Cloth Nappy tips for beginners

March 28, 2019 3 min read

So you’ve made the decision to give cloth nappies a try?! Go you!

3.75 million disposable nappies are used each day in Australia and New Zealand alone so you can only imagine what this number would be worldwide. This is a staggering amount of nappies to end up in landfill.

Conventional nappies also take around 150 years to breakdown so the fact that you are considering cloth could have a very positive impact on the environment.

Cloth nappies have changed a lot over the years and they are a lot easier to use than what they used to be. Below are some tips to help get you started using modern cloth nappies.

Start at your own pace

Bringing a baby home is a huge change to your lifestyle and suddenly having to throw cloth nappies into the mix could overwhelm anyone. Don’t feel like you have to start using cloth as soon as your baby is born. Give yourself time to get into a bit of a routine and get to know your baby. Just enjoy those newborn cuddles!

It’s not uncommon for mum’s to start using cloth nappies when their baby is a few months old. Go at your own pace and start when you are ready.

Don’t feel like you have to go full time

It can be daunting to go straight into using cloth nappies all day everyday so sometimes it can be good to ease into it. Some mum’s might start off with one a day, transition to using cloth only when at home and then eventually move to full time use. The key is to just do whatever works best for you and your family. Even using one cloth nappy can have a positive impact as it is one less nappy in landfill.

Be Prepared

It is so much easier to have the cloth nappy ready to go when you need them. Take a bit of time after washing nappies to get the inserts into the pockets and have your nappies all ready so you don’t have to worry about it mid-change. If you are using the Mess-free bamboo liners you could even lay these in the nappies ready to go.

Accessories that can help

Dry Pail (a bucket or tub with holes on the sides to allow for airflow) – To keep your dirty nappies until you’re ready to wash. Airflow is important to reduce the chance of ammonia developing by evaporating the water from urine.
Waterproof Bags – To transport soiled nappies when you are out and about. These can just be washed with your nappies.
Mess-Free Bamboo liners – To make dealing with number 2’s easier! Lines your nappy and catches the poo so this can be thrown in the bin making clean up simpler. Note– Liners should never be flushed down the toilet as this can cause blockages.
Toilet trigger sprayer – To rinse dirty nappies in the toilet so poo’s can be flushed. The Little Squirt is an Australian brand that is available and is just installed on to the plumbing of your toilet.

Don’t be afraid to change the fit of your nappy

As your baby grows so do their cloth nappy needs. Initially an absorption/fit combo might work perfectly and then no longer be ideal. Don’t be afraid to play around with the amount of absorption used and snap settings if your baby seems to have grown out of what used to work.

See the EcoNaps Sizing and Fitting page for more nappy fitting advice and check out the videos below for more specific fitting tips for EcoNaps cloth nappies.