Reason 1 – “It’s too much work.”
My Answer: With the invention and innovations in modern washing machines, the old ways of soaking terry toweling nappies in bleach or nappy soakers is stuck in the past. Drypailing soiled nappies is the way to go before thoroughly washing the nappies in the washing machine, followed by line-drying or a cool-warm dryer cycle.
Read more about Drypailing
Read more about Nappy Wash and Care instructions
(Visual reader? Check out the ‘Washing routine’ images in this post: Nappy on a budget: cloth nappy squares)
Reason 2 – “I don’t want to touch poo!”
My answer: There’s no need to touch poo with cloth nappies. Use flushable liners that can be lifted off the nappy and flushed down the loo in seconds, or invest in a good quality nappy sprayer to spray off solid waste into the loo.
Alternatively, use reusable fleece liners laid inside the nappy for easy poo removal. Either purchase from Bean Sprout Bubba, or simply purchase microfleece from Spotlight, cut them into strips/squares large enough to cover the nappy area and lay in the nappy. No need for hemming or sewing. Poo just rolls off the fleece.
Added bonus: you can use fleece liners to protect your nappies when using rash creams, then chuck them out if it gets too sticky to be reused.
Reason 3 – “I’m a full-time working mum, and don’t have time to do cloth nappies.”
My Answer? Regardless of your time constraints, the work flow of using disposable nappies and cloth nappies are very similar
1. Nappy goes on baby’s bottom
2. Nappy is soiled
3. Nappy is taken off and put into a bin/pail
4. Nappy is thrown out and new nappies are bought (disposable) OR Nappy is washed and dried
Repeat 1-4 until child is toilet trained.
Really the only difference in time is in step 4, it’s up to every mum to decide whether trotting out to the shops to refill the nappy supply saves more time than the average 10min a day to wash and dry nappies.
Bonus tip: Choose all-in-one nappies in the day time for ultimate ease of use and save time for busy mums. There’s no separate parts to assemble or snap in. Added bonus is carers are more likely to use them if they are easy to put on.
Reason 4 – “Modern cloth nappies are so expensive.”
My Answer? There are economical alternatives to modern cloth nappies.
- Have some cheap terry towelling nappies on hand, while using modern cloth nappy covers (made with PUL, fleece or wool) over them. These make fantastic nappies once mastered and are quick to dry and put on.
Read more about nappying on a budget with cloth nappy squares.
- Instead of terry towelling nappies, use prefolds which have extra absorbancy sewn in and lesser folding than terry nappies.
- If you can sew, knit or crochet, DIY your nappies using patterns and fabric found online.
- Buy second hand if you don’t mind using used nappies on your baby
Reason 5 – “Disposables are more hygienic than washable nappies.”
My Answer? Sure, disposables are single use nappies and probably are more sterile initially.
However, some babies are not changed soon enough as parents try to stretch their dollars and leave them on as long as possible. Is that hygienic?
Freshly line dried washable nappies are just as clean as freshly washed clothing. The sun is a great germ killer, deodoriser and stain-remover. With cloth there’s no need to worry about wasting money when changing once wet.
Bonus effect: your baby soon learns to associate being wet with being uncomfortable, if he/she is changed as soon as the nappy is wet.
Want to read more?
Now read about ’6 reasons why people use cloth nappies’
