Which reusable nappies to use

Reusable nappies are made up of an absorbent inner layer, containing a washable or disposable liner and a waterproof outer layer, called the wrap.

You can also choose to add a booster pad for extra absorbency. The outer wraps can be made of fleece, wool, PUL a type of laminated fabric or waterproof plastic. Instead of binning the nappy once used, you put the reusable nappy in a designated bucket ready to be washed. When clean and dry, it can be worn again.

Reusable nappies come in a range of different designs. Some have layers attached, while others have separate parts that you need to join together.

You may want to try out a few types of nappy before you buy in bulk, to see how you and your baby get on with them. All-in-one nappies have an absorbent inner layer attached to a waterproof outer layer. The two parts are sewn together, making them one piece. Pocket nappies are similar to all-in-ones but have a pouch in the nappy cover, which you stuff with a fabric insert to provide absorbency. Nappies with a two-part design have a separate inner nappy and outer wrap.

You can choose between a shaped nappy and a flat nappy. Shaped nappies have elasticated waist and leg cuffs and are usually fastened with Velcro or poppers. Flat nappies are simply a piece of fabric that you fasten around your baby using a nappy grip.

You can either buy Terry squares, which need to be folded to a suitable size and shape, or you can buy pre-folded nappies. These are the cheapest type of reusable nappies. One-size or 'birth to potty' reusable nappies can be adjusted to fit your baby as they grow. With sized nappies, you'll need to buy different nappies as your baby grows. These are useful for newborns as you may find that birth to potty nappies are too big for small babies.

Take our short quiz to find out which type of reusable nappy is right for you. Answer a few quick questions to find out which type of reusable nappy would suit you best. But there are two different types to choose from. All-in-ones have the nappy and wrap parts built together into one item, much like disposable nappies. Plus, while a baby goes through around 5, disposable nappies before being potty trained, they only need around 20 to 30 reusable nappies.

Cleaning is easy too. So, we decided to test 32 different nappies across three weeks on a set of twins. We totalled more than nappy changes to find the best reusable and eco-friendly disposable nappy. We wanted them to absorb any mess without restricting our babies movement and, more importantly, were easy to change, wash, and reuse. You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice.

This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Pop-In nappies come with a bamboo soaker and a booster, which attach with poppers inside the waterproof shell.

As the nappies can be separated into parts, they can be dried separately which we found dramatically reduced the drying time. Pop-In also make special overnight soakers sold separately that work to give you even more peace of mind.

We found the poppers at the front really gave a comfy fit, while the adjustable tabs inside gave even more adjustability. We absolutely loved the range of prints available on these all-in-one nappies. The nappies themselves are designed for daytime use only, and we found them the quickest drying nappies of the lot, as well as the easiest to use by far.

The stay dry insert is made up of layers of microfibre and bamboo for speedy absorption and effective liquid retention. These disposables have seriously impressive eco-credentials. The nappies are very plain in print on the outside, which not only feels more natural but also reduces the number of metals and chemicals used on them too.

We found these the best disposables we tried in terms of effectiveness — no leaks on our active of toddlers, and bums felt dry even after hours of wear. A very traditional-style reusable nappy, this one is fluffy and definitely looks cute on our babies — but they are a little on the bulkier side. Made from microfibre, fluids are held between fibres meaning that during the spin cycle the liquid is spun out more easily and it dries more quickly.

However, this does mean that they are not so absorbent and we found they were sodden quite quickly. With this nappy, you will need a waterproof wrap, which are sold separately. The Blueberry simplex is on the pricer end of the scale. The core of the nappy is made from organic cotton, making it soft and breathable for our baby. We found the Simplex very easy to use and a great introductory nappy. There were no leaks in the daytime but these are not suitable for overnight use.

These two-part pocket nappies are super soft against delicate skin. Change nappies more frequently if need be. Note that not all rashes are nappy rash - if you are not sure, it is almost certainly NOT nappy rash.

A bit of redness may be an early sign, if left uncleaned, but is not in itself nappy rash. Consider other causes of rashes as well, such as sensitivity to washing powder, allergies, sweat rashes or thrush. Talk to your advisor if you have any concerns. You can use cotton wool, packs of disposable wipes or reusable cloth wipes. Reusable cloth wipes are very environmentally friendly and cost nothing after initial purchase.

They just go in the bucket with the dirty nappy. Also, unlike commercial wipes, you can control what you put on baby's bottom. If not using commercial wipes, you may like to use the following recipe to add cleanser to your wipes or cotton wool. You can even put this solution into a spray bottle and use it when out and about:. It is best to make up enough to last two to three days at a time. After use, place in nappy bucket.

There is no need to hang out on line to dry, just smooth into a pile ready to use again. This solution is very soothing, and can also help with healing if your baby has any redness or nappy rash. Fasten with a Nappi Nippa to give a compact fit. Folding the corners further than the centre in step 1 makes a smaller nappy which is just as tidy. Using a terry is more bulky, but more absorbent. The beauty of this fold is that even a 60cm terry can be folded down to a size small enough for a newborn, with all the fabric spread evenly.

Talk to The Nappy Lady! We may be able to advise you on where you are going wrong. Good cloth nappies should be more reliable than disposables, not less. Hi Wendy I have been using totsbots easyfit stars for a few months now. I tend to wash every 2 days with non bio powder and always do a rinse cycle before the main wash.

There is usually about 10 nappies in the wash so the drum is nowhere near full but after every wash the nappies are still smelling dirty with a strong urine smell.

What am I doing wrong? Incidentally they are also leaking a lot at the minute around my little boys legs he is just 18 months old and in the middle rise as he is quite small.

Could this be do it with them not being washed properly? Many thanks. Does your machine weigh the washing and adjust the water usage? Turn the spin down low and add extra items to the wash so the load is heavier, this should help. What am I doing wrong please? I use totabots easy fit and when I take them.

Off my daughter has lots of marks all over the area where the nappy has been from creases in the fabric. How do I stop this? Hi Danielle, this is nothing to worry about and is just where the fabric touches the skin. Similar to how you can get pillow marks on your cheek after sleeping.

You could try loosening the nappy but if it's too loose then it may leak. It's not essential but without it the moisture is against the skin. We find that for a newborn fleece liners work better. Hi, I currently use cloth nappys for my 7 month old and have done for the past 4 months now, and they are great! Understanding Your Nappies Using real nappies is not hard, just different from using disposables.

How to Care for your Nappies It's very simple! Care of Motherease Nappies and Wraps The binding on the Motherease products are the reason they are so fabulously waterproof so it's important to treat the binding with respect and make sure it can't get caught on velcro in the wash. Step 1. Step 2. Rinse Cycle When the time comes to do a wash, put the nappies in the machine and do a cold rinse cycle without any detergent, a rinse cycle is better than a prewash as modern machines are so water efficient they often reuse water from a prewash cycle whereas rinse cycle water is always fully drained away.

Step 3. Main Wash Cycle Next simply run your longest 60 or 40 degree wash depending on your nappy brands temperature recommendation, this is normally a cotton wash and never an ECO cycle. Detergent Dosage Lots of people get very hung up on the amount of detergent they should use, in our experience people tend to over dose and forget to regularly run a maintenance cycle on their machine leading to detergent residue in their machines too. How to use Biological Detergent Safely and Minimise Damage If you have to use biological detergent as it's all you can find your Country or area or for any other reason then do the following!

Ecover We DO NOT Recommend the use of Ecover with any cloth nappies as we find it frequently causes skin issues and problems with elastic in the nappies as it tends to build up on fibres very quickly. Fabric Conditioner Do not use fabric conditioner, as this will affect the absorbency over time.

Spin Speed A washing machine with a higher speed spin will reduce the amount of drying needed. Step 4. Drying Nappies In general order of preference, these are the best ways to dry your nappies: Outside on the line - the sun is a natural bleach. Ceiling drying rack. Airing cupboard. In front of an Aga or other similar oven or old fashioned stove. Freestanding or an overbath dryer - a dryer is best stood in a well-ventilated room such as a conservatory or bedroom, as bathrooms often have too damp an atmosphere to dry effectively.

Tumble drier - makes nappies feel nice and soft, but works out expensive and also shortens the life span of your nappies by taking out the pile gradually. You will need to remember to empty the filter regularly of all the fluff.

Or you could give your nappies no more than 10 minutes in the tumble drier and then finish them off in one of the other ways listed, to get some of the softness without the cost. Other people swear by keeping the 10 minute tumble dry for the end of the drying period, rather than the beginning, but that is difficult to time.

Tumble drying should be avoided for any waterproof PUL covers which includes all in ones. If you have no choice but to tumble dry make sure you only dry any bamboo fabrics or waterproof layers low. If you have all in ones Near a radiator - nappies will feel quite hard, but can be shaken out to soften them up a bit.

Never dry directly on a radiator. Terries and prefold can also be ironed dry - many shaped nappies cannot be, either because they are too thick, or they contain some material which should not be ironed. This option is bottom of the list because it involves the serious disadvantage of requiring some effort on your part!

Never iron wraps.