Do reusable nappies leak?

At the Nappy Ever After workshops and drop-ins, where we meet customers face-to-face, this is the elephant in the room. No one wants to ask the question, because they don’t want to be rude and imply we sell leaky nappies, and yet it’s what everyone wants to know. So I’ll tell you the honest truth now; yes, all nappies leak, now and again, even disposables.

There are three reasons why reusable nappies may leak :

• Nappies do not fit
• Nappies are left on too long
• Nappies are faulty – either due to washing/drying damage or they were cheap copies of reliable brands

And the glorious news is: leaks with washable nappies are largely preventable:

Fit: the more adaptable the nappy, the less likely it is to leak. Flat nappies such as muslins, terry cloths and pre-folds are the most adaptable. Think of it like the difference between the fit of an off-the-peg dress and one pinned into shape on the cat walk. So flats put on well are less likely to leak. But only if you can put them on properly. Fact: some people can pick up the skill quickly and easily and some people can’t. If you find you don’t have the skill go for a fitted (such as the Motherease Sandy or Geffen fitted) or an all-in-one nappy such as bumGenius V5 or Freetime. These are all designed based on different baby shapes. If your baby has already arrived you can ask the person you are buying from for advice. If you come to Nappy Ever After you can even try different brands on your baby and see for yourself which nappy fits best.

Nappies left on too long: you should change any nappy every 2-3 hours. This is valuable contact time with your baby. It’s an important time of interaction when your baby’s brain is stimulated and wires new pathways i.e. grows. After the very new born stage babies tend to love having their nappy changed. They love to have quality ‘face-time’ with their carer. Give your baby lots of smiles and songs and soon you will be receiving lots of chuckles and chat. Make sure you have a comfortable set up for changing baby. Especially a table at the right height and everything you need for changing in easy reach. If you enjoy nappy changing time, your baby will too! By the way, if you don’t, please don’t suffer alone; this is am indicator that you may have post-natal depression. This is nothing to be ashamed about or afraid of. Seek help.

Also the nappies need to be absorbent enough for the time baby will spend between changes. So for a night nappy, make it extra absorbent by adding a booster – bamboo boosters are great for this as highly absorbent without adding bulk. If your baby is an extremely heavy wetter you may want to try ‘catching’ before you put on the next nappy. Some babies will like you to catch her/his poo and pee from birth up to about 8 months. Basically after you have taken off the nappy hold your baby over a pot or the toilet. If there is something waiting it will come, if there isn’t it won’t. As this skill has largely been lost in the UK since the 1950s you may want to read more about it from Amber Hatch, either on-line or get hold of her book ‘Nappy Free Baby.’

Faulty nappies: if you buy second-hand (and this is something we do recommend because we are passionate about reuse) test each nappy and wrap over the sink before you use them. The nappy part is the cloth and it needs to be absorbent. Poor washing routines can make them stop being absorbent due to (detergent residue or mineral build-up.) Lay the dry nappy in the sink or bath and poor water from a jug onto it. If water runs off the surface rather than soaks in the nappy needs to be stripped of the stuff on the surface that is stopping absorption. There is plenty of good guidance online on how to deal with this problem.

Also test the wraps, this is the waterproof outer that should keep clothes and bedding dry even when the cloth part of the nappy is soaking. Do the wraps up so they form a kind of bowl and hold over sink. Then pour some water into it. Not too much as this will obviously come out of the leg holes. It water is dripping out very quickly from the area between the leg holes then it is likely the wraps are damaged and need to go to the recycling bank. You can also look at the laminate. If it is crazed (fine lines) you may find a few minutes in a very hot tumble dryer will mend the crazing. You can’t lose by trying.

If your nappies are not a well-known brand and they are leaking do the above tests too. Sometimes you may find you can make second-hand or cheap nappies ‘good-enough’ simply by adding bamboo boosters.

All of this I show and tell at demonstrations, so if you can, come along to our shop close to Old Street, open EVERY TUESDAY (except bank holidays) 2-6pm. Once a month we hold Saturday sessions. You need to book here for those. If neither of these work for you then phone or email to arrange an appointment. There is no charge for appointments. There is often someone at the shop outside minimal regular shop hours, but we just want to make sure you do not turn up and find the shutters down!

Absorbency – we’re on it!

Leaks, heavy wetters, night-time absorbency, nights when toilet training – we’ve had many a question about these issues in the shop over the years. And we’ve suggested and tried a few succesful answers which we thought we would share with you.

As a start for thinking about what could work for you, here’s a rundown of the main nappy fabrics and their absorbency rates/issues:

1) Microfibre is synthetic (polyester base) and it soaks wetness and dirt up at the same time. It’s the same fabric as used for the cleaning cloths and can be very drying on the skin (don’t use this directly against the baby’s skin, always use within a pocket or with a fleece/cotton/bamboo top-layer). It’s the least absorbent of the nappy cloths but still absorbent enough, otherwise it would not work as a nappy :-). It’s not bulky and takes very little time to dry, which is why it is popular for modern cloth nappies.

2) Cotton is a natural fabric (organic cotton is better for the environment and the workers who pick it) and has good to excellent absorbency. It takes a regular amount of time to dry (not usually more than 12 hours, that’s line drying). It’s breathable and soft (it can sometimes harden after a period of washing in hard water areas). It can be more bulky than microfibre but it’s a natural fabric.

3) Bamboo is also a natural fabric and has become more environment-friendly in recent years (extraction of the bamboo fibres from the plant used to require extreme chemical processes). Bamboo is five times more absorbent than cotton but takes a longer time to dry. Often nappies are made with a mix of bamboo and microfibre so the drying time is reduced. Beware buying some second-hand bamboo nappies if drying time is an issue as early bamboo nappy versions can often take an AGE to dry. 🙂

4) Hemp is another also very absorbent, natural and environment-friendly fabric. It can get ‘crunchy’ when washed in hard water areas; a period of tumble-drying is recommended. It’s often used with cotton and bamboo for shaped nappies and boosters.

(If environmental issues are your main focus, then this Ecologist article about textiles might help you decide which is the fabric for you.)

Many people start off with microfibre nappies as they are quick drying and suit their expectation of what they want to have to deal with in terms of cloth nappies (usually extra washing and drying).  If you need extra absorbency, then you can add more microfibre inserts (eg, we sell microfibre doublers for bumgenius nappies, not on the website but ask instore). We’ve had good success with customers using two Flip inserts for overnight (if you do this, then you might need to move up to the next size/setting for the wrap).

Switching to cotton can often be the next step for people needing more absorbency – cotton is more absorbent than microfibre. We used cotton prefolds in our pocket nappies from the start as we found the microfibre inserts were not absorbent enough and we knew they weren’t a natural fabric. Anecdotally we’ve heard that the organic cotton prefolds are more absorbent than non-organic – maybe it’s because they are softer, we can’t confirm, just what we’ve heard! We’ve also heard people that the organic prefolds are more absorbent that the laundry service nappies – don’t know why either, maybe the quality of the cotton. If anyone can help, please tell us! You can also use a cotton shaped nappy which has an extra layer or two of cotton sewn into it.

If you’re finding the microfibre and cotton a waste of space, then bamboo is often the answer. You can get a bamboo/microfibre AIO (all-in-one, ie including wrap) nappy, a bamboo/microfibre shaped nappy or bamboo boosters. We find the Easyfit is good for day, Bamboozle good for night, and using the boosters good for any of the nappy systems – stuff and layer as required!

Bamboozle - bamboo & microfibre shaped nappy

We know, from reading forums, that hemp is very good but we’ve yet to find the definitive product – if you can help us find and test a fab product, then let us know.

Once you’ve sorted out your absorbency issues in terms of fabric, you need to make sure you’re using a good wrap (all-in-one and pocket nappies come with wraps, and then you can adjust the absorbent fabric used with these nappies too). If the wrap doesn’t work though, there’s nothing that can be done, except for maybe adding an extra wrap over the top. This can be necessary around the age of five to six months when a baby is drinking loads of milk before moving onto solids.

Be careful when buying second-hand nappies and wraps that may have been washed incorrectly and can leak. You should look for elasticated back waist and good adjustability around the waist to ensure a snug fit at the legs (choose the extra leg gusset option if your child has skinny legs). Some people find the thicker wraps are better for night, thinner for day but the main thing is making sure the nappy is entirely covered by the wrap and not touching the leg elastic as this can mean leaks.

Over the years, there are two wrap manufacturers which stand out for us: Motherease and Bummis. The Motherease Airflow wraps are great over shaped nappies – the wide sides mean the nappy is covered perfectly. The Bummis wraps work well over prefolds and shaped and last for a couple of children (the Super Brite option has the extra leg gusset).

If you need specific advice, please call/email/FB/tweet us for more information.

Nappy Ever After