7 COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Is it ever too late to start with cloth? The average cost of disposable diapers per child (0-3) is around R20,000. Your cloth nappy set (between 15-20 nappies) will cost between R2000-R3000, thus saving you R17,000-R18,000. Not to mention if you use cloth for more than one child! Then your savings is doubled! So even if you start using cloth when your baby is 12 months old you will still save between R8,000-R10,000! You do the math!
2. What is the cheapest option to go for? If your budget is a problem don’t stress! You can easily purchase a set of cloth nappies for less. You can do this by purchasing second-hand cloth nappies (follow the page South African Cloth Diaper Buy/Sell/Trade on Facebook) or purchase about 12-15 pocket nappies and 12-15 receiving blankets to use as inserts. Pockets are super affordable even for the smallest budget and very effective.
3. What if I can only hand-wash? Wash routines are a really important part of cloth diapering but hand-washing isn’t an issue! You may just need to buy simpler options so that they can dry faster and wash easier. Pockets and receivers are a great way to go if you are washing by hand! All you need is a bucket and a plunger.
4. How many nappies will I need? This answer depends on how often you would like to wash your nappies. New-borns should be changed every 1-2 hours and older babies every 2-3 hours, no matter what kind of diaper they wear. If you wash every day, you will need at least 5-10 nappies per day (depending on the baby’s age). So remember, you would need a dry set while your other nappies are on the line. Therefore, we always recommend 15-20 nappies as sufficient for a full stash.
5. Are those really expensive nappies worth it? Worth it? Yes! Necessary? No. Just remember that when it comes to any product ‘you get what you pay for’. The same is true in the world of cloth. The Chinese imports may be cheap but so is the quality and durability. We always recommend a good variety stash so that you can see the difference for yourself!
6. Do cloth nappies smell? They shouldn’t but they can. Having a good wash routine and storage system is vital for the life of your cloth nappies. A well ventilated basket and room are key, as well as a solid wash routine combining all 4 important elements for a wash (detergent amount + wash length + water temp + load capacity).
7. Is cloth really water-wise? The manufacturing and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth. However, if you live in a drought prone area we know that can feel less applicable when you are using precious local resources. Even so, there are several ways to reduce your water use, such as rinsing in leftover bath/shower water and using liners.
What other burning questions can we help you with?! Leave a comment below:
So much fluffy love,
Maria xxx