 | A Word About Materials and Fastenings |  |
Terry CottonTerry cotton is the material that all the first washable nappies were made of.
Terry is a hard wearing material and it has proven to be long lasting even after lots of washes.
Many shaped and flat nappies are made of terry cotton.
There are differing qualities of terry and this can be noticed in the flat nappies. The Luxury Little Ewe terries are of really good quality that do not decrease in thickness or absorbency even after lots of washing.
You may notice a reduced quality in the economy nappies, although the Junior Joy nappies we stock offer a much better quality than many of the terry nappies you will buy in high street stores and their thickness and absorbency will last a lot longer.
Terry cotton is reasonable absorbent but bamboo, hemp and microterry are more absorbent.
The main disadvantage of Terry is that, because you must not use fabric softener when washing nappies, it can go hard after lots of washing particularly if you live in a hard water area.
This can be rectified by tumble drying, only a 5 or 10min whizz at the start of drying will be enough to keep the material soft. Or by rubbing the fabric together once it is dry, hanging the washing on the line on a windy day can also have a similar effect.
Some people recommend using clear vinegar in the wash, while this may be OK if you are washing terries, it is not generally a good idea to use when washing shaped nappies as it could eventually break down the elastic in the nappies.
Some nappies are made from organic terry cotton. This is cotton that has been grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals, therefore having less effect on the environment. You may also find that it is more suitable for babies with sensitive skin. | BambooBamboo has become a really popular material.
It is a super soft material that is environmentally friendly.
Bamboo is a sustainable material that grows without the use of pesticides and so has little impact on the environment.
It has antibacterial properties and so may be a nice material to use on sensitive skin, although the properties will eventually wear away after lots of washing (probably around 100 washes).
Bamboo is also a slim material and bamboo nappies are the least bulkiest.
Despite it being slim it is very absorbent and nappies made of bamboo will generally be more absorbent than the terry versions. The exception to this is the Motherease nappies where they put a mix of polyester into the fabric to make it more durable so the absorbency is about the same as their terry nappies.
Because of its ability to absorb, bamboo will generally take longer to dry than terry.
It will however stay soft even after if you do not use a tumble drier, we do however suggest that you may struggle with the drying time if you had a complete kit of some of the bamboo nappies without a drier.
Of the bamboo nappies we stock, we feel that Tots Bots Bamboozles take the longest time to dry and Nature Babies loveables are the quickest.
Bamboo as a material in nappies has been around for a couple of years now and it is proving to be hard wearing. | Micro TerryMicrofibre Terry is a soft quick drying material. It is a purely synthetic material which holds water between the fibres instead of taking it in. Nappies made from micro terry are very absorbent yet quick to dry, they also stay soft even after loads of washing. Therefore micro terry nappies are ideal for those without tumble driers, although they make a great nappy for everyone.
Tots Bots Fluffles, Bambinex Teddys and Nature Babies micro-diddys are all made from micro terry. The Nature Babies fabric is polymide free.
| HempHemp is one of the trimmest and most absorbent fabrics used for cloth nappies.
Much of the hemp used in many of the nappies is Hemp french terry, and is an environmentally friendly material.
It allows the nappies to be quite slim while still being absorbent.
The nappies we offer in hemp are; Easy Peasy Hemp Harmony and Swaddlebees Hemp Pocket Nappy. We also offer a number of boosters and inserts in hemp.
| FasteningsThere are a variety of fastenings that you can choose for your nappies.
Some designs will come in more than one fastening.
When you are choosing your nappies think about the type of fastening you would like, and bear in mind all the other people who may be changing your baby's nappies.
NIPPA FASTENING
Nippa fastening means that you will need to use a nappy nippa to keep the nappy together on the baby. They are the modern alternative to safety pins.
Nappy Nippas are a flexible T-piece that attaches to and holds the nappy together. They will stay in place while the nappy is on, even when a toddler is walking around. They allow for a much better fitting nappy that is snug on the baby.
Although they are easy to use (no more risk of sticking pins into your baby) Some people may find the nappy nippa hard to get used to. Also think about those who will be changing your baby's nappies, if grandparents suffer from arthritis, they may have trouble getting hold of a nappy nippa.
Nippa fastening nappies are cheaper and if you have around five or more , you will save a little bit of money.
Nappy Nippas can be used to hold terries together, other nappies that have nippa fastening include: Easy Peasy Bumble and Bimble, Nature Babies Diddy and Micro Diddy Diaper, Bambinex bamboo and Tots Bots original cotton.
(Remember if you have a bamboo nappy with nippa fastening, do not tumble dry the nappy too hot as this will close the loop on the fabric and the nappy nippa will not work.
APPLIX
Applix is just like velcro. It is an easily adjustable fastening.
It allows nappies to be fitted snugly around the baby, and is very simple and easy to do up on a wriggling baby.
The disadvantages of velcro is that toddlers can undo it and some like to take their nappies off, also the velcro makes a nappy slightly more bulky in front, but this can depend very much on the type of velcro used.
Finally, many worry that velcro will stick to other items while in the wash, with most applix nappies this is solved by having 'fold back' tabs that you can fold the velcro onto while washing.
Nappies with applix fastening include; Nature Babies Diddy Diaper and Bamboo Loveable, Tots Bots Original Cotton and Bamboozle, Bambinex Bamboo and Teddy, Modern Baby Nappies and The Blueberry nappies.
POPPERS
Poppers make a nappy less bulky and are useful if toddlers start undoing their nappies.
Most nappies will have a number of poppers to give good adjustability to the nappy although you may not have quite as snug a fit as the other fastenings. This is will not be too much of an issue unless your baby's poo is very runny.
Poppers require a bit of pushing and therefore they may be quite a difficult fastening for parents of first newborns to use.
The popper fastenings on some nappies allow air to flow more freely around the nappy such as on the Motherease Sandys. Other nappies that have popper fastening includ; Easy Peasy Bumble, Bimble and Harmony, Fuzzi Bunz and Nature Babies Stuffables. |
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