A nappy is only considered a nappy if they are absorbent.
It’s the absorbent material that makes a nappy a nappy.
Without this absorbent part, it would be called a nappy liner, or a pocket nappy shell, or a snap-in nappy shell.
This absorbent material could be one of either
- cotton
- hemp/cotton blends
- bamboo/cotton blends
- bamboo/hemp blends
- microfibre (not to be confused with microfleece, a water repellent or ‘stay dry’ nappy layer)
Many nappy brands have designed proprietary inserts in various configurations to suit their nappy styles.
Some all in one nappies have lay-in absorbent boosters, designed to be laid on top of the nappy and touching baby’s skin.
Pocket nappies have pocket nappy inserts, while snap in nappies have inserts that snap into the shell of the nappy. These inserts are typically in a trifold + booster configuration, though other designs do exist.
Extra inserts are handy for various reasons.
- It’s like owning 2 nappies in one. Some snap in nappies are designed to have inserts that can be snapped out when soiled, to be replaced with a clean extra insert while the nappy shell is reused. These snap in nappies include itti bitti d’lish and tutto, and Baby Beehinds Petites.
- Quickly get pocket nappies back into rotation. Even without the snap in/snap out convenience, it is very convenient to have extra inserts on hand for pocket nappies as well. Pocket nappy shells typically take little time to dry, being mainly polyester (cotton nappy shells will obviously take slightly longer to dry). The very absorbent inserts may hold on to moisture so well that they do not dry as quickly. Hence clean dry extra pocket nappy inserts could be assembled after the pocket nappy shell dries in little to no time after drying, allowing the previous absorbent inserts to fully dry out before taking their turn.
- Better wear and tear. This is the same reason as having more cloth nappies in rotation: the inserts do not wear out as quickly if more inserts are cycled through the laundry. This is seen especially when dealing with bamboo fabric blends, which can wear out in as little as 12-24 months and need replacing if used and washed constantly every other day or so.
- Make ‘old’ nappies like new again. When the old insert wears out after constantly being used on one or two children, the tired old insert can be replaced with a new one. You can even try using inserts from other brands as long as they match the fit of the nappy you are currently using.
- Converts some nappies into night nappies. By simply adding an extra insert to a nappy, some nappies can be used successfully overnight. To read more about the details involved in this, please read this article: Part 2: Cloth at night – using day nappies as night nappies
What other good reasons can you think of having extra inserts on hand?
