We purchased our first cloth nappy (from Asda of all places!) when Oliver was 10 weeks old, it was a Bambino Mio Miosolo nappy with a cute bumblebee print. I didn’t know too much about cloth nappies, but after that first purchase I dived right into research and have been obsessed ever since. They’re just so much better for the planet, it’s got to be done. Oli is now 7 and a half months old and we’re not 100% cloth over here, but we are getting closer. We don’t currently have enough nappies for full-time use and have only one nappy really suitable for night time use. But I’m working on it!
The Cost of Cloth.
Yes, when you see the cost of one cloth nappy it can make you gasp. The premium, more expensive brands charge £20 for one nappy! But you can also buy cheaper brands, buy pre-loved or buy a different system which might be more economical.
Our first nappy, the Miosolo was £10 because it was on offer, they’re usually about £15. Our most expensive nappy is the BumGenius Freetime (£19.99) which Oliver is wearing in the photo’s, and typically it’s one of my favourites to use because it’s the easiest of the lot! We also have 3 Little Bloom nappies, which are a cheap brand sold on Amazon and Ebay, the nappies range from £2.50 to £4.50 depending on inserts and fabric. I bought these after my first nappy purchase to see if cloth was for me, they’re cheap, cheerful and have some really cute prints (The yellow cat print Oli is holding below is Little Bloom!) They get the job done but probably won’t last the years and years of use some other makes would. Some brands really hold their value too, so if I decide to sell them after Oliver is out of nappies I might be able to get about 50% of what I spent returned if they remain in good condition. You can’t do that with disposables!
For full-time usage, I guess you would need around 15 daytime nappies and 3-4 night nappies. That’s probably a minimum. Nappy brands are constantly releasing new prints and updating their ranges with new technology so you might find yourself a little addicted to picking up new designs. We have 10 nappies total right now, that gives us 2-3 full days per week of cloth nappy use, the rest of the time we use Naty eco friendly-disposables whilst the cloth nappies are being washed. He also doesn’t use cloth when staying with grandparents on the days I’m at work, but I would like to get them to give it a go.
But What About All The Washing?
For us at the moment it’s two extra loads per week, and as I’m only washing about 6 or 7 nappies at a time (you don’t want to leave them sat about for too long!) it takes 2 minutes to hang them out to dry. Cloth nappies, when you get the fit right (it takes a little practice as it’s not the same as a disposable) are bomb proof, so you probably won’t have to deal with quite as many “explosions” that seep through layers and layers of clothes in those early days! bonus! I thought washing them would be pretty grim, but honestly, it’s not bad at all, I don’t even think about it now.
Cloth isn’t as absorbent as a disposable though so you may need to change more often, but generally a good nappy should last 2-4 hours in the day and night nappies should last all night.
And What About The Different Systems?!`
Now, this is where it can get a little confusing, and it took me quite a while to get my head around. The cloth nappies that you see in my pictures are either all-in-ones or pocket nappies. But there are two other types also, all in two’s or two-part systems. This link describes it quickly and easily with an image of each type of nappy. And it will save me having to bore you with all the differences. All-in-ones are the easiest and pocket nappies dry the fastest but I think it’s good to have a mix!
I’m going to be purchasing this trial from Tots Bots soon as it will allow us to give their two-part system a go and see what all the fuss is about with their night time nappy, the bamboozle stretch! The pictured funky bright orange nappy with a robot print is a Tots Bots Easyfit Star and it’s great!
Brands, Styles, & All The Prints!
Another overwhelming part of getting into cloth nappies is the amount of choice! So many brands, so many styles, and so many colourful prints.
My preferred shops are BabiPur and The Nappy Lady, and there are a load more places online, but you can also pick up in person in Asda, and some Boots stores I think. There are also plenty of facebook groups you can join where you can pick up some pre-loved nappies for a couple of quid, this is really great if you just want to give them a trial or test a new brand before investing in new.
The brands we have at the moment are: Tots Bots, BumGenius, Bambino Mio, Close Pop Ins (not pictured) Little Bloom, Little Lamb (The dark teal) and Baba Boo (the cute cacti print). At the moment my preference is for velcro fastenings as Oliver wants to roll and crawl away the second I lie him down, but the disadvantage of velcro is that eventually, he will probably learn he can undo the nappy by his self. Poppers are more time consuming but they are very secure!
Most brands release limited edition prints seasonally and they’re pretty much always gorgeous. The latest Bambino Mio prints are BEAUTIFUL! I gotta get that tropical toucan print asap. Like I needed any more expensive addictions in my life, but hey here we are.
And that’s all for now. There was a lot of nitty-gritty details I didn’t cover like nappy liners and washing powder, but maybe that’s for next time. Hopefully, I can update you if we make it to cloth full time! #goals.
Oliver at 1-month-old.
Oliver at 2 months old, staring at his BFF Freaky Frank.