# A Beginner's Guide to Cloth!



## Dream.A.Dream

Written for newbies by someone who was just a newbie myself a few weeks ago :) This is cloth nappies broken down into their simplest form!

There are a few main areas where cloth nappies differ. 

Firstly, the style of nappy. There are 3 main styles, known as fitted, pocket and all in one (AIO) also known as an All in two if the insert poppers out to aid drying time (AI2). 

Flat/Pre-Fold~ This is the very basics of cloth nappies and includes things such as terry towelling squares. They are flat squares of an absorbent material which are then folded into a nappy shape and secured using safety pins or nappi nippas. They require seperate waterproof wraps. These are the cheapest way to do cloth nappies and it's possible to find numerous web guides on different types of fold out there on the internet.

Fitteds- These are a shaped nappy that are made entirely from an absorbent material. They don't contain a waterproof layer and as such they require a seperate waterproof wrap. Fitted nappies tend to be cheaper than other types. You also need less nappies than wraps, again making them more economical. Fastenings can vary-velcro, poppers and styles which require safety pins or nappi nippers are all available.

Example- Tots Bots Bamboozle, Tots Bots Stretchy, Tots Bots wraps.

Pocket- These nappies are made from two layers. Generally a waterproof outer layer which can either be fluffy or printed fabric and an inner layer. They then have an opening to either the front or back of the nappy into which an absorbent insert is placed. Fastenings are poppers or velcro. These tend to dry quicker than AIO and the absorbency can easily be adjusted to suit your babies' needs. 

Example- Green Kids, Blueberry, Pocketbots, Neppula (plus many more, these are a popular nappy style). 

AIO/AI2- These are the ultimate in convenience for cloth nappies. In a similar fashion to pocket nappies they have a waterproof layer built in and are available in a number of patterns as well as plain styles. This style of nappy in an AIO style has all of the absorbent materials sewn in, so you just put it on and take it off as a disposable and then wash. To aid drying time these can also be available as in AI2 (aka SIO), where the aborbent insert poppers in using press studs and then poppers out again for washing and drying. 

Example- Itti Bitti D'lish AIO, Itti Bitti D'lish SIO, La P'tite Prairie


Another area in which nappies can differ is whether to buy one sized (also known as birth to potty or BTP) or sized nappies. BTP nappies are more economical as in theory they fit your child through from birth until they no longer require nappies. However, these can be bulky on smaller babies and some babies will outgrow them before they are potty trained. Sized nappies require you to buy more than one size as your child grows. Nappies do tend to have a high resale value though so this can also end up not costing too much more. Itti Bittis for example retail at between £11.50-£13. They can be resold for £8-10 as a general guide. 


The absolute basics you will need to use cloth full time are- a nappy bucket and around 15 nappies (although you will have to wash pretty regularly).


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## princessellie

ooh good idea!

x


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## Dream.A.Dream

Hopefully it will be a bit helpful to people. 

I was going to go into the different materials used etc but my knowledge on those is still limited and I didn't want to scare people off :lol: xx


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## princessellie

haha yeh thats enough i reckon

x


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## Rachel_C

Don't forget flats nappies (like terries or prefolds). It seems like a lot of people on here don't use them but they are the cheapest option so lots of people trying to save money opt for them.


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## Dream.A.Dream

I did forget them :blush: xx


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## Connah'sMommy

This has actually answered alot of questions for me!
thankyou Katy! xxx


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## Drazic<3

Thanks hunny, really helpful :)


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## Farie

Awesome guide!! Thank you :flow:


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## FierceAngel

just what i was looking for thank you xx


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## kglo

Very basic, thank you


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## Mynx

I'm thinking about entering the world of fluff and this thread has really really helped me! 

One question tho, when putting the fluffies in the fluff bucket, what do you do? You put water in the bucket so they're soaking? Do you need to put some kind of solution in there? 
Also, when it comes to the size of the nappies, do they go by a rough weight (like sposies?) For example, Evie weighs around 19lb, would I get her medium or large? 

Ok that was 3 questions, and apologies if I seem a bit clueless.. it's cos I am!!! 

:flower:


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## littlestar

Dry pail - so no solution etc is needed in the bucket (soaking in any solution is bad for pul lined nappies as it causes it problems)

As for size all the nappies are cut differently if she's border line large you might find you don't get much wear out of mediums the best way is trial and error. Birth to potty or one-size nappies often help bridge that gap. but not all nappies will be the prefect fit on all babies this is why alot of people try a preloved nappy first before committing to a specific brand or style.

Hope this helps :thumbup:


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## Mynx

littlestar said:


> Dry pail - so no solution etc is needed in the bucket (soaking in any solution is bad for pul lined nappies as it causes it problems)
> 
> As for size all the nappies are cut differently if she's border line large you might find you don't get much wear out of mediums the best way is trial and error. Birth to potty or one-size nappies often help bridge that gap. but not all nappies will be the prefect fit on all babies this is why alot of people try a preloved nappy first before committing to a specific brand or style.
> 
> Hope this helps :thumbup:

I was thinking that birth to potty might be our best bet, having looked at the range. More cost effective too, as this is another reason we want to use fluffies. 
Where would I find preloved fluffs?
Sorry for all the questions! :hugs:


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## Dream.A.Dream

You can find preloved here, or there's also a website www.clothnappytree.com which has an extensive classifieds section so there's loads on there. 

I store my nappies dry, and a great tip I got off here was to put a pantyliner with some essential oils on the inside of the lid to keep smells at bay :)

I'd say try some btp and some larges probably. Although if you can pick up cheap mediums they have a pretty high resale value. Some brands are lower rise than others, for example Itti Bittis, so if you're on the borderline you might be better going for the bigger size rather than the smaller xx


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## Tessa

Perfect! I was looking for something like this!! Thanx


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## Connah'sMommy

i forgot you did this dream.a.dream! Handy for me too as ill be using it from the start this time round :)xxx


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## MrsK

thanks for this! Really helps newbies like me :)


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## RoxyRoo

Thank you, very helpful :)

I have a question, if I go for the fitted nappies with waterproof wrap. Can I use any nappy/wrap combination or do they need to be the same brand?

Thanks :)


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## LittlePants

Any combination!
There is also this site, with pictures, which is very helpful to beginners ;)


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## moomin_troll

very useful!

i didnt use cloth with my first but decided i was going to with my second. i will be using terries and im now on the hunt for nice waterproof wraps for boys :)


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## Huggles

What do you do with poo nappies? I read on the FAQ blog that liquid runny poo nappies can go straight in the wash, but i think i'd prefer to rinse them first separately. But, whether it's liquid/runny or solid poo's, how do you deal with them while your lo is lying on the change table?

i know when they're a bit bigger you can change their nappy, put them down and let them run off to go play, then you can take the nappy to the bathroom and rinse it and dispose of the poo, but when they're small and still lying on the change table, how do you rinse the poo of then? You can't wonder off to the bathroom to deal with it while baby is left on the table.

any suggestions?


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## discoclare

Huggles said:


> What do you do with poo nappies? I read on the FAQ blog that liquid runny poo nappies can go straight in the wash, but i think i'd prefer to rinse them first separately. But, whether it's liquid/runny or solid poo's, how do you deal with them while your lo is lying on the change table?
> 
> i know when they're a bit bigger you can change their nappy, put them down and let them run off to go play, then you can take the nappy to the bathroom and rinse it and dispose of the poo, but when they're small and still lying on the change table, how do you rinse the poo of then? You can't wonder off to the bathroom to deal with it while baby is left on the table.
> 
> any suggestions?

If I am dealing with baby I just fold the nappy and leave the nappy on top of my nappy bin until I have a couple of mins later to deal with it. When my DD was BF and before weaning when she had runny poos I also used to rinse before washing. It's easier when they are weaned as you don't need to do any rinsing etc just shake solid poo into the toilet (or if using a flushable liner just chuck liner in the loo and flush). If you use a fleece liner solid poo justs rolls straight off it into the toilet.


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## fides

my question: how many cloth diapers do you need? I know i should try different brands, and i keep seeing that you take the # of disposables you use and multiply that by two, but i don't know how many disposables i would use on a baby b/c it isn't born yet! How many are in your stashes? 

thanks!


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## Huggles

hey fides! :hi:

i obviously haven't had my baby yet, but the brand that i plan on buying sells a 'day pack' which has 12 prefolds and 3 covers, or a full time pack of 24 prefolds and 6 covers.
Also, from what i've heard, they generally recommend at least 24 nappies for full time use. I think that's if you want to wash every second day in the beginning, and probably every third day later on when they use fewer in a day.

Obviously, the more nappies you have, the less often you need to wash. :laundry:


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## Rachel_C

A newborn could use up to 12 nappies a day but my toddler only needs 4-5 (including night nappies), so the needs really change as baby gets older. 

It also depends very much on how you wash/dry and what type of nappies they are. For example, a microfibre insert for a Flip will easily dry on an airer overnight, so if you washed when baby went to bed the same nappies could be useable the next morning. So you'd probably need one day's worth plus a few spares just in case. But if you use bamboo nappies, they can take three days to dry on an airer in the winter. If you washed every night, you'd need enough spares for while they dry, which at three days would mean you'd need four day's worth and you'd still be washing every day! 

I would just start off trying different things and seeing how they fit with your lifestyle and how they dry in your situation, then look at buying enough to use full-time. If you want to buy enough to be full time straight away though, I'd look at a mix of fabrics (with 50% quick drying nappies like microfibre) and maybe aim for 20-ish and wash every day. Bear in mind that one-size nappies may not fit from birth.


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## Geegees

Thanks so much for this... VERY helpful!!


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## minties

Really good! Should put some pictures in as well.


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## MissCourtneyP

Huggles said:


> What do you do with poo nappies? I read on the FAQ blog that liquid runny poo nappies can go straight in the wash, but i think i'd prefer to rinse them first separately. But, whether it's liquid/runny or solid poo's, how do you deal with them while your lo is lying on the change table?
> 
> i know when they're a bit bigger you can change their nappy, put them down and let them run off to go play, then you can take the nappy to the bathroom and rinse it and dispose of the poo, but when they're small and still lying on the change table, how do you rinse the poo of then? You can't wonder off to the bathroom to deal with it while baby is left on the table.
> 
> any suggestions?

I'd probably put baby in a crib/swing while I rinse of the dipe and put it in the bin...I'm really bad for forgetting things, so if I were to leave it somewhere it probably wouldn't get dealt with. Much better for me to get it done and over with right away


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## Siuan

Thank you for the guide and for the link to the external website. I knew next to nothing about cloth nappies before looking at this thread and I now feel fairly clued up!


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## MissyMooMoo

This has really helped me find out more about cloth nappies and currently going to get into all this so very excited! x


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## Pixoletta

Thank you! I got confused with all the different nappy types.


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## Sugaree5335

Dream.A.Dream said:


> Fitteds- These are a shaped nappy that are made entirely from an absorbent material. They don't contain a waterproof layer and as such they require a seperate waterproof wrap. Fitted nappies tend to be cheaper than other types. *You also need less nappies than wraps*, again making them more economical. Fastenings can vary-velcro, poppers and styles which require safety pins or nappi nippers are all available.



The part in bold sounds counterintuitive to me. Can anyone explain why more wraps/covers would be needed than nappies? Thanks!


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## Rachel_C

Sugaree5335 said:


> Dream.A.Dream said:
> 
> 
> Fitteds- These are a shaped nappy that are made entirely from an absorbent material. They don't contain a waterproof layer and as such they require a seperate waterproof wrap. Fitted nappies tend to be cheaper than other types. *You also need less nappies than wraps*, again making them more economical. Fastenings can vary-velcro, poppers and styles which require safety pins or nappi nippers are all available.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The part in bold sounds counterintuitive to me. Can anyone explain why more wraps/covers would be needed than nappies? Thanks!Click to expand...



It's just a typo; you'd need more nappies than wraps.


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## Sugaree5335

Rachel_C said:


> Sugaree5335 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dream.A.Dream said:
> 
> 
> Fitteds- These are a shaped nappy that are made entirely from an absorbent material. They don't contain a waterproof layer and as such they require a seperate waterproof wrap. Fitted nappies tend to be cheaper than other types. *You also need less nappies than wraps*, again making them more economical. Fastenings can vary-velcro, poppers and styles which require safety pins or nappi nippers are all available.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The part in bold sounds counterintuitive to me. Can anyone explain why more wraps/covers would be needed than nappies? Thanks!Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> It's just a typo; you'd need more nappies than wraps.Click to expand...



Thanks! That makes more sense.


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