Why use bamboo fabric for cloth nappies?

There are many different types of cloth nappies on the market that are either made fully or partially from bamboo fabric, but what exactly is it? What makes it ideal for use in cloth nappies? What should you look for when buying cloth nappies made out of bamboo fabric? Why use bamboo fabric for cloth nappies?

What is bamboo fabric?

Bamboo fabric is usually actually a type of rayon, which is what we use in cloth nappies.  Rayon is a fabric created by the processing of plant material into fabric, if you want to learn a bit more about the process of creating bamboo fabric, then have a look at this link.  It is possible to create a fabric that is more like hemp in style, and that involves less processing than rayon bamboo, but it creates a very hard fabric, and this is not ideal for cloth nappies.

Bamboo fabric, and other rayon fabrics, are a little unusual as they are not strictly speaking natural fabrics, having been processed to create them.  They sit somewhere between a natural and man made fabric, not fitting properly into either category.  Unlike most man made fibres though, they absorb liquid directly into the the fibres of the fabric.  Polyester fabrics are usually unable to absorb liquid, and those that do, such as microfibre trap liquid between the fibres rather than actually absorbing it.  This means that natural fibres such as bamboo fabric, hold onto liquid far better.  They take longer to dry, but are also better at holding liquid, so less likely to leak when squeezed.

Why use bamboo fabric for cloth nappies?

One of the great things about bamboo fabric is that it is highly absorbent, as I mentioned before it holds on to liquid really well which is a great feature for a cloth nappy.  It is also really soft, which makes it perfect for use in a baby product.  Cotton nappies can often become a little stiff or hard over time, but even with many uses over a long period of time, bamboo tends to remain soft.

What to look for in bamboo nappies

Although bamboo is a great fabric for use in cloth nappies, there are a couple of things that you should bare in mind when choosing cloth nappies made out of bamboo fabric.

• Bamboo tends to be a little less stable than other fabrics, try to find one that has at least a percentage of cotton mixed in.  (As all of our bamboo fabric products do).
• 100% bamboo is not hard wearing, (I learnt this the hard way, a pure bamboo nappy I had fell apart after less than a year).
• If drying time is an issue, try and find an insert that folds flat for easy drying, such as our bamboo prefolds, or perhaps that combines the bamboo with another fabric that drys quicker such as microfibre.  Our dinky trifolds are bamboo and microfibre.

Bamboo fabric nappies are a great choice for you and your baby.