantage of snappis is that they give a fantastic fit because they pull in two directions, around the waist and at the front of the rise, and because they are pulling they look trim not baggy.  Because they have so much adjustability they will give a good fit on “odd-shaped” babies who are very skinny or have chubby thighs etc.

Nappy with Snappi closure

However, they can be fiddly. If you have one of those babies who stand up or wriggle around at nappy changes they are probably not for you, but we have been blessed with babies who lies quietly and they are the best fasteners for us. My husband actually thinks they are the easiest – obviously a case of what you are used to.  In fact think about it – over the time your baby is in nappies, you are going to do well over 3000 nappy changes.  Do you think you are going to have problems with it for long?  Or do you think you’ll be a pro after a couple of weeks (70+ changes!).

I have never had a problem, but they can work loose and the sharp hooks could scratch a baby. I have heard of one being snapped because of the stretch in the arms, but I don’t think this is common.

They are almost impossible for a baby to take off on their own, it takes too much co-ordination.  This is great for the incredible escaping baby, but not so good when toilet training.  Of course my kids just go nude then!