Cloth Nappies are making a come back!!!

Funky colours, leak guards, leg gussets, breathable, no pins, no soaking, no nappy rash

Sounds like an ad for disposable nappies? No! This is the modern cloth nappy.

Some of the Benefits of the Modern Cloth Nappy

• Save $1000s
• Treat and eliminate nappy rash
• Save oil
• Save trees
• Cut down on tonnes of landfill

AFFORDABILITY

From day one of your baby's new life, you are changing their nappy on average 8 times a day, some days are more and some less. If you've stocked up on newborn disposable nappies before they are born, and when on special, you'll be spending around 30 cents a nappy (depending on the brand), some are more, some less. So for the first six months you will use on average 1440 nappies. That's roughly $432 on disposable nappies for the first 180 days of their life and as they grow the nappies get less per pack and more expensive per nappy. A set of Newborn Cloth Nappies with Inserts will save you $100 to $150 in the first six months and more as your baby grows and starts solids and needs less changes. It could save you $1000s especially if you plan to have more than one.

" I worked out that the money I saved on buying disposable nappies would pay for my set of 15 cloth nappies for my 2 boys in 13 weeks" Richelle Mother of 2 under 3 years

Don’t forget that your cloth nappies could have a resale value of $15 - $25 each, recouping up to $300 for every $360 you spent buying new.

There are the costs of running a washing machine and possibly the dryer occasionally, but in general not as much as rubbish bags (on average 1 whole extra bag a week!), or a privately collected rubbish bin, petrol or delivery charges for unplanned nappy-dashes, nappy-rash cream, nappy disposal units and their refills.

HEALTH BENEFITS

While all babies are different and have different skin reactions, cloth nappies have been proven to treat and reduce the occurence of nappy rash in babies & toddlers. Some babies are allergic to the chemicals used by some disposables to absorb the moisture away from the skin. Some babies are just prone to skin allergies and then there are food allergies and the dreaded teething stage which plays havoc on your babies butt as well has their temperament.

If you read some of the research done on the ill effects of disposable nappies on your babies health it can be very scary from male infertility, to asthma and toxic shock syndrome. So knowing that your baby's sensitive areas are covered by micro-fleece cloth, not chemicals can be reassuring.

ENVIONMENTAL BENEFITS

One baby in disposables will use 4.5 trees and 8760 cups of crude oil over their nappy career. While the trees may be replenishable the crude oil certainly isn’t. A baby in cloth will use approx 12kg of eco-friendly detergent and the same amount of water their mother will use when flushing the toilet over the same period of time.
And how about landfill? The Zero Waste Trust calculates 575 million disposables are thrown into New Zealand landfill every year! And because each disposable nappy takes 500 years to decompose every single disposable nappy ever discarded in New Zealand can be found with the billions of others in our landfills.
Don’t think your baby can make a difference? One baby can make a tonne of difference - literally! In fact if your baby wears cloth for three years you’ll have prevented two tonnes of waste from entering our landfills.

EVOLUTION OF THE CLOTH NAPPY

The modern cloth nappy has redesigned itself to emulate the comfortable style of a disposable nappy - No pins, no folding, no soaking, no dunking, no swirling, no sweat! Just knock off solids or rinse off new born poo, throw them in the machine and hang or tumble dry. If time is a mental barrier to you than think of bundling a baby into the car, driving to the supermarket, waiting in the checkout line, driving back home and unloading the car. And with just one peg-per-nappy even hanging out won’t take more than a few minutes.
So you really don’t want to deal with baby poo on your cloth nappies, and can’t bear to think about knocking, flushing and rinsing. Read your disposable packet a little more closely - you’re supposed to make sure those poops go down the toilet as well.
So how about performance? Won’t the inferior performance of cloth make my life more difficult? Modern cloth nappies come with leak guards and leg gussets and can be customised to suit your babies absorbency needs. Inferior? Superior!
Who could enjoy nappies!? You’ll be surprised at how many confirmed addicts there are. They’re as fun as all those neat baby clothes, and with so many different colours and styles you’ll never get bored and always be wanting to try one more.
Try Modern Cloth Nappies - there’s 9000 disposables to loose!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q.1	What is a Modern Cloth Nappy?
	A modern cloth nappy means no pins, no complicated folding, no soaking, no bleaching and no worries. They are colourful, cute and fit babies like a disposable, except you dispose of the waste in the toilet and rewash the nappy. There are many different types, sizes and system of cloth nappies you can use to suit your baby and lifestyle.
Q.2	What is a Pocket Cloth Nappy?
	A pocket nappy usually consists of three layers - a waterproof outer layer, an inner layer of material against baby's skin eg. microfleece or organic cotton velour and the third layer is an absorbent insert/pad e.g microfibre, hemp or bamboo .The waterproof outer layer protects the clothing/bedding from dampness, the microfleece or organic cotton velour inner layer draws the moisture away from the baby's skin and the insert soaks up & holds the moisture. The inner and outer layers are sewn together to form a pocket where the insert/pad is kept. Solids remain on top of the inner layer and usually roll off when shaken over the toilet, however a flushable liner can be used to dispose of the solids and protect the inner layer.
Q.3	What is an All-in-One Cloth Nappy?
	An All-in-One Nappy has the absorbent insert/pad sewn into the inner layer of the nappy which means is can't be removed and is ready to use once dry. There is no need to stuff inserts/pads into the nappy, but you can use extra inserts/pads if required. These nappies do take longer to dry than pocket nappies as they need to be turned inside out. They are very convenient and popular with daycare centres and baby-sitters.
Q.4	What is a Fitted Nappy?
	A fitted nappy is shaped to fit your baby without folding. They are usually made up of a few layers for extra absorbency and are done up with snaps or velcro. They require a waterproof outer cover or could fit into a larger pocket nappy as a super absorbent insert/pad.
Q.5	What's a One-Size Cloth Nappy?
	A One-Size Cloth Nappy is deigned to fit a newborn up to a toddler. It has a series of snaps or velcro which can be set for a newborn or expanded out to fit a three year old. This means the nappy grows with your child and you only buy one set. This is great for families with more than one child in nappies or growing families with more on the way. The snaps/velcro take a bit of practice to get the right fitting and can be bulky on the small setting, but this is the most economical nappy system.
Q.6	How many will I need?
	These are approximate amounts only and it depends on your baby. It is based on the amount of times you change a baby daily in their different stages which is frequently when they are newborn. As they grow and start eating solids their bowel movements become less frequent & solid and you'll need less nappies. Some children might require more and stay in nappies longer. The more you have the more time you have to get the nappies washed & dried. Newborns-6months - 10-12 cloth nappies Medium-6-18months - 6-8 cloth nappies Large - 18months-3years - 4-6 cloth nappies
Q.7	Do they leak?
	In general these nappies have been designed with leak guards and leg gussets to prevent leakages, however even with disposables you'll get some leakages. Leakages are usually caused by the person who put the nappy on or didn't take it off in time. A new modern cloth nappy is like a new towel, it needs to be washed a few times before it becomes absorbent. It is recommended to wash the nappies at least 4x before use and it'll take 10 washes before they reach optimal absorbency. Additional inserts can be used for heavy wetters and hemp and bamboo is highly recommended. Different brands fit different babies better due to their shapes and always make sure you get a snug fit around the legs and waist when putting a cloth nappy on or else you'll get leakages (just like a disposable). If you leave a nappy on too long, you'll get leakages like a disposable. Hemp and bamboo is also recommended for use at night.
Q.8	What about Nappy Rash?
	Cloth Nappies have been proven to reduce and eliminate nappy rash which can be caused by using disposables. The chemicals in a disposable which draws the moisture away from the skin can also take away the natural oils in the skin and cause a rash. There are times when rashes occur no matter what you use and if you need to use a nappy cream then use a liner to protect the material as the cream can stain and cause build up which compromises it's absorbency.
Q.9	What size will I need?
	This depends on your baby and the different brands. Below is a sizing chart for the Peapod Hemp Nappies.
Q.10	Can I use flushable liners with a septic tank?
	They must be biodegradable flushable liners. The Liners we sell are.
Q.11	What laundry powder should I use?
	We recommend a plant and mineral based concentrate powder. Use only half the recommended amount and on a short cycle. Some powders have dyes and perfumes in them which causes bulid up in the fabric and compromises absorbency, resulting in leakages.

If you have any further questions please Contact Us and we will answer them and add to our FAQs page