Find out the best tips for approaching the cloth diapers market, to save your pocket and the environment.
1. Know the different types of reusable nappies
Check out our guide to reusable nappies to understand each type of cloth nappy – not only the mechanisms, but also the pros and cons of each one, to understand which one is best suited to your home routine, budget and child age.
2. Read online reviews, with critical thinking
It always helps reading the opinion of REAL parents who have actually tested a particular nappy on their babies to find genuine reviews.
This is a well-studied industry where it is known that personal recommendation has a lot of impact on parents’ choices. Therefore, unfortunately, there are more and more profiles that use biased reviews to promote the brands they work with to the detriment of the rest.
3. Try one before buying lots
No matter how tempting it is to buy a full pack of nappies to make the most economical option. It can end in great disappointment if you have not tested those nappies in particular yet. Try out at least one nappy of the ones you’re particularly interested in, to have a good notion of the products and routine involved. Then your investment in a full pack will be worth it.
4. Keep it simple
Tempted to buy several complementary accessories, such as liners, specific basket for dry pail, and especific detergent for sanitising cloth nappies? You may end up not needing them at all. Your regular detergent may give good results in cleaning cloth nappies effectively. A bucket that you already had at home may work fine as a dry pail. And you may realise that you simply don’t need liners at all.
5. Invest in good absorbent materials
Give preference to Tencel™, organic cotton and hemp. These are very absorbent materials, are environmentally friendly and retain a good value in the second-hand market. It will pay off in the long run.
6. Don’t let yourself be greenwashed – avoid ‘microfiber’ and ‘bamboo’ fabrics
If protecting the environment is one of the reasons for cloth diapering your baby, then it’s important that you know what is actually helping the environment and what is not. Avoid absorbents based on viscose/rayon (bamboo) and polyester or nylon (microfiber). These are cheaper options, but for a reason:
- Bamboo viscose/rayon is not a natural fabric, but a semi-synthetic one using harsh toxic chemicals in its production. Sodium hydroxide (a.k.a. caustic soda) and carbon dissulfade are used to dissolve the bamboo pulp, forming a viscous solution (therefore the name ‘viscose’). This process discharges 50% of the toxic solvent. The Changing Markets Foundation’s 2018 investigation revealed a disastrous impact on the environment, workers in factories and local communities.
- Polyester/nylon not only have little absorption capacity. So later in time you will have to buy more absorbents to avoid leaks as your baby grows and urinates more. But also are synthetic fabrics that releases microfibers in every single wash, ending up in the rivers and oceans and do more harm than good.
7. Test the fit before pre-washing
We allow you to return any nappies you don’t like, with a 100% refund. Within 14 calendar days from the day of delivery, as long as the product is in its original condition.
So, unless you’re buying nappies for a baby that wasn’t born yet, you can test the fitting of the nappy on your baby, as soon as it arrives to you, instead of pre-washing it straight away. To keep it hygienic, make sure you use a barrier (eg. disposable nappy) between the baby’ skin and the brand new product.
Other sellers might have a similar retun policy, so make sure you check this to make a confident purchase.
8. Know your post-purchase rights
The EU Regulations give customers a minimum 2-year guarantee at no cost, regardless of whether you buy the goods online or in a shop. In Portugal this warranty is 3 years since January 2022. Check with the seller what his product warranty terms are before making the purchase.
So, there you have it, a list of tips that will help you on your journey to choosing reusable nappies for your baby. Still needing reassurance or have any questions? Reach out to our team on the Live chat, Instagram or Facebook!