Beginner’s Guide to Cloth Nappies – Using Cloth Full Time

Firstly if you have thought about using cloth nappies / reusable nappies but haven’t taken the plunge yet; you might be worried about the time it takes to wash them, the cost and even how you are going to dry them.  
I’m here to assure you that there are a number of different ways to use washable nappies and it doesn’t have to be costly.  

Check out my YouTube video where I discuss my experiences using washable nappies, if you would prefer not to read my post.

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Newborn Nappies

Can Newborns Wear Cloth Nappies

I first decided to try reusable nappies before my son was born and looked into options. My sister had suggested renting some washable nappies, as she had done it and not to worry about doing it with a Newborn. However, I wanted to have some immediately because I didn’t like the thought of all that plastic waste adding to landfill.

You might be wondering can Newborns wear cloth nappies. Newborns can wear cloth nappies, in fact it’s much better for a Newborn baby to have fabric against their skin and not the usual harmful chemicals that are in disposable nappies. Especially if you choose a natural fabric like organic cotton, wool or bamboo.

However, it’s definitely hard work in the early days of having a Newborn baby so don’t feel like you have to get started with cloth nappies straight away. You can use disposables in the early days and then move onto cloth nappies when you’re ready. I remember with my son the sleepless nights were a shock to the system.

Prior to my son, I bought some washable nappies, newborn Pop-ins which were one of the few cloth nappies which I was aware were suitable from birth – of course now there are plenty of other reusable nappies to choose from.  
For Pop-ins click here. I’ve actually passed these onto somebody else now but they were quite handy for getting started.

Both of my children were quite small at birth and wearing Tiny baby clothes but these nappies fitted perfectly. You just have to make sure that the nappy comes below the umbilical cord until it heals otherwise it may not heal properly.

How Many Newborn Reusable Nappies Do I Need

With a Newborn you would need between 10-15 reusable nappies if you plan on using them part time or if you use them full time you will need to wash them daily to ensure you have enough. Essentially the more you have in your collection, the easier it will be as if you had 25 reusable nappies you could wash them every 2-3 days instead.

The Pop-in washable nappies came in a kit which included 6 nappies with 10 removable inserts and I actually used these for the first weeks before I added some preloved Little Lambs (2 part system with fleece liners and inserts) to my collection.  I wouldn’t recommend doing this though as I did have to ensure that I washed them daily so I had enough clean nappies to get by.

How To Wash Newborn Reusable Nappies

I would say I probably washed these reusable nappies, every few days on a low cycle 30 degrees and that would give them a chance to dry and be ready for use again (please note I breastfed only so the poo is water soluble but if formula feeding you would need to soak first or use a disposable liner.)

I use an eco egg for my normal washing but that doesn’t work very well for cloth nappies so I used Fill Washing liquid (And Keep affiliate link).

There are few options for washing reusable nappies as follows:

• Laundry liquid
• Washing powder
• Soapnuts
• Laundry sheets

The main thing to remember when washing cloth nappies is to never use fabric conditioner or 2 in 1 laundry products (which contain fabric conditioner). This is because fabric conditioner effects the absorbency of the nappy.

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Different Ways To Dry Cloth Nappies

The microfibre versions of reusable nappies, dry a lot quicker which I prefer for indoor and outside drying (no tumble dryer). Apparently they don’t hold as much wee as bamboo although I’ve never noticed a massive difference if I’m honest.  

My son was born in September so I had a lot of drying washable nappies in the house so I set up 2 clothes airers so there was plenty of room between nappies and inserts for the air to flow and dry them quicker.

I have to admit if I forgot to do a wash (sleep deprivation?) and ran out of dry nappies, I would put reusable nappies and inserts on the radiator to dry, it’s not advised but I didn’t have any issues with absorbency from this.  

Drying outside is obviously much better when you can and if you have stains washing a few times and letting the washable nappies dry in the sun is useful for fading these stains.

Getting a tumble dryer was never really an option for me because of living in rented accommodation but I know some parents love to use a tumble dryer if the weather isn’t good enough to dry outside.

When using cloth nappies with my second child I decided to buy a dehumidifier to assist the indoor drying. I aim the dehumidifier directly in front of the clothes airer and because it takes the moisture out of the air it helps them to dry much quicker.

Reusable Nappies After The Newborn Stage

Depending on the size of your baby, once they’re around 3 months old they’ve normally grown out of the Newborn nappies and they’ll be ready for the next size nappies. Usually these nappies will see them through until potty training.

There are so many different types of cloth nappies that it’s normal to get a bit overwhelmed at this stage. You can see if there’s a nappy library in your area if you don’t know which type of nappy that you want to buy. Usually they will have a selection of cloth nappies that you can look at, ask questions and even borrow if you wanted to see how you get on with them.

The following are the main types of reusable nappies available:

• All-in one nappy – this type of nappy is a fitted nappy with a long insert that you can fold over to double up and it’s always attached to the nappy
• Pop-in style nappy – this type of nappy is one nappy with a insert which can pop-in
• Pocket nappy – this nappy is a fitted nappy but with a pocket which you put the absorbent inserts into
• Fitted nappy – this type of nappy is a two part system with a fitted nappy and then another waterproof cover to go on top
• Prefolds – this is another two part system but with a flat sheet called a prefold which you sort of do nappy origami and attach with a safety pin or nappy clip and then use a waterproof cover on top

How Many Cloth Nappies Do I Need

Generally if you want to use cloth nappies full time you will need 20-25 reusable nappies. This means that you would only need to wash them every 2-3 days depending on how old your child is and how often they need changing. As I said before the more you have the easier it is because then you won’t run out of clean nappies.

It does depend on which nappies you end up using of course because if you change a nappy which has just a small poo then with a pop-in style nappy you can just switch out the insert and you won’t need to wash the entire nappy. It’s definitely possible to get by with 15 reusable nappies if you’re using them part time or if you’re short of money, however it will make it quite difficult keeping on top of them.

Using Pocket Nappies

Once my son was about 4 months old I then bought about 20 reusable pocket nappies (nappy with ‘pocket’ to fit separate insert) from EBay (there are plenty to choose from EBay just be sure to select UK only unless you are willing to order from China). If I had to choose nappies again, I probably wouldn’t choose these because I don’t think the cheaper are particularly ethical or sustainable. However, at this time I hadn’t considered the impact of my purchase.

I would layer a bamboo insert and microfibre on top inside the pocket of the washable nappies and then use a fleece liner over the pocket to catch poo and protect the cloth nappies. This would make the nappy last about 4 hours with just wees.  

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A few of my friends used some more expensive cloth nappies in their collection; the bigger brands like Bumgenius, Bambino Mio, Tots bots etc but I didn’t have any issues with these cheaper nappies.

They worked out at approximately £3 per nappy if you bulk buy (not sure current prices) and they come in many different funky patterns so that was a win for me.

I used these washable nappies right up until my son potty trained at 3 1/2 and only had one nappy lose a popper. I added some more reusable nappies to my collection as well, a few bamboozle cloth nappies and a hemp nappy. Which I would stack a few inserts in for overnight and this worked very well for me.

I’m currently using the same collection of reusable nappies for my baby girl so I’m definitely getting my moneys worth out of these! However I have had to wash these reusable nappies much more frequently, because she likes to be changed every 1 1/2 hours.

I also use a biodegradable disposable overnight for her as she just doesn’t like the feeling of being wet at all – it’s funny how different babies can be.  

Homemade Reusable Wipes

It’s actually quite easy to make your own reusable wipes too, I cut up old pairs of pyjamas and made a solution out of a mild soap, filtered water and jojoba oil which I squirted onto the wipe before use.

You can then just throw these in the wash with the washable nappies and because they’re thin they dry very quickly too. There are some reusable wipes that you can buy eg Cheeky Wipes which sometimes come with their own container and solution if you would like to take the hassle out of it.  
For Cheeky Wipes click here.

Storage Of Dirty Nappies

For storage of dirty cloth nappies before a wash, some people use a bucket with a lid but I used nappy/wet bags (only a few pounds on Ebay) for out and about or if at home I would just put the nappy straight in the washing machine if it was convenient.  
For nappy bags on Ebay click here.

The storage buckets are quite good at containing the smell of the dirty nappies before you get to wash them.

Secondhand Cloth Nappies

As I already buy Secondhand clothes myself, I would also recommend looking out for secondhand nappies (classified listings UK) as you can get a good quality bundle from people online if they’ve looked after them well; just ensure you give them a good hot wash before use. Facebook marketplace or preloved nappy groups are also a good way to get a bargain on a bundle of nappies.  

As you can tell you can put together quite a decent cloth nappy setup for a fairly low cost. Even if you were running a washing machine daily to keep on top of them or if you had a smaller collection you would still be saving a lot of money each year for not buying disposables all the time. Plus you’re not adding to the plastic waste going to landfill which is much better environmentally.

Are you new to cloth nappies? Have you got a different set up with washable nappies?

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