The world of cloth

I’ll never understand why more people don’t use cloth nappies, at least on a part-time basis. It’s funny how many people seem to have this idea that to use cloth is a lot of work and not worth it.

I have used cloth nappies from the very beginning with my son, I have a very big stash and didn’t spend a fortune to begin using them. The nappies are highly effective, are trim enough to be worn under cute clothes, and look adorable on a baby’s bottom.

Now it is true, there is more to wash. I can’t deny that cloth nappies do need washing, it is part of the workload, but it’s a minor part of my week to wash the nappies. Having a baby means lots of washing no matter what nappy option you choose. I wash every day, and most of those loads have nothing to do with nappies.

There also seems to be this myth that they will leak all the time. From my experience this is not the case at all, I have had very few poo blowouts, certainly no more than friends that have used disposable nappies. It is true at nine months old I have had to start boosting some of my nappies due to the larger wee’s an older baby does, but the nappies continue to work just as effectively as ever.

Cloth nappies are not difficult to take out of the house to use, I throw a couple of clean ones in the nappy bag, put in a wet bag for the dirty nappies and I’m ready to go. It is often easier to be using this system as I don’t have to find a bin to dispose of my nappies…and no they don’t smell, no one would know a dirty nappy was in my nappy bag, wet bags are very effective.

I have even travelled with my nappies, twice in fact. It meant I packed an extra bag for the nappies, but it also meant I didn’t have to learn a new system when I went away.

Cleaning poo off nappies is not the issue many think it will be, in truth poo is meant to be removed from disposables as well, it’s just that barely anyone does this. Breastfed poo is water-soluble and can be thrown straight in the washing machine, and babies on solids produce waste that is formed and easily can be flicked off the liner. Even the in between poo’s (you know the one’s, on solids, but still lots of breast milk, so still not formed) can be removed easily; just line your nappies with some microfleece and it will wash off in the machine (just be sure to scrape off any obvious solids with either a spatula, a blunt knife, or even with a bit of toilet paper).

Modern cloth nappies make using cloth especially easy, many that can be bought are just as simple as a disposable to use. Surprisingly, even the steepest learning curve which is a folded terry square is still an effective nappy, and can become simple with practice.