Parts of a Nappy System

There are different styles of reusable nappies. They all do the same job to absorb wee and contain poo but are put together in different ways. You can choose which types suits your lifestyle best.

One of the things I'm asked about the most is how to put together a reusable nappy system and just what someone should buy if they haven't a clue where to start. So, with this in mind, I've put together a quick list of reusable nappy system essentials to help everyone understand just how and what you'll need. As always, if you have any other questions, let me know!

It is not generally wise to leave a child in the same nappy (of whatever variety) while they are still having night feeds. Apart from the fact that they are still presumably fairly young, babies tend to poo around feed times, and these are ideal conditions for nappy rash to develop. Also, a child still being fed at night will wee a lot more than a child who is sleeping through. Even the best real nappies cannot cope with this volume of liquid without a change.

The liner does two things. It allows urine to pass through, but as it is non absorbent, it cannot return, thus keeping baby's bottom a bit drier. Also, it catches any poo, and the whole thing is then easy to drop into the toilet for flushing. While a baby is breastfed and before it is weaned, any poo will not normally smell offensive but, equally, it will be very runny.

Traditional plastic (or PVC) nappy covers/pants are, quite frankly, disgusting and should be outlawed! You would not wear them yourself, so why make your baby wear them? Most importantly, plastic pants are hot and sweaty, and they tend to leave painful red marks on the waist and legs. Because of this environment, sweat rashes easily develop, especially with night nappies.

The most breathable cover of all is a wool wrap. It may seem odd to suggest wool as a waterproof cover, but think about how dry sheep and fishermen stay in their woollen outers: the secret is in the mesh of the fibres. As long as the nappy has plenty of absorbency, to hold onto the wet, a wool wrap is perfectly reliable, but will let the moisture seep through if the nappy itself is not sufficiently padded to cope with the volume of liquid.

Cloth trainer pants are nothing like the disposable pull ups which are sold as “trainer pants”. They are nothing more than pull up nappies, and will hold whatever wee or poo your child produces. Cloth trainer pants, on the other hand, simply give your child a chance to get to the loo without embarrassment if they have an accident. They won’t act like standard nappies, for the most part, so you use them only when your child is ready to come out of nappies, more for reassurance rather than anything else.

Washable wipes are a great way to have control over what goes on babies skin when cleaning them up. They also save you a fortune. Disposable wipes cost around £250 over 2 1/2 years and end up in landfill for hundreds of years. By using washable wipes rather than disposables baby wipes you can more or less pay for the whole nappy system.