How our cloth nappies work
Cloth 101
How our cloth nappies work
Everything from the first wash through to the load on Sunday night. If you have never used cloth before, start at the top. If you are troubleshooting a leak, skip to step four.
Foto ancha de portada. Bub con el pañal puesto, exterior, luz de tarde. 16:9
What you get
One cover, one insert set, and that is the whole system
There are no separate sizes to buy and no rise snaps to adjust. The same nappy fits from around 4kg through to 19kg, so it carries you from newborn through to toilet training.
The side snaps set the leg and the waist independently. That is what lets you get a contained fit on a skinny newborn and on a solid toddler, and it is why a partner or a grandparent can do a change without a lesson first.
From the outside in
Waterproof coverHolds everything in. If it is still clean, dry it out and use it again.
Stay dry pocket layerWicks moisture away so it does not sit against the skin.
Long anchored bamboo insertYour everyday absorbency. Enough on its own for most days.
BoosterAdd it for nights, long car trips, or once bub starts holding on longer.
The routine
Six things to get right, and then it is just laundry
Prep before the first use
Bamboo does not reach full absorbency straight out of the packet. Wash the inserts a few times before you rely on them, and expect them to get more absorbent over the first few weeks.
The covers only need one wash. It is the inserts that need the run up.
Inserts nuevos saliendo del paquete o entrando al lavarropas
Packing
Snap the insert into the cover before you go near a wriggling baby. Doing a stack of them while you watch something at night is much easier than doing one at a time on the change table.
Insert alone for daytime. Insert plus booster for nights and long stretches. Adjust based on what you find, not on what the packet says.
Manos metiendo el insert dentro del cover, detalle
Fitting
Snug at the leg, snug at the waist, and no gaps at the top of the thigh. The elastic should sit in the crease where the leg meets the body, the same place a disposable sits.
If you can fit more than a finger under the elastic, it is too loose. Almost every leak in the first month is a fit problem, not an absorbency problem.
La más importante. Detalle del elástico en la pierna, bien puesto. Del workshop
When something goes wrong
Leaking at the leg. Nearly always fit. Check for gaps and check that the insert is tucked fully inside the cover with nothing poking out.
Wet through the whole nappy. That is absorbency. Add the booster.
Leaking after a few months of use. Usually detergent build up. Strip the inserts and go back to a full dose of detergent.
Comparativa: ajuste flojo vs ajuste correcto, lado a lado
Washing
Knock solids into the toilet. Store the nappy dry in an open basket, not sealed in a bucket. Run a short cold rinse when the basket is full enough, then a long warm wash with a full dose of regular detergent.
Not eco detergent, not half a scoop. Nappies need a proper wash, and underdosing is the single most common cause of smell and of stubborn leaks later on.
Canasto abierto con pañales, o pañales entrando al lavarropas
Drying
Covers dry fast, often within a couple of hours on the line. Inserts take longer, which is why they snap out rather than sewing in.
Sun is free stain removal and it works even on a cold day. Anything that comes off the line still stained goes back out next time.
Pañales colgados al sol, con viento. Muy buena para el color de los prints
The question everyone asks
Will the house smell?
Not if the nappies are stored dry and washed properly. This is the thing people worry about most and it is genuinely solvable.
Ammonia builds up when nappies sit wet in a sealed bucket with no air. The fix is the opposite of what most people assume: an open basket with airflow, and a rinse before the nappies have been sitting more than two or three days.
If a smell does appear, it is a wash routine problem rather than a nappy problem. Nine times out of ten it is not enough detergent. It is fixable and it does not mean starting again.
A wet bag handles the out of the house part. Zip closed, nobody in the car knows what is in there.
Being straight with you
Is it a lot of washing?
Yes. It is two or three extra loads a week. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out in week three.
That is the honest trade. The nappies themselves are not hard, the fit is not hard, and the folding takes a few minutes. What it costs you is laundry, and there is no version of cloth where that is not true.
What we would say is this: you do not have to do all of it. Plenty of families in our workshops use cloth at home and disposables for daycare, travel and the weeks when everything is falling apart. Six nappies a day is still six nappies a day that did not go to landfill.
Part time cloth is not failed full time cloth. It is just cloth.
Before you buy
How many do you actually need?
It depends on how often you want to be doing a load, and how much of the time you plan to use cloth.
Pila de 6 a 8 pañales
Pila de 12 a 18 pañales
Pila de 24 a 30 pañales
Newborns go through more than you expect, sometimes ten or twelve a day. Toddlers go through far fewer. If you are starting from scratch, start at the low end and add later once you know your own rhythm.
Still wondering
Questions we get every week
Can I reuse the cover?
Yes, if it is only wet and not soiled. Dry it out between uses and snap in a fresh insert. That is a big part of why a stash of covers goes further than you would think.
What do I do with the poo?
Before solids, breastfed poo is water soluble and goes straight in the wash. Once solids start, knock what you can into the toilet first. A silicone brush kept by the toilet makes this a five second job rather than something you dread.
Will it fit my newborn right now?
From around 4kg. Under that it will fit but it will be bulky, and a lot of families start cloth at a few weeks rather than day one. There is no rush and nothing lost by waiting.
What about nights?
Insert plus booster. That combination gets most families through the night comfortably. If bub is a very heavy wetter you may need to change once overnight in the early months, which is usually happening anyway.
Will daycare take cloth?
Many will, especially if you send them packed and ready with a wet bag for the day. It is worth asking rather than assuming. If they say no, cloth at home and disposables at daycare still works.
What is actually in a cloth nappy?
Bamboo and cotton against the skin, and a waterproof PUL outer. That is it. No fragrance, no absorbent gels, no lotions.
If your bub has sensitive skin or has reacted to something before, knowing exactly what is sitting against them all day is worth a lot.
How long do they last?
Looked after properly, through more than one child. The elastic is usually what goes first, and it can be replaced. Most of the cost of cloth is upfront and then it stops.
Not sure where to start?
Come to a workshop
Two hours, in person, with real nappies in your hands. We cover fitting, washing, night nappies and every question you have not thought of yet. Most people leave saying they wish they had come before buying anything.
Find a workshop Shop cloth nappiesFoto real de un workshop. Gente con pañales en la mano, ambiente