Why we Chose Cloth Nappies

With real nappy week this week, what better time to launch into a little series of posts about cloth nappies? I’ve never been anywhere without someone making a comment on ours “Oh you don’t see those very often do you?” and “Don’t they make life more complicated!”?” are two I’ve heard most commonly. Even the midwives have said “you’re going to have to do this nappy for us” when we’ve been for weight checks.

So why do we use cloth nappies? Are they really that much more hassle? Are they worth the expense?

Why do we use cloth nappies?

Number one reason? I like to be different! 30 years ago my parents used cloth nappies on me. It wasn’t as unusual back then, but disposables were certainly a thing more and more parents were using. Growing up, I used to love listening to stories about when my Nana forgot to put my “rubber pants” over my Terry nappy and no one could work out why I was soaking wet, or how my brother got the scar on his forehead from falling and landing on the nappy bucket! I always said I was going to use Terry nappies on my children so I could keep some of the nostalgia alive – little did I know how much cloth nappies had moved on since then!

How do we use cloth nappies?

When we were pregnant with Bertie, it was something Brett and I discussed – I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it with the misconceptions around complicated wash routines, storing in nappy pails, boiling Terry nappies in giant pans..! But he was more than up for it – “What’s another few wash loads when you’ve got a baby?” were, I believe, his words. So I began to research and I found that Terry nappies weren’t the only option. There were all-in-ones, all-in-twos, pockets, pre-folds, shaped nappies, and hybrid nappies. It was a bit of a minefield, so I started to make notes, search Instagram hashtags, and talk to others in the cloth nappy community.

I’m a list maker – I made a pros and cons list for each type of nappy and how I felt it would fit into our lifestyle. We decided on muslins and wraps for the newborn stage and pocket nappies for afterward. In retrospect, the pocket nappies were a bit of a mistake (read more on another post coming later this week!) and if I was to give past-me one piece of advice, it would be to take things one step at a time, rather than trying to have everything we could possibly need ready before the baby was even here!

The first time around, we had a nappy bucket with a mesh bag inside, but we found this attracted condensation and made the nappies stink. Now we just use a giant wet bag which is much easier. We also bought a load of cloth wipes because we figured we might as well go the whole hog!

How do you wash cloth nappies?

In the washing machine! But in all seriousness, it is super easy once you’re in the routine! To begin with, we washed every other day – how often you’re willing to wash will impact how many nappies you’ll need if clothing full-time. We do a 15-minute cold rinse with no detergent, then a long wash with fairy non-bio powder on 40 (boosted to 60 after immunisations), followed by another 15-minute cold rinse, and finally an extra spin to reduce drying time. The whole wash cycle takes around 4 hours (as long as I remember to put the next program on!). Luckily for my family, Brett knows the routine too, and will happily keep it going when I forget.

As Bertie got older and needed fewer changes, we found we were washing less and less often, until we became particularly lazy and only washed his overnight nappies once per week after potty training. As for drying, I love getting the nappies out on the line as often as possible – I honestly think there’s no better sight than a line full of nappies in my back garden! Some inserts and nappies can also be tumble dried (check manufacturer’s instructions!) but in winter, a clothes horse became our best friend. To be honest, I find the wash routine much less of a struggle than imagining taking bag after bag of stinky nappies out to the bin!

Are cloth nappies expensive?

Yes, and no. The initial outlay can seem costly when you look at one nappy costing up to £15 when you can buy a whole pack for £2.99, but once the disposable is used it is gone. The cloth nappy gets used again, and again, and again. Then it might get used on a sibling, or sold on to another aspiring cloth nappy user and the cycle begins again!

People with much more brain space (and time!) than me have actually done some clever calculations and worked out that, over time, cloth nappies are cheaper!

I definitely spent more on cloth nappies than I should have, or needed to, but I was a sucker for a nice print or a new brand to try. The ones that didn’t work for us, I sold on. There’s an amazing cloth nappy community out there and many of them lap up certain brands and/or prints. We’ve since had our second child, Barnaby, and so far not needed to purchase a single nappy for him! (Stress on the needed part – obviously I bought the Nappy Gurus Incentive Pack but this was more of a want).

Conclusion

We’re trying to make small steps toward a more eco-friendly way of life, and for us, cloth nappies and reusable wipes were a no-brainer. It’s slotted right into our lives, and I can’t really imagine having brought up our kids any other way. Bertie has never worn a disposable nappy, and Barnaby won’t either. But cloth isn’t all or nothing. If you’re thinking of taking the dive, why not buy 3/4 different types and just trial swapping out one nappy per day? There’s an amazing cloth nappy community out there who are all willing to share what they have learned on their cloth nappy journeys, and I’m lucky enough to say some of them have become true friends to me. Go on, give cloth nappies a go, I can guarantee you it’s much easier, and more enjoyable than it looks!