Surviving Two in Cloth

Originally written by Emma Davidson for the Spring 2008 edition of The Nappy Wrap, quarterly e-zine of The Australian Nappy Network

Whether you've got twins, or just have a new baby arrive before the toddler is toilet trained, two in cloth can be a daunting prospect. But with a little preparation, having two in cloth can be easier than using disposables, as well as being a lot cheaper and producing far less landfill waste.

Think of it this way: using cloth means there's no need to waste time looking for the cheapest deals on disposable nappies, trying to get to the mall with multiple children, and trying to balance a box of nappies on top of the double pram with the newborn in a sling at the same time.

Although I had planned to use cloth, I was living in a one bedroom flat up two flights of stairs with a shared laundry when my first baby was born. By the time she was eight months old, I was unhappily in the disposable habit. And then I found out I was pregnant with our second baby... and that I would soon be spending fifty to seventy dollars every payday on nappies!

I already had some terry squares, pins, and plastic pants. But I didn't think I could face the folding and lack of absorbency as a cloth nappy user. I embarked on thorough research of every WAHM modern cloth nappy on the market. In 2004, this was easy as there weren't that many around. I started with Bright Bubba pocket nappies, and Bluegum Babies and Erica Nappies fitted nappies – and I haven't looked back. I am now toilet training my second baby, while my third baby has just celebrated his first birthday in cloth.

A few tips that might help if you're planning to cloth nappy more than one:

• One-size nappies mean you only need half as many nappies in the bag when going out. Lucky mums of beanpole babies may find that a Medium size in most brands will fit an infant as well as a petite toddler, but a one-size may have a more generous rise.
• Don't diss the terry square. Spend some time learning a few different folds, and you'll be able to get all your children from birth to toilet training for only a few hundred dollars. Absorbency isn't an issue for newborns, and a double nappy or adding a booster will get baby through the night.
• Organise the nappy change area for maximum efficiency. If you have twins, you'll be changing up to twenty nappies a day; for a toddler and newborn, up to sixteen nappies a day. Every second counts: keep the most used items easy to find, and put the least used items out of reach to reduce clutter and opportunities for curious babies to make mess.
• Lay an insert in a pocket nappy instead of putting it inside the pocket as a quick newborn almost-in-one. You'll save thirty seconds putting the nappy together, and if the outer is not soiled then you can just lay in a new insert instead of changing the whole nappy.
• Many mums love their Little Squirt. While I've never felt the need for one (polar fleece liners are all I need to deal with sticky messes), I'm told they are great for quickly cleaning off solid waste.
• Having two in cloth means your nappies will suffer more wear and tear than just one child wearing them. Fitted nappies with a separate cover usually last longer, and a fitted nappy with worn-out leg elastic is still OK if a there's a good quality cover over it. Alternatively, take good care of your pocket nappies, and let the inserts suffer from tumble drying – at least it's easy to sew your own inserts when they wear out. I have also discovered that old tea towels make good emergency inserts.
• Pick one style of nappy and stick to it. This is a “learn from my mistake” tip. I have over twenty five brands in my stash, and it does nothing to cut down on time spent fussing over which booster goes in which nappy, explaining to hubby which ones need a cover, which ones are a good fit on which child... In the end, they all absorb wee. So just pick one that meets most of your needs, rather than searching for Nappy Nirvana.

As Vickie from Bubblebubs said to me, the disposable nappy companies have done a great job of convincing us that we can't push the "start" button on the washing machine. I've found it much quicker and easier to put on a load of washing, than go to the mall with the kids, when I run out of clean nappies.