Nappy Faqs

Choosing a cloth nappy type can be overwhelming as there are many styles to choose from, with varying quality across different brands. One thing you can be sure of is that we have tried and used the nappies we stock with our own babies, and we love them. To help with your search we have provided a list of questions and answers below. If you still have questions though, please email us at info@miraclebaby.co.nz, and we'll do our best to help.

Why cloth?
How much can I save? 
How do you wash them?  
How many will I need?  
Which type is best?
Nappy 'Terminology'  
Feedback from customers

Why cloth?

Here are three great reasons for 'going cloth'.

1. Even taking into account your washing and drying costs, you can save thousands of dollars on you nappy bill over a 2 1/2 year period.

2. Especially for sensitive baby skin, cloth nappies are great. Most people notice an immediate difference between cloth and disposables on their baby - with cloth nappies there are usually no more red casing marks all over their baby's skin. Good quality cloth nappies are soft and comfortable. They do not contain absorbent gels or chlorine bleaches that some disposable nappies may contain. Cloth nappies usually have a soft, stay-dry lining to help with the prevention of nappy rash. Cloth nappies can also be more effective with containing breastfed baby poop (i.e. runny stuff!) as there are two parts to prevent leakage - the nappy and the cover component. 

3. An overseas study carried out by Best Foot Forward1 concluded that disposable nappies have nearly twice the impact on the environment over cloth nappies. By using cloth we can almost halve the environmental impact.

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How much can I save?

Simple Table Comparison

You can potentially save thousands of dollars by using cloth nappies. The leading Supermarket Disposable brand we have compared this to averages out at a cost of approximately 62 cents per nappy across all sizes (as at August 2006 - check out the cost per nappy of the leading Supermarket Brands nearest you). Working on changing your baby about 6 times per day. That's 6 nappies at 62 cents each, equalling $3.72 per day. Over a month this comes to approximately $113.06. Over a year - you could spend about $1,357 just on disposable nappies. 

Prefolds Example:
If you decided to use our Unbleached Indian Cotton Prefolds, $180.60 would give you 12 Infant nappies and 4 Small covers. An additional $191.40 at around 5 months old would give you a dozen Premium size nappies and 4 Medium covers. At about 15 months old a final $102 would give you 4 Large covers.  Thats a total of $474 for a top quality prefold nappy system for full-time use over that 2 1/2 year period. 

Add in about an estimated $500 worth of washing costs over that time, and you could reduce your nappy bill to around $974, less than one 3rd of the cost of using disposables. 

A possible saving of $2,418
including the washing.

One-Size nappy example:
Our Mother-ease One-Size Nappy is another economical choice. The Motherease one-size pack has 12 nappies to fit 3.5-16kg, 4 snap-in boosters, and 3 covers. Add in 3 medium covers and 3 large covers as time progresses, and you are still spending just $576.28.

Add in about an estimated $500 worth of washing costs over that time, and you could reduce your nappy bill to around $1076.28, about one 3rd of the cost of using disposables. 

A possible saving of $2,315
including the washing!

How many children will you have?
With cloth nappies the savings don't stop. Remember - when purchasing good quality cloth nappies, you can use them with your future children too. Imagine how much money you can save by using cloth nappies, instead of using disposables, through 2 or more children.

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How do you wash them?

Washing and drying nappies is almost like doing a normal load of washing. Modern cloth nappies have been made as easy as possible for you to use. You can use the wet-bucket method, or the dry-bucket method.

Wet-bucket Method: Suitable for all nappies - recommended for prefolds.
Fill a nappy bucket with 1/3rd water. Add a few drops of white vinegar to help with stain removal.  As you change a nappy, shake solid poop of older babies over the toilet and flush away. Younger babies nappies with runny poop can be deposited straight into the nappy bucket. You may rinse them off first if you want to, or use a flushable liner, but this is not essential. When you are ready to wash your nappies, empty the dirty water out and tip the bucket contents straight into the washing machine. 

Dry-bucket Method: Suitable for pocket nappies, one-size nappies, All-In-Ones and Fitted nappies.
As you change a nappy, shake solid poop of older babies over the toilet and flush away. Younger babies nappies with runny poop can be deposited straight into the nappy bucket. You may rinse them off first if you want to, or use a flushable liner, but this is not essential. You do not need to add anything to the nappies in the bucket. Leave for 2-3 days tops. When you are ready to wash your nappies, tip the bucket contents straight into the washing machine. 

Washing:
To wash MCN use a warm or hot wash if you can. For a full load you will only need about 1/3rd-1/2 of a scoop of you usual washing powder or liquid. Do not use bleaches, soakers or fabric softeners as these may harm the fabric and affect the absorbency of the nappy. If you have used the dry-bucket method, soak your nappies for 30 minutes before-hand, then follow with a normal machine wash. You may also add a few drops of white vinegar if desired to strip excess odour..

Drying:
It is fine to dry your nappies in the dryer - this is in fact good for them. It keeps them soft and functioning like new. However if you are using a dryer, it is recommended that you hang your nappies on the line every now and then to freshen them up with a bit of sun. Sunlight is actually a natural bleacher and great for airing your nappies out. Line-drying is fine with all nappies, and will cut down on a lot of cost. You may like to pop the nappies in the dryer for 5 minutes afterwards to soften them.

Solving nappy odour: 

• use more water for washing, ensuring there is ample water to wash thoroughly.
• use less white vinegar, using too much can leave a 'vinegar' odour.
• use less detergent, using too much can trap it in the fabric leading to odours.
• add a bit of Tea Tree Oil to the wash, this leaves a light fresh fragrance and helps strip odours.
• hang your nappies on the line to give them a fresh airing out, particularly on sunny days so the sunlight can work too.

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How many will I need?

These are our minimum recommended amounts, based on washing your nappies every couple of days.

Required Amounts

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