Reusable nappies in South Africa

I'm a parent!

In the run-up to a time of discovery and making many many decisions, I have been keen to use reusable nappies to lessen the environmental impact of my child. We haven't been brave enough to go nappy free (which is a thing!), but thought that reusable nappies would be a good option. If anyone out there is considering them, I found it quite a confusing process, so hope that these reflections might help.

I started by searching online and found quite a few suppliers. The information on their websites varied a lot, as well as the user experience - which had quite a big influence on my final decision. Even the most straight forward and simple sites were very confusing. Most suppliers offer a variety of types of reusable nappies, and I found it incredibly difficult to know what to start with, and what the difference between them were - no comparison tables anywhere to be seen. From what I've found out, there are three basic types of reusable nappy systems on sale these days:

1. All-in-one nappies include a waterproof outer-layer, with the absorbent pads sewn in (although relatively loose, so they can flap in the wash). 
2. Pocket or sleeve nappies consist of a waterproof outer-layer with a thin lining that includes a "pocket" or "sleeve" - open on both ends that you insert absorbent pads/inserts into (some clip into the outer-layer). 
3. Shell or cover nappies are made up of a waterproof outer shell, and then a cloth nappy inside (which is sometimes called a fitted nappy) and could be worn by itself. These most closely resemble the cloth nappies I wore when I was a baby - essentially a square of cloth which was pinned on.

Most suppliers will say nappies are one size fits all, but this is usually from 5kg, and many babies start out a little shy of that. You can therefore buy newborn nappies and then graduate to the larger ones - most of them are size adjustable and therefore can be fitted to your baby as they grow.

In addition to these systems, there are all sorts of extras that you can buy. These include:

• Boosters are additional inserts or pads that you can add to a nappy to make it more absorbent, for instance for long stretches at night.
• Liners which catch the solids - these can either be disposable (usually bamboo) or reusable (fleece - you shake the contents into the toilet and then add them to your nappy wash). They also shield the nappy/inserts from bum cream - most bum creams will decrease the absorbency of the material.
• Wet bags or buckets store the nappies until they are ready to be washed, you can line a bin with a wet bag and then throw it into the wash too which is quite handy. You also get smaller wet bags for storing dirty nappies while you're out and about. Apparently soaking reusables these days isn't a good idea.
• Swim nappies are a shell with a thin lining that catch only the solids.

All nappies are made out of similar materials, with the one exception being the absorbent material. There seem to be three types available, with the difference being the speed of absorbency, and their retention of what they absorb:

• Micro-fibre/fleece is a synthetic material that absorbs moisture quickly, but doesn't retain it well (if you squeeze it, the moisture comes back out).
• Bamboo/cotton natural material that is in the middle with regards to performance of both absorption and retention.
• Hemp absorbs moisture slowly, but retains it. This also means that it takes a while to dry.

So where did I land with all of this?

I bought 8 newborn all-in-one nappies which have been great, and 3 pocket nappies. I've been using disposable liners with them, but have also got some reusable ones, and reckon if you're going to use disposable liners at anytime, it should be later, as early on there aren't many solids to deal with, and you can just throw liners and nappies in the wash (or not even use liners - just careful with the bum cream). We've also got some old shell nappies from my sister that we'll try using once baby is a little older.

We've started using the pocket nappies, but taking out the inserts for a wash and then re-stuffing them is quite a mission - we're going to try some of the bigger all-in-one nappies too and see how they compare. The nice thing about the pocket nappies is that you can mix and match your inserts (we've been using micro-fibre on top with a bamboo one underneath - we're just about to start experimenting with adding a hemp one for night times). You may be able to add a booster to the a-i-os to that would definitely swing in their favour.

For quantities, 8 is definitely not enough with the long washing turn around. Nappies go in a separate load to other laundry with a pre-wash (I'm super thankful for hooking up our raintank to the washing machine - means we've been washing water neutral in this wet winter). I think the ideal would be about 24 - 12 nappies (and liners/clean up cloths/soiled baby-grows/wetbag etc.) would probably equal a full load (with some space in our frontloader drum, which apparently is necessary for a really good wash). that would mean that with 24 you could get into a rhythm. That's my current thinking! Importantly, get a big enough bin. We got a 16 litre one, and think ideal would be 25 - 30 litres.

Current verdict is that all-in-one nappies seem to be the easiest, even though they might limit your ability to vary absorbency. If you're wanting to get into reusables, I'd suggest starting with newborn a-i-os (maybe just a few as a try out?) then get one of the 3 different systems and as your baby is starting to get big for the newborns, try the others out and see what works for you.

I'll try and update this as I go, and give a final direct verdict for anyone wanting to just be told what to do! Questions welcome :-)