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How to choose your nappies.

There are a bewildering number of cloth nappies now available. We do not claim to stock every single nappy on the market, but we do stock all of the different types and most of the major brands, and if we don't there will be a good reason why not. However, just having all  the nappies you could possibly require in one place doesn't make choosing which one any easier. My advice is, don't rush your decision, and remember, you do not have to try every nappy on the market, that will start to get very expensive. I certainly do not encourage a "nappyholic" habit, as some sellers seem to do. However, having said that, most parents need some help with their choice when first faced with so many types and brands of nappies. 

First of all, try to prioritise what you want/need from a nappy. Even if you don't want to ask for help, read my questions below, from the personalised advice page. I have copied over the relevant ones, that you can find answers to yourself. Remember that you can ask for personal help if you prefer. 

• Which of the following are important to you, and if possible, give a mark out of 10 for the importance you attach to that point (i.e. 10/10 is the most important to you) ?

  • Cost.

  • Environmental impact, before and after purchase. Organic cotton for example, has little effect on you personally, but it does affect the health of the growers, processors, wildlife and planet in general. Synthetic content of nappies and covers will leave an environmental footprint after use, as they don't easily biodegrade, although there will still be very much less of it than if you used disposables. It is useful to know if these are important issues to you, although please don't feel obliged to answer this question.

  • No leaks at all.

  • Ease of use (do you mind a bit of folding?).

  • Speed of changing.

  • Speed of drying.

  Also consider the following.

• Have a look through the catalogue pages that describe the different nappies. Having read through these, do you think you will prefer a fitted shaped nappy, or will you be able to cope with a more economical flat nappy system?

• Would you prefer the slightly neater (less bulky) and better fit (much wider size range, and better fit at each stage of growth) of a nappy that has more than one size, or are you happy to make a slight compromise on this to reduce the overall cost of buying? (you do not have to compromise on leak proofing)

• Which do you prefer, unbleached natural colour, white, patterned, and if patterned, strong and bold, or pastel and cute?

• Are you prepared to pay a little more for a nappy system that is organically grown?

• Do you have, or do you anticipate having, another child in nappies at the same time? Twins or different ages?

• Do you want the nappies to last for one or more children in addition to this one?

• Do you consider your child to be a heavy wetter?

• Will your child be cared for regularly in any form or childcare, e.g. Nursery or Childminder? Do you know if they are likely to be open to the idea of cloth nappies/ use cloth nappies now?

• Will your child be cared for on an occasional basis by anyone else, e.g. occasional crèche, family, babysitter?

• Is there any history of eczema in the family, and/or allergies?

• How will you dry the nappies, on a line (in or outside), tumble drier, radiator, other?

• would you prefer Velcro (faster but less secure) or poppers (more fiddly, but more secure)?

First of all, I suggest you think about your answers to each of the questions to start narrowing it down a little, then read the following Q&A's for some guidance. 

I have been using disposables, I want something very easy to use. You could consider some All-In-Ones. They are just like a disposable to use, the difference being that you would wash and reuse them. Kooshies are the easiest to change, but do be aware that they aren't as durable as they could be,  they aren't breathable and they take a long time to dry. Mother-ease All-In-Ones are reasonably durable but take a long time to dry. You should also consider Snuggle Naps Easygros. Try not to consider buying more than 3 or 4 All-In-Ones as your ultra convenience option for those occasions that require it. Many of the two part shaped nappy systems are really easy to use, you will soon get used to the idea of a separate nappy and wrap for your main kit.

I don't have a tumble dryer, I need easy dry nappies. Best avoid All-In-Ones as these take a long time to dry. Best to go for a two part (nappy and wrap) system. The quickest to dry are tie on nappies, flat terry nappies, then Nappy Nation no fold fitted terry, then prefolds and other shaped nappies. If you want an All-In-One style, Snuggle Naps Easy Gro nappies are all easy dry, and can be put on a radiator. Prefolds vary in drying time according to thickness, try the thinner ones and boost them up when necessary, this allows you separate out the parts for quicker drying. Nappy Nation no fold fitted terry is a very fast drying fitted nappy, also Disana organic fitted nappies and separate liners are quite fast drying for a shaped nappy and make a quite versatile system. Daisy Diapers dry reasonably easily as they are made from terry towelling. Mother-ease shaped nappies dry fairly easily, as do Ultrafits. Both come with their own separate booster. UTN is a little thinner and dries faster than the Mother-ease and is all cotton. Earthwise Baby are similar in design to Ultra Fits, but dry faster than the all cotton Ultra Fits. If you really need  a faster drying one size nappy, and don't mind accepting slightly more frequent nappy changes, you could consider the Ultra Fit patterned terry as they have a polyester soaker, much faster to dry, maybe with a few all cotton natural terries for night use.

I am on a tight budget, which are cheapest? One size tie on nappies or flat terries are usually cheapest, but there are a variety of economical nappies you can buy. Disana fitted nappies are very reasonable and Daisy Diapers are fairly economical and a shaped nappy. Tots Bots is strictly speaking a two size nappy, but it works well in the no fastenings version as a one size, as is much less bulky than you imagine it will be. One size nappies do need a larger outlay at the beginning, but then will last you through the whole of baby's nappy life. Look at the overall  cost for all sizes rather than the individual nappy cost to see which work out best over 2 & 1/2 years. You could consider Tie ons and liners, Terries, Prefolds, Mother-ease, UltraFit, Snuggle Naps, Earthwise Baby, Popolino UltraFits and Tots Bots.

I have 2 children close in age both in nappies. Look at the one size adjustable nappies, Popolini,Mother-ease, Baby Life, Tots Bots, and don't forget tie on nappies and terries. With twins you will probably want to look at the cheaper options.

I don't like the idea of poo getting on the wraps. Best to go for a shaped nappy with elastic round the legs. Look at Tots Bots, Mother-ease, UltraFit, and Disana. Also look at the Disana tie ons.

My toddler can remove the nappy, what should I do? Nappies and wraps with poppers or pull ons are much more difficult for the babies to undo. Look at Mother-ease nappies and Air-Rika or Whisper Pull on wraps. I have also known one person to use the tie-on nappies back to front, so her baby could not undo the ties.

My baby is very objectionable at change time and won't stay still. Velcro style fixings are quickest and easiest for you to do. Many of the nappies have them. For quick changing especially when out and about, Kooshies Ultras are the absolute quickest, but have some drawbacks. Snuggle Naps are very easy at change time. Flat nappies and tie ons are the most difficult with a wriggly baby, but not impossible.

I don't want any leaks at all. By this I mostly mean poo leaks. To avoid wet leaks, main thing to avoid is cotton covered wraps. Also read Avoiding leaks. As for poo leaks, you shoudn't have to put up with many of these, although newborn babies tend to be a bit squitty and leaks do occassionally occur. Mainly look at the shaped fitted nappies, as elastic on the legs tends to keep all the gunk in better than non elasticated nappies. Prefolds are very absorbent for wee, but are a bit more prone to poo leaks if the cover doesn't fit very well.

I would like to use an organic cotton nappy. Look Disana tie ons, Disana fitted, and Popolini nappies.

My child will have to be looked after by someone else either regularly or occassionally. If you will be using the occassional baby sitter, then a few All-In-Ones may be all you need. However, if you can spend a little time showing the baby sitter how to change a fitted nappy and cover, they will be able to deal with most shaped fitted velcro nappies. For evening and night baby sitting, where you have hopefully settled the baby down for the night, beware of using All-In-Ones, they aren't the most absorbent, a few Snuggle Naps would be good. For day child care, you need something as easy and leak proof as possible. Again, if you can spend the time actually showing the carers how to change the nappy system, they should have no problems, but keep it simple, shaped velcro fastening nappies such as Ultra Fits, Tots Bots, Disana are usually good, and look at Popo and Tots wrap, both reliable velcro covers. Also consider the stuffable systems.

I want to be as green as possible about this, the environment is very important to me. Look at organic nappies, Disana tie ons and fitted nappies and their liners, and Popolino nappies. Also hemp nappies like Ella's House nappies. Think about using wool covers, as these are the greenest by far. No synthetics to hang around for centuries, an all breathable and natural system.

My child is a heavy wetter. Avoid All-In-Ones, and try wool covers overnight with a well boosted nappy. Aristocrats are especially good for heavy wetters overnight. You can use lots of things as boosters, even old face flannels. Flannelette hush cloth liners are very absorbent without too much bulk.

We have allergies or sensitive skin in the family. Best to stick to a 100% cotton nappy, and consider using wool covers at least over night, but most of the time if possible. Some babies can be sensitive to lanolin (although it is rare), so do test a little wool against baby's skin first. Ask about borrowing a wool wrap (not necessarily new) to try first if in any doubt, I allow 2 weeks to try it out. Ask for details.

We are planning to have more children yet. Most nappies will last for two children, but one size nappies may look a bit more tired after one baby, as they have been used all the way through for 2 or more years. Two size nappies do mean that there has been less wear and tear on each nappy as they have been used for less of the time. Prefolds are very durable, as are terries and also the Earthwise baby organic nappy, although the velcro may need replacing eventually. Tie ons dry so fast that they suffer less wear and tear if tumbled, so these are also an option, although you do have to be careful about the ties. Best avoid too many All-In-Ones, or expect to buy new ones for each baby.

I will be using a radiator to dry the nappies a lot. Avoid terry towelling fabric, it goes very hard on the radiator, but stretch terry is actually fine dried this way. Flannelette is not too bad. The tie ons can be stretched and pulled out a bit to soften them after radiator drying.

I will be line drying all the time. Either buy flat nappies, such as tie ons, or terries, or maybe the Disana fitted nappies and use booster liners that open out such as muslins or flannelette liners. Tots Bots coloured nappies dry a little faster than their white or unbleached nappies.

I think that covers just about everything, but if you need more help, then please go to the personalised advice page, or just e-mail me with your specific questions.

Having considered the most likely nappies for you. Remember you don't have to buy only one type of nappy, feel free to mix and match a bit, but don't go mad, you only need 20 to 24 nappies. Some people get away with 15 nappies by washing every night.