Choosing the Best Real Nappy for Your Child

By MakesAChange.co.uk - the Eco Friendly, Organic & Fair Trade Baby Boutique

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There are now a large number of different types of real nappies, and at first glance they seem complicated.  It's hard to know which is going to be the best one for your baby!

However, there are really only a few basic types - understand those and it makes the choice a lot easier.

1. Terries and Prefolds

Terry Nappies are of course the old-fashioned type of nappy made from terry towelling.  They are folded in different ways depending on the size and weight of your baby.  They are cheap, but not brilliant at absorbing and retaining.  You only buy one lot throughout the child's time in nappies as they are one-size.

Prefolds are the next step up.  They are soft cotton pieces sown together to make an absorbant pad and are then folded in a much more simple way than terries.  Far easier to use that terries because they don't need the same complicated folds, but still not as absorbant or as good at stopping leaks as other types.  Good for small babies as they hold the legs in the "frog" position which is good for hips, but not so good for toddlers as they're bulky between the legs.  Come in up to 5 different sizes so can ultimately not be so cheap as they initially seem.  Main brands - Cotton Bottoms & Bambino Mio.  Both terries and prefolds require a wrap and liner.

2.  Shaped 2-part nappies

The most popular type of washable nappy.  These are a nappy cut and shaped like a disposible so they need no folding.  They are slimmer between the legs and less bulky overall than terries or prefolds.  They are the most leak-resistant type of nappy - far better even than disposibles as they have both the nappy and the wrap wrapped around the baby - if it gets round one it rarely gets round the other.  The two main differences between nappies are:

Fabrics - Cotton (most common), organic cotton (more eco friendly), velour organic cotton (like our Swaddlebees - stay soft even if not tumble dried).  Other than velour, cotton nappies can get a bit hard if line dried (rub them together to soften up, put a dash of vinegar in the final rinse or just tumble dry for 10 minutes before line drying to soften).  Other popular fabrics - Bamboo (yes, really).  Gorgeously silky-soft, highly absorbant and stays soft when line dried.  Slow drying.  Micro terry - man made fibre - very fast drying, stays lovely and soft and dries really fast - ideal for those without a tumble drier.

Fasteners - Nappi Nippa, the modern nappy pin!  A device with baby-safe claws which grabs the nappy and holds it together.  Pros-nothing to catch in the wash and gives an exact fit.  Cons-you always need to make sure you've got one.  Aplix - like velcro but smaller hooks and softer.  Pros-integrated into the nappy so convenient and gives an exact fit.  Cons - can catch together in the wash so you need to separate after the wash.  Poppers - Pros - integrated into the nappy so convenient and doesn't catch in the wash.  Cons-you're limited to the popper settings in terms of fit.

2-part nappies require a liner and a wrap, but wraps don't need changing with every change - just every 2-3 times or if they get soiled.  Liners can be paper (flushable, convenient), fleece (wicks wet away very well and nothing to throw away but you need to tip poo off before washing) or silk (brilliant for nappy rash but needs hand washing - not for the faint hearted!).

We prefer 2-part nappies which come in different sizes as opposed to birth to potty nappies, even though you buy more for one baby, because you get a better fit when your baby is small and again when toddling.

Good 2-part nappy brands - Wham-Bamboo, Tots Bots, Motherease, OneLife, Swaddlebees and many others.  Tots Bots (available from us) do an excellent range of different fabrics and Swaddlebees (also available from us) have a lovely organic cotton velour nappy.  Wham-Bamboo is made from a wonderful, absorbant bamboo fabric!

Tip: Always make sure that the nappy and liner is completely tucked into the wrap or it will leak.

3.  Pocket Nappies

Pocket nappies are like a wrap with a liner sown into the front, with an opening at the back to "stuff" the nappy with absorbant material.  Some pocket nappies (or "stuffies") are made from fleece front and back but these tend to leak when the fleece wicks from the front liner through to the back part.  The best stuffies are those with a fleece front and waterproof back like our Swaddlebees Pocket Nappies.  Stuffing material is usually the nappy manufacturer's own although some will accomodate a folded terry.  You can put more or less padding in depending on how much absorbancy you need, effectively giving you great control, and leaving you with a really easy to put on nappy so it's popular with nurseries, dads (!) etc.  Unlike 2-part nappies you do need one wrap per change, but as the outer part isn't cotton fabric you can even dry most brands on a radiator without worrying about them going crispy, they dry very fast, and if the inserts go hard it doesn't matter as they're not touching your baby's skin.  Also good for wriggly toddlers who may not have the patience for the extra seconds it takes to put on a separate nappy and  wrap.  Cons - you have to stuff and unstuff them between washes.  This only takes a minute but is an extra task.

Tip: Try our Swaddlebees Pocket Nappies for toddlers starting to think about potty training as they work brilliantly both as pants and as pull-ups!

Main brands include Swaddlebees and Fuzzibunz but we love Swaddlebees for several reasons:

- They have a breathable, waterproof outer, not fleece, so they don't wick-leak like pocket nappies with fleece fronts and backs.

- They are extremely close cut in the crotch - you've never seen a nappy quite like this - so are brilliant for walkers and crawlers while still padding the lower back which disposibles don't.

- They have a lovely hemp insert which is extremely eco-friendly and very absorbant.

4.  All In Ones

All In One nappies are a wrap sown to a complete nappy, so usually all that is required is a liner.  In fact, the new Magic-All nappy that we sell doesn't even need a liner - it's just like putting on a disposible and is wonderful!  Older types of all-in-ones had problems with the wrap degrading over time and being very plasticky - Magic-Alls aren't like this.  Most all-in-ones are slower to dry than separate nappies although Magic-Alls are made from micro-terry, therefore are very fast drying.  All-in-ones are more expensive than 2-part nappies, but many people feel that the extra convenience is worth it.

Main brands include Kooshies, Motherease and Wonder Works Magic-Alls.

We hope that this information is of help to you in choosing the right nappy system.  Most people have a combination of different nappies for different situations but try a few and see what's right for you!  If you have any further questions at all about any nappy type or brand, please do not hesitate to contact us via ebay (our account is named makesachange), our website (we can't list it here but you can figure it from our email address!), or by emailing emma@makesachange.co.uk.