Getting Started on Cloth Nappies

Hi everyone! I'm Megan and I'm going to share a little bit about cloth nappies and how easy they are even with twins! Cloth is something I'm super passionate about not only is it making a huge difference on our environment but they are also cost effective! I'll run through some commonly asked questions, it can be so overwhelming in the beginning.

What are the benefits of cloth?

There are a few benefits! I'm going to be honest I didn't start cloth for the environmental side, I liked the idea of saving money in the long run especially with twins and I couldn't resist the cute prints but saving thousands of nappies going to the landfill is a huge bonus! I'm also alot more aware now on the waste we create on a daily basis and glad we made the switch, these aren't the only reasons people choose to do cloth but they are the most common!

What age are they suitable to and from?

Cloth nappies are suitable from birth right through to about 28kgs depending on what nappies you go for. There are a few brands on the market that cater for bigger children as not every child will be toilet trained by a certain age or there may be health reasons involved.

How many nappies do you need to get started?

To give you a rough idea I have about 60 nappies for 2 kids in cloth full time with a main wash every 3 days.

What does our everyday cloth nappy routine look like?

Not much different to if you use disposables! We get up, I change the girls nappies and put a prewash on with the previous days nappies (I will explain in our wash routine what this means) then get on with our day as normal changing their nappies when needed.

Our wash routine following the CCN (Clean Cloth Nappy) guidelines:

1. Every morning I do a pre wash with our night nappy and previous days day nappies for atleast an hour on 60° using 1 scoop of persil ultimate liquid or powder, you can also use vanish as a booster - If your doing cloth overnight it is recommend to do your prewash at 60° to make sure your nappies are being cleaned properly. Once cycle is complete put nappies in the pre washed dry pail - You don't need to dry nappies before dry pailing.

2. I do a main wash every 3 days - A main wash is a 3 hour cycle on 40° using 2 scoops of persil liquid or powder (Do not use a booster in your main wash) Make sure to bulk up the load to insure there is enough agitation to clean your nappies effectively - You can add in small items for example: baby clothing, socks, undies ect. Once cycle is complete hang up nappy shells and inserts (Inserts can also go in the dryer)

What are dry pails?

A dry pail is a way to store your nappies in between washes, you want to make sure your dry pails are open and have lots of air flow (A basket with holes) so your nappies don't stick or build up with ammonia. You need 2 baskets, one for dirty nappies and one for prewashed nappies.

Pee nappies: Go straight into the dirty dry pail (Do not rinse pee nappies)

Poo nappies: Dump poo in the toilet and give the nappy a quick scrub using sunlight soap and a rubber brush then put nappy in the dirty dry pail. Breastfed poos don't need to be rinsed as it is soilable.

Every pre wash you take the nappies from your dirty dry pail, once cycle is complete you put wet nappies straight into your prewashed dry pail until your main wash day - See why airy baskets are important!

It sounds confusing I know but once you get a good routine going you'll be amazed at how easy it is!

Cloth tips!

-If your unsure ask for help - We have all been there, it's so much easier then it sounds!

- A good wash routine is so important!

- Invest in good inserts

- If you get leaks don't be discouraged, it's a bit of trial and error till you find out what works for you!

Getting Started on Cloth Nappies - By Megan Handel

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