So, what has changed?

You will find that a lot of (hopefully) well-meaning friends and relatives will tell you you are mad to think about using cloth nappies. They will have all sorts of horror stories from as little as 3-5 years ago about folding, pinning, soaking, leaking, nappy rash etc. So, what has changed? And why are more and more people turning back to cloth?

Styles

Gone are the terry towelling squares that need folding and pinning and fall down all the time - and gone are boffy plastic pants. New fitted styles are easy to use, reliable, comfortable for baby and look great.

Fabrics

The best nappy companies have their fabrics specially made for their nappies. This is not the same cotton terry towelling or flanellette you can buy in the shops. These are environmentally friendly fibres, specially knit or woven to be super-absorbent, easy to care for, trim and long lasting. Breathable covers and stay-dry fabrics have revolutionised cloth nappies, making them comfortable for baby and reducing the risk of nappy rash.

Detergents

Detergents are more effective and less damaging to the environment now than they were even 10 years ago. Most manufacturers no longer recommend the use of bleach and/or nappy soakers on their fabrics, making washing easier and more environmentally friendly.

Dry-pailing

Dry-pailing nappies (as opposed to soaking in the nappy bucket) elimates heavy lifting, toxic water waste and dangers to older children.

Washing Machines

Washing machines are better and more reliable than ever. Much of washing nappies now simply involves pressing a few buttons. Furthermore, most machines are very energy efficient and water saving washing machines reduce the amount of water used to wash nappies.

Tumble Dryers

Although most manufacturers do not recommend always tumble drying your nappies, most cloth nappies and covers can be safely tumble dried on rainy days or to freshen them up on damp days. This means you never need to worry about running out of nappies!

Disposable Nappies

A strange one to have here? A small stash of disposable nappies for emergencies means you never have to stress about washing and drying nappies - great for rainy, tired, sick weeks when it all gets too much ...