As more and more of us become environmentally conscious, expectant parents are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment as they bring a new baby into the world.
Becoming a father means you're forced to ask yourself a whole host of questions you've never even thought of before. 'How do reusable nappies work?' is probably one of them.
With the average child going through roughly 4,000 disposable nappies, reusable nappies are growing in the market as a more sustainable option. According to research commissioned by reusable nappy brand Bambino Mio in 2017, 30% of parents have tried reusables compared with just 2% in the 90s.
In partnership with The Nappy Gurus, we’ve put together this guide to arm you with everything you need to know about reusable nappies before you make your decision.
Table Of Contents
1. How do reusable nappies work?
In simple terms, a reusable nappy is a nappy that is washed and used over and over again, rather than thrown away after one use. They’re designed to be simple and efficient to use, easy to care for, and are increasingly appealing in their design. Typically, a reusable nappy will come in one adjustable size (also some brands do offer different sizes), designed to take you right through to potty training.
Modern cloth nappies are usually made up of a waterproof polyurethane laminate out layer, a polyester dry inner layer, and absorbent layers of bamboo, hemp or microfibres.
Reusable nappies are fastened and removed just like a disposable, with a liner placed inside to catch the messy stuff. A liner isn’t really necessary during the newborn phase, according to Laura Davies from The Nappy Gurus, but they’re definitely worthwhile when you hit weaning. Liners can be reusable or disposable, with the latter ones made from a biodegradable cellulose fibre to reduce the environmental impact.
When changing, the nappy is placed into a dry bucket or waterproof bag (known as a ‘hanging pail’), ready for wash day.
Most parents typically do a nappy wash every 2-3 days with a cool rinse followed by a 40/60℃ wash.
“Washing the nappies is just like putting a regular load of clothes in the machine. It becomes part of your routine and you don’t even think about it. We don’t throw our underwear away after just one use do we? We wash it. Cloth nappies are no different.” - cloth dad, Chris
2. What are the benefits of reusable nappies?
While parents may choose reusable nappies over disposable ones for a range of reasons, there are typically three key benefits that jump out:
Environment. Firstly, there is the environmental argument - people are choosing more reusable products over single-use ones in their everyday lives, and reusable nappies are growing in popularity.
A recent study published by the UN Environment Programme’s Life Cycle Initiative showed reusable nappies to be better for the environment in almost every measure. It supported the idea that the life cycle perspective is essential when considering the environmental impacts of reusable and disposable nappies, where the biggest benefits are found in the usage, rather than manufacturing.
Cost savings. A 2020 survey by The Nappy Gurus found that saving money was a primary motivation for 63% of cloth nappy parents.
By the time your child is out of nappies, you will have spent over £1200 in single use nappies, bags and wipes. With 68% of cloth nappy parents having spent under £300 in total for their reusable nappies and accessories, it is reasonable to achieve savings of over £800 when opting for reusable nappies- even accounting for laundry costs.
You can check out the full cost breakdown here.Design. Parents often praise how much better cloth nappies look compared to disposables. Most reusable brands offer the bright, bold and cute designs you might expect to see from a boutique kids clothing brand.
3. Which reusable nappies are best?
Ask 10 cloth nappy parents which is the best type of reusable nappy, and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. This is because there is no single one best reusable nappy. Each brand will have its own style and fit, they will vary in their materials, absorbency and drying speed.
When you start researching cloth nappies you’ll find a whole lot of options.
Nappies vary in how they fasten at the waist - either with poppers or hook-and-loop closures. Dads and childcare providers generally tend to lean towards hook-and-loop fastenings, as they are the ones that more closely resemble the familiarity of a disposable nappy.
“I was most afraid of the ones with poppers on because I didn’t understand what the point of them all was, and I didn’t really know how to fit them as well because they were different from disposables. It took a while, but now I feel like I know for each of them how to fit them and what to look out for” - cloth dad, Phil
It can feel a bit overwhelming so here’s a quick rundown of each one and their pros and cons.
1. Fitted
A nappy that is shaped to fit and fasten onto baby, where the whole piece is absorbent, but requires a separate waterproof cover.
PROS
CONS
2. Flat
A piece of absorbent material that gets folded to fit around baby and pinned, or used as a pad. Requires a separate waterproof cover.
PROS
CONS
3. All-in-one
These are nappies where everything is built into one piece - the absorbency and the waterproofing.
PROS
CONS
4. All-in-two
Nappies that are comprised of an outer waterproof cover, with absorbency that either snaps or lays inside.
PROS
CONS
5. Nappy covers
Nappies that are comprised of an outer waterproof cover, with absorbency that either snaps or lays inside.
6. Newborn
You guessed it, these are nappies that are sized specifically to fit the newborn stage.
PROS
CONS
7. One-size
A nappy that is designed to cover the full period of infancy, from around 10-35lbs, it will feature rows of snaps on the front which can be adjusted to make the nappy grow with your baby.
PROS
CONS
A nappy that features a waterproof outer 'shell' can be used with either reusable or disposable inserts.
PROS
CONS
4. Why dads love them
Honestly, there is a lot to love. As well as being sustainable and giving you all the “proud feels”, chances are you just won’t look back once you get going with reusable nappies. They leak less than disposables, smell less, cost less, look far more appealing, and won’t fill up your bin.
“I love that our bin no longer smells and the amount of waste we put in our bin has significantly reduced too,” - cloth dad, Jasper
You can also get pretty resourceful in an emergency, as Jasper recalls:
“We had an overnight stay and we forgot a night nappy so we ended up boosting a pocket nappy with a flannel and a pair of socks and it worked a treat!”
“It makes a difference that you’re not throwing away mountains and mountains of disposable nappies that won’t decompose, so I like that they’re sustainable. That’s the big thing,” - cloth dad, Phil
“You can’t buy happiness. But you can buy cloth nappies, and that’s kinda the same thing!” - cloth dad, Chris
5. A day in the life of a cloth dad
Chris and his fiancee Emma have been using reusable nappies with their 18 month old son since he was a few months old after borrowing a kit of nappies from a local nappy lending library. Impressed with their performance, they decided to invest in a set of reusables, and haven’t looked back.
"Like most of us, I'm currently working from home. So, getting the nappies washed for my little man lately has never been easier," Chris said.
"In the mornings, after the Mrs has given me the nudge that it's wash day, I pop all the dirty nappies into the machine and turn on the rinse cycle before heading to my office.
"When I come back to the kitchen for my lunch, I just add the powder and turn on the main wash cycle, this takes about two and a half hours so when I've finished work for the day they're all ready to hang out."
He added: "We use pocket nappies, so we stuff the absorbent inserts in when they’ve dried so we can grab and go whenever we need them.
"If we're going out I always pack a couple of nappies, a few wipes and a reusable waterproof nappy bag that we can keep the messy ones in until we get home, it's really easy and no extra hassle at all."
Interested in learning more? Check out The Nappy Gurus and all the support they have to offer from personalised recommendations, to handy video guides, and a buzzing community of like minded parents.
