Disposable nappies have an impact on the environment. Millions of disposable nappies end up in landfill everyday with 3.75 million used each day in New Zealand and Australia. This is a significant amount of landfill, with disposable nappies alone estimated to take up to 150 years to break down. Switching to reusable cloth nappies can help reduce your carbon footprint on the environment and helps to protect the earth our children will inherit.
It is estimated that a single child from newborn to toddler on disposables alone will require at least 6,000 nappy changes. This equates to $3500-$6000 per single child. Switching to reusable cloth nappies can have the benefit of saving your family a significant amount of money with a one off set-up cost between $800-$1000.
If you are just getting started with using cloth nappies or you want to start using cloth nappies part-time or full-time, here is how many nappies you will require.
Getting started: We recommend trying 1-2 cloth nappies while you get familiar with how to use them and what works best for you and your baby.
Part-time: We recommend 8-10 cloth nappies, this gives you the option to use 2-4 cloth nappies per day.
Full-time: 25-30 cloth nappies.
We recommend changing your baby's cloth nappy every 2-3 hours. If you are using cloth nappies overnight we recommend using extra absorbency to keep your baby dry for longer. Please see our Bamboo Hourglass Inserts and Bamboo Trifold Inserts for additional absorbency.
Yes of course, we recommend using a combination of our bamboo trifold insert + bamboo hourglass insert with each insert snapped into the the front and the rear of nappy. This combination will give you 11 layers of absorbency and should keep your baby comfortable and dry throughout the night.
The simple answer is YES!
We designed our cloth nappies to fit from newborn approximately 3.5kg all the way through to toilet training approximately 20kgs.
In many instances leaks can happen for a number of reasons, the most common reason is fit and absorbency. Please visit our Fit Guide to ensure you are fitting our cloth nappies correctly. If it’s not a fit issue it could be that your baby doesn't have the adequate amount of absorbency or if your baby's nappy hasn't been changed often enough, make sure you are changing your baby's nappy every 2-3 hours. Leaks can also happen if your inserts haven't yet reached their full absorbency capacity, natural fibre inserts such as bamboo terry and bamboo cotton fleece need at least eight washes to reach their full absorbency. Leaks can also be caused by flooding, this is when your baby holds in their wee and then let's go all at once. To help with flooding, consider boosting your nappy with one of our Bamboo Hourglass inserts or Bamboo Trifolds.
Ai2 (all-in-2) cloth nappies come with two absorbent inserts that can be snapped above or inside the lining of the nappy. They come in three pieces - 2 x 6 layer Bamboo Terry inserts and 1 x Waterproof Cover. Our Ai2 is designed to use in multiple ways with various absorbency settings to suit light-heavy wetters, you can use as a pocket nappy by placing the inserts inside the pocket of the nappy or as an all-in-2 system where the inserts are snapped above the lining, you can also remove and replace the wet inserts without having to change the entire nappy. We recommend changing the entire nappy if soiled or if your baby's wee has soaked through to the waterproof lining.
Premium Pocket Cloth Nappies come in two pieces - 1 x 5 layer Bamboo + Organic Cotton insert and 1 x Waterproof Cover, they have a pocket located at the back of the nappy where you place the insert inside for absorbency. Essentially pocket nappies are a one-piece nappy once the insert is placed inside. Pocket nappies are very user friendly if you are just getting started with using cloth nappies.
We have a range of accessories to help make using cloth nappies while out and about simple. Our wet bags are designed to store wet and soiled nappies until you return home. Simply remove any solids into the toilet, fold and place inside the wet bag. Our wet bags are designed to contain odour however we do recommend washing after a days use.
Yes, you can use nappy rash creams with our cloth nappies, however when using our all-in-2 cloth nappy system with the inserts placed against baby's skin, avoid using zinc or petroleum based creams as these can stick to the inserts and cause them to be less absorbent. We recommend Malo Nappy Rash Cream with our cloth nappies.
Training Nappies
Training nappies are similar to underwear but with added absorbency, making them the perfect option for transitioning between cloth nappies and regular underwear.
The difference between the two is training nappies are more like underwear with added absorbency, if your little one has an accident they can feel it and make their way to the toilet. Disposable pull ups are more like nappies with a heavier amount of absorbency. Training nappies encourage independence as your little one can pull them up and down as they begin to get comfortable with the idea of wearing underwear.
We recommend having 3-4 training nappies to use throughout the day if your little one is just getting started with their toilet training journey.
Reusable swim nappies are an eco friendly alternative to disposable swim nappies.
Depending on how often you are taking your baby swimming, we recommend 1-2 swim nappies if you are only swimming occasionally (once or twice a week) and 2-3 if you are swimming regularly (more than twice) throughout the week.
Our swim nappies do not need any absorbency, they are designed for the containment of solids only.
Simply remove the swim nappy from bub, knock solids into the toilet, fold and if out and about place inside your wet bag until you return home then store in a dry pail until your main wash cycle.
Wet bags are designed for separating and storing wet/dry items. They are waterproof, leakproof and odour free making them the perfect accessory for cloth nappies whiles out-and-about! Our premium large wet bags are incredibly functional and an absolute essential for every eco loving parent.
If your wet bag has contained wet/ soiled nappies throughout the day then we recommend washing your wet bag after use, however if your wet bag has not contained wet/soiled nappies throughout the day then we recommend turning your wet bag inside out and wiping down with a damp cloth ready for the next use!
Accessories
We have a wonderful range of reusable essentials including wet bags, cloth nappy pods, change mats, play mats and sleeved bibs. These products are designed to compliment and help you along your cloth nappy journey.
Having a change mat for your baby has many benefits, they provide comfort, protection and hygiene while changing your baby's nappy, especially while out and about. Our change mats are the perfect on-the-go eco accessory, simply roll these up and pop in your baby bag, handbag or even your car glovebox.
Our convertible pocket sleeved bibs help protect your little one’s clothes from mess. Our sleeved bib design offers a 2-in-1 convertible system featuring a catch-all reversible pocket for meal time or simply fold the pocket away for messy play or arts and crafts.
Bonus - Our sleeved bib comes complete with a matching wet bag the is perfect for storing away in your handbag or baby bag.
Cloth nappy pods are an essential item for any eco minded parent that likes to keep things organised. They are a waterproof wet bag designed for storing cloth nappies or to use as a smaller nappy bag when you are on the go.
Our cloth nappy pods fit approximately 8 of our Ai2 cloth nappies and 10 of our Premium Pocket cloth nappies.
Our play mats are designed to let your baby enjoy nappy free tummy time without any worries. Play mats encourage your baby to explore their surrounding while keeping them clean and protected from any hard surfaces. Not only are they great for babies but also for adults! Enjoy picnics at the beach or play time at the park, they are super versatile and easy to take anywhere. Our play mats are designed with a quilted luxe soft water-resistant outer making it easy to wipe away any liquids or spills and a soft layer of padding sandwiched in between for the comfort and protection of your little one.
Reusable Cloth Wipes
Our reusable cloth wipes are an eco-friendly and cost effective alternative to disposable baby wipes.
In New Zealand alone it is estimated that 700,000kg of disposable wipes, about 53 million individual disposable wipes end up in landfill each year. Making the switch to reusable cloth wipes can have the benefit of saving your family money and help reduce your carbon footprint on the environment.
We recommend having 10-20 cloth wipes and using 1-2 each nappy change. Simply rinse your wipe with warm water prior to nappy change, after nappy change rinse off any solids and store in a dry pail ready for main wash cycle.
TOP TIP - using cloth wipes out and about, simply rinse 2-3 wipes, squeeze excess water off wipes and store in our small wet bag ready for use.
A dry pail is a place to store dirty cloth nappies and other reusable products until main wash day. Ideally you may have two dry pails, one to store dirty items and one to store pre-washed items. We recommend having a dry pail with good airflow, having good airflow minimises mould from forming and also prevents odour.
The perfect dry pail is a regular laundry basket with holes for airflow, these can be found in many department stores across New Zealand and Australia.
OEKO-TEX®
At The Bebe Hive all of our branded products are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified. This is one of the world's best-known processes where every component is tested for harmful substances. It stands for customer confidence and high product safety. For more information about OEKO-TEX® please click here.
