Katie's Reusable Nappy Journey

Another one of our Instagram followers (we have over 300 now!), Katie is relatively new to the nappy game but has fully embraced it - see below for a gorgeous nappy rainbow circle. She's got some great recommendations for brands she likes, and her Instagram account is full of lovely pictures and advice about cloth nappies. You can find her here @positively_katiebee.

Why did you start thinking about using cloth nappies?

I first started thinking about cloth when I went to a baby group. A lady came along to demonstrate them. Before hand I was quite dismissive and thought I would never use them. Bearing in mind I was there with my second baby. But they looked so cute and actually not that difficult. 

When did you start looking into it? 

As soon as I finished that class I started chatting about them and a friend offered to lend me some of hers to try. Then I hired a kit from my local nappy library and it went from there! Ollie was 3 months old by this point. And after seeing how much of our waste was just nappies (with two under two in them) I knew I wanted to make the change 

What were any concerns/misconceptions you had before you started? How did you overcome these?

I was really worried that they looked quite big on the bum. Disposables have us all used to a very slim fit because of the chemicals in them. But when they’re soaked with urine they’re actually just as big a a cloth nappy. I started looking for brands that made a slimmer nappy. And then over time I’ve started to love that big bum look! 

When did you start using cloth nappies? Just before Christmas. I started part time. Doing a few days a week in the daytime only. And using cloth wipes too. 

How did you find it? I instantly loved them! I found prepping them really therapeutic. And the prints are gorgeous to look at! We also saw an instant reduction in our household waste which was great.

How did you get past any issues you found? Where did you go for advice? I initially had a few fitting issues. You have to tuck the edges of cloth nappies in slightly, which is the opposite of disposables where you make sure they’re not tucked in. Also as Ollie got older and started wearing more, I found I didn’t have enough absorbency. So I spoke to some of Team Nappy Guru [Our lovely founder Anna is one of Team Nappy Guru!] who offered me some advice. They also helped me make the move to night time cloth nappies

Any tips or tricks? With any natural fibre inserts, soak them for a day in water. Then add to your usual nappy wash. It helps increase absorbency faster, without having to have them in several washes first. 

Also if you’re just starting out, just make one swap at a time. You don’t have to go full time with cloth nappies. You can just use one or two and see how you feel from there

Favourite brand? I don’t have one favourite because I like several different ones for different things. TotsBots Easy Fit are great for childcare. Baba + Boo are my favourite pocket nappies and really absorbent. Seedlings make my favourite wrap to use over my nighttime Little Lamb fitted nappies. And Buttons Diapers make my favourite all in two. Their prints are gorgeous and the fit works really well for us.

Favourite print?

That’s like asking me to pick a favourite child! It depends on the weather and what we might be doing that day. I love a dinosaur print but recently I’ve started collecting seaside and ocean themed nappies.