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Once you are into the reusable nappy world, you will soon learn there's nothing better than a big cloth bum on a baby / toddler (and you may find yourself spotting them out and about!). It may even have been something you weren't sure about when you started, but now can't get enough of! They are extremely cute and pretty funny, but you may find that some clothes are not as accommodating of the extra bulk as others.
Don't worry too much - most of those baby clothes you've stocked up on will be totally fine; they may just grow out of them a bit quicker than you were expecting.
When looking for clothes better designed for cloth bums, we recommend you aim for the following:
Harem / loose trousers and leggings
Stretchy leggings which can stretch to fit over the nappy
Loose or stretchy dungarees or rompers
Dresses (obviously!)
Sizing up in tighter clothes e.g. jeans
With vests / onesies, you can usually just buy normal sizes or the size up. Too-tight vests can cause what are known as "compression leaks" by distorting the shape and fit of the nappy so the lining or absorbent material isn't totally covered by the waterproof cover. Vest extenders are a good way round this and mean you don't have to dress your baby in vests that are too big for them. 3 vest extenders are included in the Newborn Nappy Kits we have available to hire.
Of course one of the great things about cloth nappies is they're so cute that in the summer they don't need to wear any trousers at all!
The original company in the UK to start making clothes for cloth is Frugi - the company was originally called Cut4Cloth so you know they're serious about it! They sell a gorgeous range of bright, organic clothing and their Parsnip pants are particularly perfect for fitting over a fully stuffed nappy.
Not a cloth bum but such cute Frugi trousers (and a lovely smile!)
They have paved the way for several more companies out there selling high quality, organic clothes designed for cloth nappies, including Kite and Toby Tiger. We have been kindly given a code for 10% off these brands when you shop at Small Eco Steps of Chester using the code LIVERPOOLCLOTH.
Other similar brands are Piccalilly and Little Green Radicals, and it's a safe bet buying from any of the brands on Babipur.
Swedish brands like Duns and Lindex sell stretchy rompers and leggings that are great for cloth bums and come in the most amazing prints! Mini Boden's range also seems to last quite a long time.
Duns and Mini Boden
On the more affordable end of the scale, H&M sell a good range of clothes that are generous in their sizing. Zara, Boots, GAP and most generic supermarkets have also been found to be good for cloth nappies. Blade & Rose sell a selection of reasonably priced stretchy leggings with cute designs on the bum.
Blade & Rose, Sainsburys Tu and Boots
As with everything baby related, there will always be brands that work better for other babies than yours, and vice versa. There is also variability within brands - we have some dungarees from John Lewis that fitted for about 3 minutes, but some sleepsuits that are still far too big 4 months later! It's always a bit of trial and error but hopefully this blog post has given you some ideas of what to look out for, and where to go if you want clothes specifically designed for cloth.
If you're a cloth parent - which brands did you find work(ed) best for you? Which brands didn't work as well? Help out our new cloth parents with your experiences!