There is now a huge variety of cloth nappies, waterproof wraps, and accessories available from around the world. Many of them have come into being over the last few years, often originally designed by Mums for their own babies. You may find the amount of choice inspiring, or perhaps daunting or even off-putting. Either way this page should give you a general overview of the main types of cloth nappy systems available.

Terries and Plastic pants

Terries are the traditional British nappy, still widely used in many parts of the world. Made of a single layer of cotton towelling, usually white, and generally about 70cm square. They require folding, before securing with either pins, a Nappi Nippa, or a suitable wrap.

Nappi Nippas are a modern alternative to nappy pins. Their patented design is made of stretchy Y-shaped plastic, with three plastic claws that grip to the loops of terry fabric. They are quicker to use than pins, as well as helping you to avoid pricking yourself or your baby.

Terry nappies will stand up to laundry abuse, including boil washing and soaking in sanitising solutions, (though neither of these are necessary to clean nappies with modern washing machines). Terries are also relatively quick to dry, which can mean they may still be a good choice if you do not use a tumble dryer.

Both Terries and plastic pants are still available to buy on the High Street from shops including Boots and Mothercare. Terry fabric comes in various weights; thicker terries are generally more absorbent, but will make the nappy bulkier.

Plastic pants may be uncomfortable for your baby, leaving red marks at the waist and leg elastic. They also tend to become brittle with use. Most plastic pants need to be pulled down baby's legs when soiled, which can be messy!

If you are using terries on your baby we can provide suitable waterproof wraps as a nicer alternative to plastic pants. Because traditionally folded terries are bulkier than some other cloth nappies, wraps need to be cut with a certain generosity to accommodate them. Mio-Lite wraps and Red Raps will both fit over terries, and the Vento style is particularly popular over terries.

Prefolds and Wraps

Prefolds, such as those we have from Bambino Mio®, are rectangular nappies, made up of multiple layers of material, with extra layers stitched down the centre. Prefolds require a simple fold, but no pins, before placing in a wrap or Fuzzi Bunz (see Pocketed Systems below) to put on baby. They provide good absorbency without being too bulky, and will stand up to heavy laundry abuse. Prefolds are the nappies used by most nappy laundry services, and can be expected to last for two or more children.

To use a prefold it is generally folded in three and placed in a Velcro® fastening waterproof wrap, which holds it in place around baby's bottom. The fold can be adjusted to make the same prefold fit different sizes of wrap. Once the nappy has been placed in the wrap it is simple to put onto a newborn - less easy if you are trying to get the hang of it on a wriggly older baby! Some slim-fitting wraps, e.g. Diaperaps®, are specially designed for use with prefolds, and are not generous enough to fit over terries or shaped nappies. Others, such as the Mio-Lite, can be used over both prefolds and other nappies.

Most wraps that are used with prefolds (e.g. Mio-Lite) do not need to be washed at every nappy change (unless soiled). I would however always use a fresh wrap for overnight use, and use fresh wraps each day. Wraps will usually wear out before the nappies. A wrap's usual lifespan is about 6 months, but this will often coincide with your baby needing to move up to the next size of wrap in any case.

I really like prefolds. The wrap is critical however - many people stop using prefolds because they have been using a wrap over them which contains cotton; once the nappy is wet the cotton of the wrap will gradually absorb this wetness ("wick"), and transfer the wetness onto baby's clothes. This can be avoided with a polyester wrap, such as the Mio-Lite.

Shaped Nappies and Wraps

Most shaped nappies do not require folding, and fasten with either poppers, Velcro®, or a Nappi Nippa. They are often easier than terries or prefolds to put on a wriggly baby. A wrap is normally used over the nappy to keep wetness inside.

Shaped nappies usually take longer to dry than flat nappies, and tend to be more expensive.

Shaped nappies may be a "one size" type, where a single size of nappy is expected to fit baby from birth to potty (such as the Popolini Ultra Fit), or a "two size" type, where only two of the available sizes are normally needed to see baby through to potty training (such as the Popolini TwoSize, and Tots Bots® Nappies).

One size nappies can be bulky on a newborn, and may not fit larger babies through to potty training. One size nappies are often adjusted by a poppering system to reduce their size for smaller babies. Examples of this type of nappy are the Mother-ease® One Size and the Popolini Ultra Fit.

Shaped nappies with more than one size tend to provide a neater fit on newborns and greater absorbency in the larger sizes. Those with side poppers, such as Mother-ease® Sandy's™ and the Popolini TwoSize, can be pre-fastened and used as a pull-on nappy for older babies and toddlers. A side poppered wrap, such as the Air-Flow™ or Vento, is convenient to pull on over these nappies. Of course the poppers can simply be undone for easy removal when the nappy is taken off.

Wraps used over shaped nappies include the Vento, Mio-Lite, and Tots Bots® PUL and Red Raps. The wrap is necessary to waterproof the nappy.

All-in-One Nappies

All-in-one (AIO) nappies, such as Kooshies® Ultra, have the waterproof wrap sewn to the absorbent nappy. All-in-ones are very similar to a disposable nappy to put on, especially if they fasten with Velcro®.

However I find that containment (of wee and breastfed poo), is not usually very good in an All-in-One nappy - containment tends to be better in a nappy that needs a separate wrap.

Another disadvantage of All-in-Ones is that the waterproof layer has to be washed with the nappy; this usually means the nappy can only be washed at a maximum temperature of 60c, that the wrap part will wear out quicker, and that the nappy will take longer to dry, especially if they are not tumble dried. All-in-Ones do not usually last as long as other nappies. Kooshies® information indicates that the Ultra can only be expected to last for about 120 washes.

Pocketed Systems

Nappies which have a pocketed design allow the absorbent insert to be removed before laundering. This allows more efficient washing and a quicker drying time.

Some pocketed nappies may still need an outer waterproof wrap, but the pocket allows extra night-time absorbency to be added to an otherwise slim day nappy. These nappies may also have an integral fleece liner, such as Stuffie® Nappies.

Other nappies of the stuffable type, like Mother of Eden Fuzzi Bunz and Nature Babies® Stuffables, can effectively be used as an All-in-one. They are made up of a waterproof wrap and a sewn in fleece liner. A cotton prefold, terry nappy, or other insert must be used in the pocket, as they have no absorbency without. The advantage of this system is that they have the convenience of an all-in-one when you are putting them onto your baby, but separate for more efficient washing and quicker drying (they are especially quick to dry if Micro Inserts are used in the pocket). You can also customise absorbency to suit different babies, or to vary the nappy from a slimmer day nappy to night-time use. The fact that the fleece liner is sewn in means that it covers all of the nappy, not just part of it. This helps to keep babies' skin dry.

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