By Gabi Falanga

Modern cloth nappies are growing in popularity as parents look for diaper options that are sustainable, affordable and chemical-free. Modern cloth nappies look nothing like the bulky terry towels that our parents wrestled on to us and attached with big nappy pins before sterilising in a bucket. Instead, they’ve got colourful outer waterproof coverings, with built-in absorbent bits – usually made from natural fabrics like bamboo and hemp. They’re shaped like disposable nappies, fit snuggly around baby, and fasten using press studs or velcro. Elastic around the legs and waist keep pee and poo in. One of the best parts about these nappies is that they can be washed in a normal household washing machine and used over and over again. 

There are many different permutations of modern cloth nappies – the shapes and sizes, level of absorbency, materials used, quality and cost all vary. All-in-one nappies have absorbent fabrics sewn into the waterproof outer layer. Pocket nappies have an opening on the inside of the waterproof outer and layers of absorbent inserts can be ‘stuffed’ inside to create the necessary level of absorbency. Flats are similar to the ‘olden days’ nappies in that they need to be folded before use and require a waterproof cover. Today’s flats are different because they’re much trimmer than terry towels and are usually secured with a plastic snappy. 

Then there are ‘fitted’ or ‘pre-folded’ nappies which contain many absorbent layers and are usually used at night. Most cloth parents joke about their children’s big bums when they’re wearing night nappies. These nappies normally need to be used with a waterproof or fleece cover. 

The type of nappy you get, the materials it’s made of, and whether it’s imported or made locally will all influence its price. Some parents are put off by the initial cost of cloth nappies, but research done by South African Cloth Nappy Users (SACNU) shows that using cloth instead of disposable nappies will save parents R11,000 and up to R26,000 if you use the same cloth nappies on a second child. 

Considerations to make when buying cloth nappies include the age of your child, who is going to be changing your child’s nappy most frequently (a parent versus day-care), your budget, and the climate you live in as certain materials have a significantly longer drying time. Nappies come in two different sizes – newborn, which, depending on the brand will fit until baby is around 5 to 6kg, while OSFM (one size fits most) nappies can be used from 5kg until your baby is potty trained. 

When your baby poops in its cloth nappy, the poo simply gets plopped into the toilet and any leftovers get sprayed off into the loo with a bidet sprayer. The nappy gets put with the other used nappies in a well aerated bucket or basket until they get washed on every second or third day. 

SACNU’s research shows that 952kg of waste will be generated by each child in disposable nappies – all of which lands up on landfill sites. Not only are these nappies gentler on the environment, the natural fibres and lack of absorbent hydrogels are safer for your baby’s skin and you’re less likely to experience rashes.

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to modern cloth which can make it overwhelming initially, but it’s easily figured out with a bit of research. South Africa has a vibrant and supportive cloth nappy community, where you’ll hear terms like ‘AIO’, ‘OTB’ and ‘fluffmail’ bandied around. (AIO is a type of nappy called an all-in-one, OTB means on the bum, and fluff is a nickname for cloth nappies, so receiving ‘fluffmail’ means you’ve received cloth nappies that you ordered).

The biggest complaint that most cloth-nappy converts have is that they’re addicted to matching the pretty nappy prints to their child’s outfits, and are constantly tempted to add to their stash! And of course, in the current cold weather, they’re complaining that their beautiful fluff butts are hidden by layers of warm clothes!