Getting Started Guide
Every day thousands of disposable nappies end up in landfill. Even replacing one disposable nappy a day with a reusable cloth nappy will make a world of difference for the environment and using cloth nappies bring lots of benefits for your baby too.
You can choose whether to use cloth diapers part time, day time only or full time. We are here to help. Please join our facebook group, the cloth community is truly a wonderful place where you will receive alot of support.
There are so many options to choose between from muslins and wraps to a variety of modern cloth nappies. We recommend trying a variety of brands and types of nappy when you are initially starting out as not every parent likes the same type of nappy and every baby has its own unique shape too. We have a range of hire kits available to order here.
To cloth full time, as a guide you will need around 25 day time nappies, 5 night time nappies and 5 wraps, three wetbags for when you go out and about and an airy basket (more holes than plastic) to dry pail your dirty nappies until they are washed. We also recommend using fleece liners to help keep baby dry and for easier poo removal. If you need help setting up a good cloth nappy wash routine, we have a simple washing routine for cloth nappies here. We can help you choose the best detergent for washing cloth nappies and how to make sure you get the best clean. It's simple and easy to achieve clean cloth nappies and if you are buying preloved cloth nappies for your little one or having worries about ammonia, fungal pathogens or bacteria then we can help you know how to strip and sanitise your cloth nappies, including a step by step guide for how to do a small scale bleach sanitise for your cloth nappies and how to bleach sanitise cloth nappies in a front loader washing machine.
If you wanted to try a wool cover (they are magical) for your cloth nappies, these are especially good for night time and you only need two or three covers for full time night time use. We can help you get started with your wool covers here, including how to prepare your wool soakers for first use and how to wash and lanolise your wool covers for general wool wrap care.
We tend to prefer nappies with natural fibres such as cotton, bamboo or hemp. However, there are cloth nappies to suit every budget and the nappies that tend to be the most cost effective initially usually are microfiber or bamboo/microfiber mix. A natural fibre alternative would be Bells Bumz own brand pocket nappies and wraps where you can buy their 4 layer bamboo and hemp inserts and they also have a fitted night nappy that is bamboo with no microfiber and has a stay dry microfleece lining which is great value.
There is alot more information about getting started over on our instagram page as well.
Have a read of our blog posts for more detailed guides on the types of nappies available.