How to choose ...

Confused about modern nappies? I don’t blame you. Try our 5 simple steps to choosing the modern nappy that is right for you …

1. Choose a brand: Choose a reputable brand – Mother-ease, Tots Bots or Baby Beehinds. There is something for everyone here and you won’t be disappointed ...
   
   
2. Choose a system: Choose a fitted nappy and cover system. Avoid "all-in-ones" or pocket nappies ...
   
   
3. Choose a style: Choose a “one size” style for economy, choose a sized system for the trimmest fit ...
   
   
4. Choose your fabrics: Choose cotton or bamboo for the nappy and PUL for the cover ...
   
   
5. Choose your fasteners: Choose snaps for the ultimate in convenience and durability ...
   
   

1. Brand

Choose a reputable brand – Mother-ease, Tots Bots or Baby Beehinds. Why do I say this? Well, I have used all three brands and I don't hesitate to recommend them. There is something for everyone in these brands, their quality is second to none and their pricing means they are always good value. These brands are usually in stock so you can get your nappies when you need them.

Amongst these brands you will find:

Nappy Styles	one-size and sized nappies
Nappy Fabrics	cotton, bamboo and hemp nappies
Nappy Fastners	snap, snappi and hook-and-loop closing nappies
Cover Fabrics	PUL, fleece and wool covers
Cover Fastners	snap and hook-and-loop closing covers

Mother-ease is owned and made in Canada, Tots Bots are owned and made in Scotland, Baby Beehinds are owned in Australia and made in China.

But perhaps the most important reason to choose a good brand is the quality of the workmanship and materials they use. All of these brands are professionally manufactured and all of them have their fabrics made specially for them. This is important for durability - it's easy to make a nappy that you'll love when you first get it, but it's because of the quality of workmanship and fabrics that you'll still love the nappy after you have been using it for 2 years.

2. System

The basic choices are nappy with separate cover, all-in-one or pocket nappy.

We always recommend a nappy with separate cover system - it is the most economical as you don't need to buy a cover for every nappy, the most reliable because you have 2 layers of containment and the most durable because your nappies will last and last long after the waterproof cover wears out.

We don't recommend All-in-ones or Pocket Nappies as workhorse (full-time) nappies. They work out relatively expensive because you have to have a cover for every nappy and they seem to be a bit "hit and miss" with reliability (they work great for some people but not for others). We also have concerns about their expected life. The PUL (or similar) cover is the least durable part of any nappy system and once it wears out on an all-in-one or pocket nappy the nappy is unusable, whereas the absorbent parts and liners may still be fine with lots of wear left. Having said all that, All-in-ones and Pockets are great for occasional use like the nappy bag or occasional carers who appreciate the simplicity of these nappies.

3. Style

Once you've settled on your system then your choice is a one-size (birth to toddler) style or a sized style.

Consider:

• Economy - a one-size system is the most economical over one child, a sized system with 2 sizes will work out the same over 2 children (3 sizes, 3 children etc.)
  
  
• Trimness - the major drawback of a one-size system is that it is bulky on newborn babies. If trimness is important to you, then choose a sized system. Or plan to use something else (eg. newborn prefolds) for the first few weeks until your baby fills the one-size out a bit.
  

It is possible to combine the two systems. You can get a few sized nappies in the smaller sizes for going out or special outfits but still have the bulk of your stash one-size for convenience and economy.

One-size systems are fantastic value and easier to manage if you have a toddler and newborn in nappies at the same time.

4. Fabric

We recommend choosing between cotton and bamboo as a nappy fabric. We don't recommend hemp as its feel is inferior and it goes hard and "cardboardy" after a relatively short amount of use (not very durable).

Cotton is a fabulous fabric for nappies. It is highly absorbent for its weight, trim, easy to wash and very durable. Cotton nappies last and last ...

Bamboo is also a great fabric for nappies. It is highly absorbent for its weight, trim, easy to wash and use and lasts well. The only drawbacks of bamboo are that it is more expensive than cotton and takes a while longer to dry. Don't choose bamboo if you live where you will need to dry nappies regularly indoors or in a tumble dryer.

Bamboo nappy fabric is being heavily promoted as an "environmental" choice for nappy users. While it is true that bamboo is an easy and sustainable crop to grow, the bamboo requires a lot of energy and harsh chemicals (including caustic soda and hydrochloric acid) to turn it into a nice fabric. You can read more here http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/bamboo-facts-be.html. If environmental factors are important to you, in our opinion, organic cotton is the best environmental choice for nappy fabric.

For cover fabric your choices are PUL (laminated polyester), polyester fleece or wool. We believe you can't go past PUL for covers. It is highly waterproof (more so than fleece or wool), trim (more so than fleece or wool) and easy to wash and use. It requires no special care and can be washed and tumble dried with your nappies. It lasts well and should last one baby until they outgrow the size (actual life depends on frequency and manner of washing and care).

5. Fastening

For fastening your nappies and covers you can choose plastic snaps (like plastic press studs), hook-and-loop tape (like Velcro) or a Snappi (clawed stretchy thing). Snaps are easy to use and all the snap-closing products we recommend have multiple snaps so that the nappies and covers are highly adjustable for fit. Advantages of snaps are that they cannot be undone by curious fingers (unlike hook-and-loop tape), do not pose a danger to babies like the sharp claws on a snappi, are easy to wash and will not collect fluff like hook and loop tape and they never wear out. Hook-and-loop fasteners are also highly adjustable and easy to use. Disadvantages are that they need a little extra care to wash (make sure they are closed or they will collect all the fluff!) and they will eventually wear out.

What did you choose ...?

If you've made it this far then hopefully you'll have a pretty good idea of what you'd like. The table below summarises our Mother-ease products:

Product	System	Style	Fabrics	Fastening
One-size™ Nappy	Nappy plus separate cover	One-size (birth to toddler)	cotton, organic cotton, bamboo, cotton with stay-dry lining	front snaps
Sandy's™ Nappy	Nappy plus separate cover	Sized (XS, Sm, Lg, XL)	cotton, organic cotton, bamboo	side snaps
Multi-fit Nappy	Nappy plus separate cover	One-size (birth to toddler)	cotton	hook-and-loop
All-in-one Nappy	Nappy with sewn on cover	Sized (Sm, Lg, XL)	cotton with white PUL cover	side snaps
Air-flow™ Cover	Nappy plus separate cover	Sized (XS, Sm, Med, M/L, Lg, XL)	PUL - white, plain and unisex prints	side snaps
Rikki™ Cover	Nappy plus separate cover	Sized (XS, Sm, Med, Lg, XL)	PUL - white, plain and unisex prints	hook-and-loop