Reusable nappies are something we spent a lot of time mulling over before baby T was born, it’s a big decision and one we couldn’t decide upon, it was easy for us to decide that we wanted to breastfeed or have him sleep in our bedroom but this was a whole other kettle of fish. As the big day approached we decided not to jump head first into the deep end, we were after all becoming first time parents, surely that was going to be hard enough without learning how to wash and fasten cloth nappies too.
Jump ahead 6 months and we’re going for it!
When I was asked by the lovely ladies at Baba + Boo if I was still considering cloth as an option and if I’d like to give it a go with their range of beautiful reusable nappies I said yes, and I’m so glad I did.
Did you know 8 million disposable nappies are used each day in the UK alone and sent to landfill, taking 500 years to decompose?
Baba + Boo sent us a package containing everything we needed to kick-start our cloth journey and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m going to show you the preparations required to begin this big step on our journey into cloth.
In our kit we received 10 Baba+Boo reusable nappies in really fun prints, a roll of biodegradable liners, a wet bag, two wash nets and a bucket.
Upon opening the box I found myself loving them in an instant, they felt so soft, were made to a high standard with quality fabrics and looked beautiful, and that was enough for me to become determined to make this transition work for us.
Before we started to use our nappies I read the handy little beginners guide, had I not done this I’d never have known that it’s advised you wash the nappies 3 times before first use.
“Always pre-wash your nappies before you use them. This really helps with absorbency of the inserts. Ideally, put them on two or three 40 degree washes and dry them in between – if you can wait for that.” – Washing and Drying Baba+Boo Cloth Nappies Guide
Following instructions I removed all inserts, (each nappy comes with two microfibre inserts) placed them in the wash bag and popped it into the machine.
At this point I was already excited to begin using our nappies so three full wash cycles felt like a lifetime, it is however a must if you want to avoid leaks upon first use.
Once our beautiful cloth nappy stash was clean and dry It was time to prepare them for use, stuffing the inserts into the pocket of each nappy. I chose to use one insert for daytime use as baby T is still fairly small and not a big wetter, I felt this would be enough for him.
It’s important to make sure the insert sits flat inside the nappy and stays this way once on baby to avoid leaks around the legs. I found prepping our stash to be really simple, filling the nappies and folding them back up ready for use wasn’t complicated in the slightest.
Once everything was ready I made space in our changing table to store our nappies, I must say opening the drawer to this each day is far more delightful than the nappy stacker we have full of disposables.
I’ve also placed the bucket containing a mesh wash bag down the side of the changing table so everything is in close proximity, this means I never have to take my hands off the baby whilst he’s on the table, he loves to roll onto his front whilst being changed.
Now we’re all set for using our cloth stash! Overall the entire process is very simple, wash, wash, wash and stuff, that’s it ready to go! So far using our cloth nappies has been really simple, check back next week to see how we’ve got on with them so far, I’ll also answer that all important question everyone has been asking me, what do you do with the poo?!
If you have you used or are considered using cloth nappies I’d love to know your thoughts and especially any handy tips or advise you cloth bum mums can share with me as a newbie to the cloth bum club.
You can view and purchase reusable nappies from the great selection at Baba + Boo for £12.95 each.
