Nappy AdviceReusable Nappy Advice

Choosing a nappy

If you like organic cotton, consider the Bummis organic prefolds. We love prefolds – see Why Prefolds for the many reasons why we’re fans. If you like a shaped cotton or bamboo nappy, then consider the one-size Onelife nappies or the Bamboozles. If you don’t like the idea of a separate waterproof wrap, then consider the bumGenius pocket nappies. 

We believe the most economical system is the two-part organic prefold and wrap.

We find the bumGenius nappy is quick-drying and the prefolds and Onelife nappy take slightly longer. The Bamboozle takes the longest to dry but is great for heavywetters and nights.

If you want more specific advice about which nappy is right for you, then please call or email us and we’d be happy to help.

Choosing a wrap or pant

We’ve tried many brands of wraps over the years and believe the Bummis range offers excellent performance time and time again. If you want a looser fit, consider the pull-up Whisper Pant or the Mother-ease Airflow wrap. Both of these only work with a secured nappy, that is either a terry towel, prefold or shaped nappy attached with a Nappi Nippa, poppers or Aplix.

We recommend you need about six small wraps and four medium wraps. You may need a few of the larger size wraps to get you through toilet training.

We love the Disana range of woollen wraps and pants. Woollen covers may require more care but they can’t be beaten if you want a 100% natural-fibre waterproof nappy cover.

You can use a swim nappy for pool outings and holidays – we like the simplicity of the Swimmi allowing easy removal if the worst happens.

When you’re ready to toilet train your child then you can get pants to help. The Bummis training pant is just right for those in-between times when you need some absorbency yet want to continue to encourage your child to recognise when they are wet.

If you want more specific advice about which wrap is right for you, then please call or email us and we’d be happy to help.

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Choosing a liner

Liners have a dual purpose – the main one is to collect the poo and make it easier to put it down the toilet; the other one is that it forms a barrier between the baby’s skin and the nappy, which can be good for those babies who are prone to nappy rash or have sensitive skin.

Paper liners are the best biodegradable and flushable liner for newborns – they’re great for catching the runny stuff and also a good barrier for newborn skin. We love the Disana ones as they are made in Germany.

Sometimes runny poo is not an issue, so the Bummis Bio-soft liners are a lovely soft every day liner that work a treat. The larger size work best for nappies with fleece or synthetic inners as we find the small size can slip around against these fabrics.

Fleece is great if you want a stay-dry feel. We’ve just started selling these Bummis recycled polyester fleece liners and can’t get enough of them – they are so popular with our customers. Silk liners can work well to heal and prevent nappy rash.

If you want more specific advice about which liner is right for you, then please call or email us and we’d be happy to help.

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Choosing a booster

Boosters are added to nappies to increase the absorbency.

Bamboo is one of the most absorbent natural fabrics (up to five times more absorbent than cotton) so bamboo boosters are the best for night, and that’s the time most people want extra absorbency.

Some people use small prefolds (we’ve done this with the training pant) as a booster however this can be bulky with some nappies. If you do use a prefold as a booster pad, then you will probably need a larger wrap.

If you want more specific advice about which booster is right for you, then please call or email us and we’d be happy to help.

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Choosing accessories

If you’re going to use reusable nappies, then the essential things you need are nappies and wraps (the latter if using a two-part system otherwise they are integrated) and something to store the nappies in. All other nappy accessories are dependent on what nappies you are using and what particular preferences you have.

You can store your nappies in a bucket (and lid!) or in a wet bag. You can ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ pail with buckets and ‘dry’ pail only with wet bags.

Wet pailing is when you put some water in the bucket, add some sanitiser and put the nappies in the bucket, effectively to soak. You will probably need to change the water every day to reduce smells. Also make sure the bucket is out of reach of your little one.

Dry pailing is when you put the nappies in the bucket (or wet bag) without water or sanitiser. With this method, you should consider putting your nappies through a cold pre-wash or rinse cycle before washing. This pre-wash/rinse helps to eliminate any stains.

Wet bags work well for at home space-saving storage (you can hang the bag on a door handle), on day trips (instead of using nappy sacks) or at childcare centres or childminders. The one thing we wish we’d known more about is using a wet bag for normal out-n-about to the park trips – so easy to use and much less waste.

The other thing we wish we’d known about was washable baby wipes; we did invent our own from old flannels, but the bumGenius ones are much nicer!

We recommend Nappi Nippas for attaching prefolds or terry nappies, especially at the newborn stage (see here for newborn fold video). People are always amazed when we demonstrate these – the grippers do the trick and no blood has been drawn!

We also think a waterproof sheet is a must-buy even before you’ve had your baby. You can use this waterproof sheet on your own bed in case your waters break when you’re sleeping, then you can transfer it as a protective sheet to your baby’s cot or toddler bed for added protection. A waterproof sheet is the one thing we still take on holidays to protect the bed even though our children are toilet trained, just in case. This one has the laminate sandwiched between two layers of organic cotton, no rustling and super soft. 

If you want more specific advice about which accessories you need, then please call or email us and we’d be happy to help.

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