Toddler-walking-around-wearing-a-pink-modern-cloth-nappy-in-Australia

Cloth nappy FAQ #2

I thought I'd start the year off with an FAQ series. I'll answer some of the questions we get asked all the time here at Bubblebubs and the most frequent offenders on Facebook groups. These will be short answers to give you a little info and an overview of the subject and most will link to more in-depth articles if you want to learn more. 

 


Why do some nappies cost $6 and some cost $35? Why is there such a huge price difference?

The nappies that are that price are often referred to as "China Cheapies". The price difference mostly comes down to quality and the working conditions under which they’re produced. At Bubblebubs we make a premium product, it is high quality and we are very proud of it. We use a small family-owned factory in Chin and work closely with them to make sure we’re happy with the working conditions of the people that make our nappies. Vicki (owner and Chief Nappy Nerd here at Bubblebubs) has actually been to China to inspect the factories that produce our nappies and made sure the people that were producing them were being paid and treated well. Check out the video below of Ying Ying making a Candie (our all-in-two modern cloth nappy). Her hands are crazy fast, she's got a lot of experience making them and is a total pro.

 

Want to learn more about China Cheapies? Nappy Leaks (a podcast by the Australian Nappy Association) did an episode on it. It presents this topic fairly, informatively and with compassion and you can listen to it here.

 

Why don’t swim nappies contain absorbency?

Because they’d absorb all the pool water! Disposable swim nappies don’t either, or again they’d absorb all the pool water! Swim nappies have one job: to catch the poo. They’re not designed to help with pee at all (that’s why kids pools are filled with so much chlorine). Swim nappies are simply designed to “contain things” long enough for you to make a swift exit from the pool should the worst happy. If you’d like to check out our new range of swim nappies you can here.

 

Why should I buy newborn nappies?

There are a couple of great reasons to get a separate newborn stash. It's easier to get a good fit on a tiny baby which means fewer leaks and makes your life easier. It also greatly reduces there wear and tear on your one size fits most stash. In the first 3 months, you'll change around 1000 nappies so it helps extend the life of your one size fits most stash. Financially they break even but don't save you a lot on one kid but if you have two they save you money and if you decide to sell them after use on one child a newborn stash retains value really well and we say conservatively you can sell them for half of what you paid.

Keep in mind these costs are for modern cloth nappies like Pebbles or a Bambams. If you use prefolds or flats it's much cheaper but more work. All depends on what you're after and what your requirements and expectations are. If you’d like to learn more about why prefolds are such a great choice for newborns you can read this blog.

One size fits most nappies (like our Candies) can work from birth for some if you're expecting a large baby but we don't guarantee a good fit until 4.5-5kg and they'll be quite bulky on a newborn. If this is your choice we have a video to help you get the best fit possible on a newborn.

If you’d like to learn more about why newborn nappies are so great you can read this blog here.

 

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