If you are contemplating the cloth nappy road, you can’t have failed to notice that there is an immense amount of choice with very variable prices too. Some nappies cost around £20 each…disposables not looking so bad after all. It is a big investment, so I decided to test drive them all by purchasing a Little Lambs ‘Try Them All’ pack for £40. This comes with a sample of each of their range including bamboo, micro fibre and cotton options and enables you to work out what will suit your baby. I also ordered some ‘cheeky wipes’ – reusable baby wipes kit for another £40 – a step too far for some, but I’ve found them excellent for a number of reasons.
Nappies for me had to fulfil 3 specific criteria – value for money and quick drying – I don’t have a tumble dryer nor the space for one. They also needed to be a design suitable for a newborn to toddler
All of the nappies I trialled were size 2, suitable from about 8 kgs in weight. Some children will reach this within a few months, others will be nearly a year old. The nappies in the kit varied in price too. The wrap around nappies were £9 each with plus £8.50 for the waterproof wrap. Pocket nappies with bamboo inserts cost £12. And of course buying multiples are more cost effective.
Washing and drying all of the nappies is straight forward. Stick them in the machine with just washing powder. The Department of Health recommends a 60 degree wash, whereas the manufacturer recommends 40 degrees. Then hang them out to try, or tumble if you prefer.
Here are the results of our Nappy Test Drives:
Nappy Test Drives
| BAMBOO | COTTON | MICROFIBRE | ||
| Absorbency | ***** | **** | *** | **** |
| Manouverability | ** | *** | **** | **** |
| Reliability | **** | **** | *** | **** |
| Drying Time | * | * | **** | ***** |
| Cost |
Nappy 1: Bamboo
Bamboo is the Daddy when it comes to absorbency, so I tried this one first. The nappy was very bulky on my daughter and the thick fabric made it difficult for her to manoeuver. She’s not petite by any means but just didn’t seem strong enough to work with the nappy to make it fit comfortably for her. After 2 hours there was still plenty of absorbency left so would suit a heavy wetter. Washes easily but not easy to dry – after 2 days of being hung out indoors it was still damp!
Nappy 2: Cotton
Very similar to the bamboo but slightly more flexible fabric making manoeuvering slightly easier. It was still very bulky and drying time was lengthy again. I don’t have a tumble dryer but my worry would be if you did dry these over time they would shrink which is not what you want when making an investment such as this. A good level of absorbency though on the plus side.
Nappy 3: Micro Fibre
A much lighter nappy so the fit was significantly better. However the lightness came with a downside of decreased absorbency and some leaks! On the plus side, of the three wrap around nappies this one dried significantly quicker than the first two.
Nappy 4: Pocket Nappy
This nappy for me offered the most flexibility. Yes you have to insert the padding and take them out before washing which is a bit, as my daughter would say ‘yucky’. However, with the nappy being in a few pieces it makes it so much easier to dry. The trial pack came with a range of different pad inserts including bamboo, cotton and micro fibre allowing you to effectively ‘design your own’ nappy. Not having the around the waist bulk that the wrap around nappies have, she was significantly more comfortable. Plus these come in a magical OSFA – one size fits all!!! Perfect!
