How many cloth nappies do I need?

One of the first questions that comes up when thinking about cloth nappies is the question how many cloth nappies do I need?  The answer to this of course varies depending upon the age of your child, if you are using them full time, and what your washing facilities are like.  Here we will try to answer this question for you.

How many cloth nappies do I need for a newborn baby?

• Newborn babies tend to need more changing than older children, you will therefore need more nappies at this stage.
• When considering how many cloth nappies do I need for a newborn baby, bare in mind that you may not feel up to washing every day to begin with.
• Cloth nappies such as our ecobots cloth nappies dry relatively quickly.
• For a newborn baby you should aim to have enough nappies for two days full use, and some back up in case you are not able to dry quickly enough.
• For full time use most people will need around 20 nappies and four or five covers.
• For day time use then between 12 and 15 cloth nappies should be enough.
• Having a few extra nappies will mean that you won’t have to worry about getting your nappies dry as quickly, which can be difficult in winter.

Using cloth nappies on an older baby

• If your baby is passed the newborn stage and you are wondering how many cloth nappies do I need, then you will probably find you need less than the newborn stage.
• Older children need changing less often, as their bowels mature.
• Babies from six months to when they are out of nappies during the day will probably need changing between five and eight times a day.
• For full time use you will probably need between fifteen and twenty cloth nappies, and three or four covers.
• For part time use then between ten and fifteen nappies should be enough.
• Extra smaller nappies that you have left over from the newborn phase make good boosters, burp cloths, changing mat pads and wipe up cloths among other things.

Night time cloth nappy use

• You may find that if you are using cloth nappies at night, you use two prefolds in a nappy cover to last the whole night.
• Most older children will not need changing over night unless they poo.
• When asking how many cloth nappies do I need for full time use, consider having larger nappies that are more absorbent for night time use, such as our super nappies.
• You many need to buy slightly larger covers for night time use in order to accommodate the larger night nappies.

Buying cloth nappies

There are a couple of ways that you can go about buying cloth nappies, to ensure that you buy the right amount.  You could start buy buying smaller packs and amounts, and building your collection as you go.  Finding out by trial and error if you have enough cloth nappies.  Alternatively, you could buy a birth to potty pack, this completely eliminates the question of how many cloth nappies do I need, as it contains all of the nappies that your baby will need from birth until they are toilet trained.

 

If you need more help or information about cloth nappies, including more advice on the question of how many cloth nappies do I need, then feel free to get in touch with us and we will give you advice and information.