Which pram is best? Which car seat is safest? Choosing baby items and brands to get your life ready for when the baby arrives can be overwhelming!!
When it comes to choosing cloth nappies you can rest easy that you are making the best choice for you baby and the environment by choosing a reusable product.
If you would like to learn more about cloth nappies a great place to start is to watch my Free Online Cloth Nappy Workshop - you will find the video here.
Sit back and watch it together with your partner and you can both learn about cloth nappies and decide if its right for you and your family.
Some reasons you might decide to choose cloth nappies:
- To cut down on the waste generated by disposable nappies - over 1 million go into landfill in Ireland every single day and they will take 500 years to breakdown!
- To save money - using cloth nappies will cost considerably less than disposables over the long term, and the savings double if you reuse on a 2nd baby.
- To have peace of mind - know exactly what is going against your babies skin, the materials are fully listed on the cloth nappy label. With disposables, it can be unclear what materials are used, the manufacturers are not required to disclose them.
- To avoid chemicals - cloth nappies use natural fibre for absorption, disposable nappies use chemical gel.
- They are super cute - is this not the best reason?!
If you decide cloth nappies are right for you - you are ready to begin to build your nappy stash, choose a variety of styles and brands, but don't get carried away! (Refer to our cloth nappy buyers guide here)
Size Range
Most cloth nappies come in a size range starting from approximately 10 lbs and will fit right up to 35 lbs - these are often called "One Size" or "Birth to Potty" nappies. Although you can get some nappies that will fit from a tiny 8 lbs such as our Mimi & Co range, making them a great investment as you can use them from earlier than other nappies getting an extra few weeks use from them. While you can also get nappies that will fit from 12lbs up to 40lbs, making them a great option for the toddler stage. Having a mix of brands and size ranges is best.
Babies are born all different sizes and weights, some babies will be born 10 lbs + and will immediately fit into One Size nappies. While many babies are born much smaller and will take a few months to get up to the weight needed to fit comfortably into One Size nappies - chunky legs are much easier to get a good fit and avoid gaps that cause leaks.
To cover the period between when your baby is born and when they will fit into One Size nappies which is typically around the time they reach 10-12lbs in weight, newborn size cloth nappies are available. Newborn nappies have a fit range between 4 lbs and 16 lbs or sometimes up to 20 lbs.
Nappy Rental Try before you Buy Service
A great option is to reach out to your local Nappy Library and borrow a set of newborn nappies - these will cover you for the period of time until your baby can fit into One Size nappies. If you are in Ireland you can connect with the Cloth Nappy Library Ireland here.
Buying Guide
Or if you prefer to buy some of your own Newborn Nappies you can shop our range here. To do cloth fulltime you will need enough nappies for 24 nappy changes, we would recommend checking our our range of Econaps or Mimi & Co both of which have a very wide fit range - starting from 5lbs right up to 40lbs, so you will only need one nappy for both newborn and one size.
You can reach out for a FREE consult with us here and we'll give you some impartial recommendations to suit your style, budget and preferences.
Our top newborn nappy recommendations:
1. Fiyyah Newborn Pokkit Pocket Nappy -
Excellent size range, fitting from 5-18 lbs. We love these because you can also use the newborn inserts in bigger One Size nappies as mini boosters.
2. Blueberry Newborn Simplex -
Our favourite organic cotton newborn option. Just like breathable organic baby grows, we love organic cotton nappies, soft, breathable and natural next to delicate baby skin.
3. Little Lovebum Snap & Wrap Bundle -
Super soft and gentle nappy wrap cover which is wipeable, meaning you can get more than one nappy change out of the same cover. Paired with super absorbent soft bamboo snap in insert. We love this because its perfect for those newborn days when you seem to change a nappy every hour!
