How much liquid...

[DaisyDoodles]

should a newborn nappy be able to hold?

I've started making up some AIO nappies over the past week or two, but with no baby here to try them out on (we're TTC) I'm having to test them with water!

They seem to be holding between 70ml and 100ml depending on what I've used for soakers but I'm not happy with the fact that the ones with microfibre seem to 'puddle' if I push my hand into them but as I'm a complete newbie I guess it's just a case of trial and error as to what will work, I'm just unsure as to what they are supposed to be able to hold?

 

[bky]

My pocket nappy inserts are advertised as holding 200ml. They are, I think, 3 layers of microfibre. They seem to work pretty well, generally last about 2-3 hours and aren't very bulky. Are you prewashing the fabrics to increase absorbency before testing them?
I've heard to expect about 50ml a pee.

 

[lynnikins]

i think its something like 8 washes till the fabric reaches its max absorbancy level or something ( dont quote me someone else probably knows better ) good on you for the DIY

 

[DaisyDoodles]

Thank you both... I hadn't even considered washing them other than a quick wash before making them!!

I'll start washing them this morning and see if that improves the absorbancy, do you have to dry in between washes or can I just keep putting htem through wash cycles??

I've got some bamboo fleece and micro fleece to try as well if washing doesn't improve them!

 

[bky]

I did 5 washes back to back on mine and things seemed fine.

 

[kiwimama]

Microfibre doesn't particularly need washing to "kickstart" the absorbancy I don't think. It's bamboo and hemp inserts that take at least 8 washes to reach full absorbancy. Bamboo and hemp generally absorb moisture slowly, so are good to be used with microfibre which absorbs moisture quickly. I don't know how to troubleshoot your problem with the pooling of liquid on the microfibre, I'm sure there are forums specifically for diy cloth nappy makers, which may be able to provide you with some answers.
Well done on making your own nappies btw, you're really skilled!

 

[Rachel_C]

Thank you both... I hadn't even considered washing them other than a quick wash before making them!!

I'll start washing them this morning and see if that improves the absorbancy, do you have to dry in between washes or can I just keep putting htem through wash cycles??

I've got some bamboo fleece and micro fleece to try as well if washing doesn't improve them!

I agree with what everybody else said. Microfibre and other manmade fabrics only need one wash to remove chemicals from the manufacturing process but natural fabrics like bamboo, hemp and cotton need more (up to 10 washes sometimes), or you can do a long soak to kick start it.

I noticed that you said you might try microfleece - I'm not sure what you mean you'd try it for, so just in case: polyester fleece isn't absorbant, it is used as a stay dry layer in nappies so don't try it on the inside of the nappies. You might find that nappies with microfibre work better with a layer of fleece next to the skin though as the water will find it harder to get back to the surface. Bamboo fleece is very absorbant though.

 

[DaisyDoodles]

Thanks everyone!

The microfibre that I've used so far is layered with towelling so I'm hoping that once it's been washed a few times it will work better.. the microfleece I've bought is to try as an alternative to the suede cloth I've been using as the lining, I like the fact that the suede cloth wicks really well, but thought the microfleece would be softer?

I'm determined to get it right though, I went on a bit of a fabric spree over the weekend and have minki, bamboo velour and some lovely prints to try, I just need to sort the baby making out now!