Resources and services for health professionalsWashable Nappies - Frequently Asked Questions
HOW MANY NAPPIES WILL I NEED?
If you decide to use cotton nappies as your main nappy system you will need 15 -25 depending on three factors:
1. How often you expect to wash your nappies: If you want to wash your nappies daily you will need less than if you wash every two days
2. What facilities you have for drying them: If your drying facilities consist of an airier you will need more than someone who uses tumble dryer.
3. The age of the baby: A newborn breastfed baby will use up to ten nappies in a 24hr period. From weaning to the age of one this will decrease to approximately 6 per day. A typical two year old will need 3/4 per day.
WHAT TO WEAR ON TOP OF THE NAPPIES?
We recommend you use the following combination of nappies and wraps as they have been designed to go together and you can rely on the sizing guides.
However the Tots wrap will work very effectively with the Motherease nappies and the Air Flow or Rikki wrap equally well will all the nappies, but bear in mind that you may need to adjust the sizing as the fit of the wraps varies.
| Nappy | Wrap |
|---|---|
| Rainbow Tots | Tots Wrap |
| Bamboozle | Tots Wrap |
| Motherease One Size | Air Flow or Rikki Wrap |
| Yummies Prefold | Pro Wrap |
You will need around 3-5 wraps in each size, depending on the number of nappies you are using. You do not need to wash the wrap after each nappy change but we would recommend that you change it. Airing it in between wearing will ensure that it doesn't smell and will increase its durability.
Wraps should be washed with your standard washing at 40 degrees rather than with your nappies at 60 degrees. Washing them at 60 degrees and tumble-drying them will cause them to lose their waterproofness.
WHICH IS BEST, THE FLEECE OR THE TOTS WRAP?
Both are equally good but for different reasons. Use the Tots Wrap by day and the fleece by night. The Tots Wrap is more waterproof and snug fitting. The fleece wrap is more breathable (beneficial when the nappy is being worn overnight) and is so soft on sensitive skin.
SHOULD I USE BOOSTERS AT NIGHT TIME?
Only if you have a very heavy wetter. This is easy to assess, if the nappy is absolutely sodden in the morning then you need to boost.
WHICH SYSTEM SHOULD I CHOOSE?
All the systems that we have chosen have different merits and you should decide which would be most appropriate for your circumstances. If you can't decide, why not buy a sample pack of each type to help you make your decision? Both nappies and wraps are interchangeable so you won't be wasting money buy doing this.
| Rainbow Tots | Bamboozle | Motherease One Size | Yummies Prefolds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fit / Reliability (no leaks) | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Ease of Use | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Absorbency | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good |
| Drying Time | Good | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Durability | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Washing and Drying
HOW DO I WASH MY NAPPIES?
Wash at 60C using non -biological washing powder. To keep your nappies nice and soft we recommend putting a tablespoon of vinegar in with the final rinse. If you dry over an airier or on the line a quick 10 minutes in the tumble dryer before hanging up (or out!) will also do the trick. Do NOT use fabric softener as this leaves a residue, which will decrease the absorbency of the nappy and may irritate your baby's skin.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO WASH NAPPIES BEFORE FIRST USE?
During the fabric manufacture process a substance similar to fabric softener is used to enable the fabric to run smoothly through the looms. This needs to be removed so that maximum absorbency can be achieved.
DO I HAVE TO SOAK MY NAPPIES?
No! With today's high performance washing machines soaking is no longer essential. Simply shake off any excess poo into the toilet, give them a quick rinse if necessary and put your soiled nappies in a bucket with a fitted lid to keep smells in and inquisitive hands out. We suggest that you put a few drops of tea tree oil in the bucket to act as a sanitizer whilst keeping any smells at bay.
HOW LONG WILL MY NAPPIES TAKE TO DRY?
Rainbow Bots: Line dry on a fine day = 4 to 6 hrs, Warm airing cupboard = 12hrs, Tumble drier = 1hr.
Yummies Prefolds: Line dry on a fine day = 2 to 4 hrs, Warm airing cupboard = 8hrs, Tumble drier = 1hr.
DO I NEED TO USE A LINER?
Yes. Not only to catch poo but to act as a one-way barrier. We recommend using a washable fleece liner, which will act as an excellent one-way barrier allowing moisture through to the nappy whilst keeping your baby's bottom exceptionally dry. Disposable paper liners can also used. Just flush away when soiled.
WHY DO THE SIZE 1s RAINBOW BOTS HAVE ATTACHED FLEECE LINERS?
Newborn babies tend to poo pretty frequently, however the poo is quite runny and inoffensive not requiring any rinsing. As they become older the poo becomes more solid and sticky and it is necessary to remove this before washing. Having a removable liner makes this easier.
General Information
WHAT ARE COTTON NAPPIES AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
Cotton nappies are just that - nappies made out of cotton. Most peoples perception of cotton nappies are of terry squares which need folding and pinning and have crinkly plastic pants over the top. Coupled with having to boil them to get them clean it's not a very nice image. However time has moved on and there is now an ever growing number of cotton nappies on the market that have been bought bang up to date and are both easy to use and to care for. Modern high performance washing machines make them a doddle to care for and sophisticated design and manufacture ensure they are as easy to use as disposable nappies, just as reliable and usually work out cheaper too!
The nappy system is different from a disposable one though and requires a little explaining. It consists of two main parts - the nappy and an outer cover called a wrap. The nappy is the absorbent cotton part that catches everything and the wrap is the waterproof barrier that keeps what the nappy has caught where it should be, inside the nappy. You do not need to buy one wrap per nappy and usually a ration of about 5 nappies to 1 wrap works well. The main reason they haven't sewn the nappy and wrap together to make it a one-stage system is to reduce cost to you and increase the durability and reliability of the system. All advantages for you the user!
ARE COTTON NAPPIES EASY TO USE?
Yes, both nappy systems that the NCT sell are easy to use. Tots Bots are shaped to use just like a disposable nappy. They have Aplix (like Velcro) tabs to hold them shut and are a similar shaped design to a disposable. Yummies prefolds are a flat nappy that you just fold into three and lay inside a wrap (waterproof cover). Hey presto nappy done! Even Dad will be able to master these!
Both systems need a waterproof cover, called a wrap, to ensure a breathable waterproof layer to hold wetness where it needs to be held. You must make sure the nappy is completely enclosed in the wrap as any fabric poking out will cause wicking of moisture onto your babies cloths.
ARE COTTON NAPPIES RELIABLE?
The design of modern cotton nappies makes them just as reliable, if not more so than disposable nappies. Babies in a disposable nappy will often get an explosive poo that shoots up their back and out around their legs, especially in the early days and when they are breastfed. The design of Tots Bots ensures that the nappies have a really snug fit and are gently elasticated around the back and legs to ensure this type of leakage doesn't happen.
WILL MY BABY GET NAPPY RASH IF I USE CLOTH NAPPIES?
Cloth nappies are no more likely to cause nappy rash than disposable nappies. Below are the findings of a recent study:
PARENTS who use disposable nappies in the belief that they will prevent nappy rash in their babies are misguided, according to new research. A study of 14,000 babies has shown that the type of nappy used is not significant in relation to incidence of nappy rash. The findings contradict the common belief that disposable nappies are better at preventing nappy rash than cloth ones. The report concludes that "disposable nappies give little protection".The study, Getting to the Bottom of Nappy Rash, was based on infants in the Bristol area. It also found that the early introduction of solids in the diet, particularly cereals, made the condition worse. The research, reported in this month's British Journal of General Practice, is part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, or Children of the Nineties project.A quarter of babies in the study suffered nappy rash within the first four weeks of life. During this period, the relative risk of nappy rash for babies with towelling compared with those put only in disposable nappies was 1.16 (compared with 1.00 for disposable). With cases of "very bad" or "quite bad" nappy rash, "the type of nappy worn did not emerge as a significant factor".
Source: Bristol University
If you do have a rash problem the most likely cause will be the type of washing powder you use. That is why we recommend you use a Non Bio washing powder such as Ecover, Persil Non Bio, Fairy or Filetti. Use only two tablespoons per wash as this will be sufficient to clean your nappies. Using too much soap powder will leave a residue in the nappies that can irritate the skin.
WHY ARE COTTON NAPPIES SO EXPENSIVE?
Cotton nappies have a higher initial outlay than disposables because you are buying something that you will use over and over again. The cost per nappy is therefore more expensive but cost per nappy change is however lower. These savings can be increased further when you consider that the nappies can be passed on to subsequent children.
Your baby will need somewhere between 5000 and 5500 nappy changes (assuming 6 per 24 hours over 2 ? years). Take your total washable nappy price and divide it by 5000 to see if it is comparable to the 13.5p cost of an 'average' nappy quoted by APMA (disposable nappy manufacturers association) and you'll be surprised at the savings that can be made, even when you add in some margin for the washing and drying.