Have you got enough cloth nappies?

Have you got enough cloth nappies? How many do you need to ensure that you never run short? Is it possible to have too many? Here’s our guide to making sure that you’ve got just the right amount.

Where to start

When you first start using cloth nappies, it can be confusing trying to work out how many you will need. If this is your first baby, then it’s even harder to know how often they will need changing, how often you will need to wash. Throw in things like bad weather and delays in getting things dried and it becomes even more complicated. But, it doesn’t need to be.

First of all, think about how often you will be using cloth nappies and then consider how often you want to be washing. Usually, we would recommend washing at least every other day, so that nappies aren’t sitting dirty for too long.

Working out how many you need

• Most babies will need changing every couple of hours.
• You want to have enough clean nappies available while you are waiting for them to dry.
• Outers and shells tend to dry faster than inserts, so you can get away with fewer of these.

If you are using them just during the day, you will probably use around six clean nappies a day. You will then need around 15, if you are washing every other day.

If you are only using nappies while away at home, then you will probably use between four and six a day. You will need between 10 and 15 if you are washing every other day.

For day and night use, then 20 is a really good place to start. You will be washing every couple of days.

Can I have too many?

I used to joke when my children were little that too many nappies was at least one or two more than I’d got. No matter how many I bought, I’d always be just short of too many. It’s easy to get carried away buying extra nappies when you see a new style or print. If you do think that you have a lot, don’t worry. The more cloth nappies that you have then they will be less worn. Cloth nappies do keep their value well and you can always sell second hand nappies on to other families.

Have you got enough cloth nappies?

If you think that you need more nappies, then check out some of our cloth nappy packs. These are a great way to build up your nappy collection and are a great price. I also love seeing peoples nappy stashes, so if you want to share a photo of your cloth nappy collection, you can post it to our Facebook page.