Cloth Nappies & Microfibre

Today's little post is about microfibre. Microfibre is often avoided by many parents. There are a lot of 'facts' bouncing around about it and I'd like to have a little chat about this fabric that is so often used in nappies.

Microfibre can be awesome in your nappies. Its just neccessary to know when to use it. It also has a few draw backs - but these can be worked with.

So whats so great about microfibre?

Microfibre is very thirsty. As absorbent as bamboo in some instances (depending on the weight and quality of each). Its drawback compared to bamboo is it doesn't hold onto liquid as well. Microfibre can get compression leaks. So for example, a toddler sits down in their soaking nappy and the liquid in the microfibre is forced out of the insert. This issue is why microfibre should be mixed with bamboo inserts. Bamboo has the ability to soak up some of that extra liquid being compressed out of the microfibre.

Microfibre is very quick to absorb. This means if you have a child that wets a lot at once, microfibre works really well because it can keep absorbing when its being saturated with a lot of liquid that keeps coming. Bamboo is not as quick to soak up, so you might find the liquid travels across the insert and out the legs, top or bottom. I find as children approach toilet training, some microfibre inserts can be really useful.

Microfibre drys really quickly. As its synthetic, it dries much faster than natural fabrics like cotton and bamboo. This is a great thing, especially in winter or for parents with less nappies, as they can get them back into rotation faster. You may want to even use microfibre more through the winter and bamboo in the summer. A lot of nappy suppliers offer both options.

Of course, this all sounds wonderful - but what are some of the drawbacks that parents do not like about microfibre? We already talked about compression leaks. Microfibre can also be quite bulky - which is why we recommend always teaming it with a trimmer bamboo insert. Then you can get the best of both.

Mircofibre is synthetic, and many parents like natural fabrics. This is a valid concern - if you are passionate about only using natural fabrics then thats fine (natural fabrics are wonderful). If this concern is based on not putting the synthetic in contact with your baby - you should never put microfibre in contact with your child's skin. It is so good at absorbing it can soak out the natural oils in the skin and give a nasty irritation. Only use microfibre that is sewn in and hidden or in a pocket.

Cloth Nappy Help is at hand

I get plenty of emails and messages asking about cloth nappies. Whether it is trying to choose the best nappy, know how many to buy or to solve a problem with an existing nappy stash, we are here to help.

Cloth Nappies Central is our answer to all your questions. I have written this site after hours and hours of my own research, plus years of my own experiences. This site is about helping parents - no matter what brand of nappies you have our resources on how to strip wash, how to remove mould or how to choose the right nappy for you apply.

I have a love for cloth nappies. I also understand that for many parents, cloth nappies hold challenges and confusion. It is for this reason I have dedicated hours to getting this site going with all the information I think you need.

We have also included some help to find different brands available. I think its important to know about all the different options and brands. This will help you find the best cloth nappy for your budget.

I have also just written up a long list of frequently asked questions regarding Baby Bare. So you can also check out that information here.

Whats happening at Baby Bare Cloth Nappies?

We have so many exciting things happening at the moment. From product development to designing our own fabrics.

The most exciting part for us, is delivering products to our customers that meet their needs. We take on all the feedback you give us and translate it into the best Baby Bare products we can.

You asked for printed minky fabrics and we have now brought out our first custom fabric in our Rainbow Nappies and accessories. We have 4 more new prints currently being sewn into our much loved all in two design.

On taking on  feedback about our classic nappy design, we moved away from aspects of the product that so many parents love. As a result of calls to continue the Classic Bare range, we are introducing an All-in-one nappy. One piece, no assembly, quick drying and super trim fit. It can also be boosted by popping a booster under the 'flapped' absorbency. I'm really excited to be offering our nappy in a totally different style to the all in two. This will give parents more choice and help open our products up to more people wanting to use cloth, but looking for a certain nappy style.

Available now at www.babybare.com.au

I've hinted at the prospect of training pants for some time now. We are really excited to say we have sent off our samples and design to our manufacturer to get them to sew up our samples in the same fabrics as used when manufactured so we can start to do our final checks and trialling. Our pants are really well thought out, with options to boost them for sleep times. So stay tuned for some pictures and a release date! (Hopefully early 2014)

I am currently working on another very exciting product - its not a nappy, but it is for use from birth till and through toilet training! Hope to announce this really soon too, so stay tuned.

I think my baby is outgrowing their OSFM nappies?

I see and hear this statement a lot. Mostly with OSFM nappies that are a trim fit. Sadly, I've had people recommend against our nappies (and other trim OSFM) claiming they wont fit their 10 month old for much longer - even though they haven't used them through to toilet training!

I have now taken our nappy design from birth to toilet training (plus some) - and it does fit. They still fit on Charlotte, 34 months old, 16kg and very tall. Charlotte is not a super skinny girl. She's about average.

So why is this misconception happening?

Starting out as a newborn the nappy should be on the smallest setting in the front and in the waist. Below is Emma at about 6 weeks. This setting fit her from 2 weeks old.

Em at 6 weeks

By the time a baby gets to ten months, they are usually not snapping down in the front anymore. This makes many parents panic. They think there child is going to outgrow their cloth nappies before their first birthday.

No front snapping 

Plenty of room still in the bottom for growing up big and tall!

This simply isn't the case. Many babies get very chubby before they walk, or crawl, making parents think the waist has been outgrown or the babies legs are too big. But, babies change shape constantly. Once they are walking they trim down and you find the nappy fits well (even if there is a period of time where a nappy doesn't fit).

I want to show you how our nappies fit on a small baby and a toddler.

Direct comparison,  Child on left is 28 months, Right is 4 months

Above you can see the largest child is about 28 months. The younger baby is 4 months. As you can see, the same nappy fits on the larger child. As they grow, the nappy tends to sit more along the undies line then as a nappy extending towards the belly button. This is most suitable as it allows their clothes to fit them better and you shouldnt need to size up clothing due to the trimness of the nappy.

Below is Emma at almost ten months. Notice she is on the same front snap setting as the older child in the picture above? Yet the waist snaps are done a bit tighter for her smaller waist.

Ten month old baby 9kg

You can see how some parents would think looking at this shot of Emma, that she will not see another two years out of these nappies. But the evidence in the above picture of Charlotte at 28 months proves the nappy will continue to fit.

These are Baby Bare nappies in our photo examples, but you will find this applies to many OSFM on the market. So don't panic. Just have a look through these images to see that the nappies will see you through much longer then the ten months/ 1 year mark!

Some more examples below.

Charlotte at 22 months

Charlotte at 14 months

Charlotte 23 Months

Em 4 weeks old in her Baby Bare cloth nappy, note the overlap on the waist.

Lay By your cloth nappies today!

We are introducing Lay By to Baby Bare. I know a lot of parents like the ability to pay off their nappies over time, so we are introducing a much asked for Lay By system.

So how will it work? Minimum spend is $100 and non-refundable 20% deposit. You can take up to 12 weeks to pay off the Lay By (extensions may be applied for). Warranties apply from date of shipping, so you still get a full 6 months of use with your products before your warranty ends.

We suggest starting the Lay By before your baby is born, and taking a few months to pay it off slowly. You will be given a reference number and payments can be made through PayPal or Direct Deposit. You just email us when you've made your final payment.

You can even give the reference to your friends and family and have the nappies paid for as a baby shower gift. Just let us know and we can help arrange this for you!

I do not require regular payments, but you need to have completed the payments by the end date of your lay by date, twelve weeks from placing your order (unless otherwise agreed).

How to order using Lay By

Add everything you want to your cart, to a minimum of $100. Enter in the discount code area the lay by code 'LAYBY'. Your cart will update to only require 20% of the payment. You will receive an invoice from PayPal and confirmation of your order from us.

We will then contact you to confirm your Lay By terms with a completion date, final amount due and to ensure you have no special requirements - such as arranging for others to make payments on your behalf etc.

After twelve weeks, if you have not already completed the Lay By, we will contact you to arrange the final payments and confirm your shipping address has not changed since placing your order. We will then ship to your nominated address!

It's that easy.

If you cancel your Lay By you will forfeit your 20% deposit, or a maximum of $40. So if your deposit was $80, we will refund $40 to you. All payments in excess of $40 will be refunded to you once you notify us of the cancellation.

If at the end of your Lay By period, you have not completed your payments and you fail to respond to our communication within 14 days, we will reserve the right to deem your Lay By cancelled.

My top 5 tips for using cloth nappies

1. Use a clothes horse. You can hang nappies out inside, then move them into the sunshine. Once the sun is gone for the day, bring them in to finish drying. If it starts raining, you can grab them quickly with no need to rehang. This is simply the number one thing you can do to make cloth nappy use easier!

2. Ask questions early. I've had many customers come to me after weeks or months of using our nappies with questions they've been holding onto. A quick answer may help you in a big way. Leaking nappies, poor fit, care of your nappies etc. No question is too silly. Any business that doesn't give you the attention to ensure you are happy with using their products doesn't deserve your business!

3. Wash your nappies regularly. Simple care of your nappies will see them have a long life. Don't leave a soiled nappy too long between washes, the nappy is deteriorating while it sits waiting for a wash. You may not see the damage immediately, but delayed washing will see your nappies lifespan reduce. Aim for every 48 hours.

4. Shop around and save money. So many parents are unaware of the different options on the market, and that they don't need to spend a fortune to get a decent nappy. I see very often the same few brands being recommended to parents - even though these may not be the most budget friendly or even the most suitable product. Do your research and try a few options. You may be surprised how many great nappy options there are out there (and for a lot less then the most well known). There are hundreds of different nappy makers and brands available - don't be limited to the one with the biggest advertising budget! I myself started out that way, and none of the well known brands suited our daughter - it's how we ended up with Baby Bare!


5. Stick with it. I find a lot of parents quit cloth in the first few weeks of using them. I have found their are periods of time I just don't want to wash nappies. I've taken a break for a week - then come back to them. Or there have been times our daughter is sick, and the nappies are so disgusting its unbearable to put her in one. On those occassions we have used disposables and later come back to cloth. I find cloth gets much easier as you go on. It becomes part of your routine and you don't notice it so much. I find considering the amount of rubbish we are preventing and our monetary saving, also help me stick with it. So if you are ever feeling like you want to quit - remind yourself why you started with cloth nappies in the first place.

ENJOY!

Try cloth nappies before you buy

We know a lot of parents are unsure about using cloth nappies. They wonder how they will find washing them, using them and having them fit their child.

We have come up with what we think is a great solution for parents.

For a limited time, you can try 10 Brand new cloth nappies for $55 including shipping. The trial period is for four weeks from when you received them. We believe four weeks is enough time to get the feel for using nappies, and determine if using cloth is for you.

Parents who chose to keep the nappies receive a discount off future purchases plus an accessories pack. You can mix up any ten of our nappies (excluding Ruffle Cubs). So you can try the PUL nappies, our classic Bare Cub or our New Bare cub range. You also get a credit for your $55 when choosing to keep the nappies. So at the end of the trial you only need to pay $125 - essentially, your trial was free!

Do you know someone who wants to use cloth nappies but isn't convinced? They should try our trial soon, before it ends!

Our minky cloth nappies, available to trial.