Finding the right brand to suit you, your baby and your lifestyle is really important. There are masses of brands out there and different brands will suit different families.
You'll need to take into account:
- size and shape of baby
- do you need them to be easy (important if baby is going to childminder, nursery etc)
- budget
- drying facilities
- fabric requirements eg organic
With different brands, sizes, fabrics etc available it's easy to get in a bit of a muddle.
A lot of parents start off by getting advice from friends and family, others will just buy randomly from supermarkets, online auctions etc.however the best way is to get some personalised advice. What suits one person won't always suit another - babies are different shapes, homes may have different drying facilities, some parents may opt for organic fabrics. The best sources of advice will be:
- Your local nappy library- here you can talk to parents who are already using cloth. You can discuss brands and go through the everyday practicalities of using real nappies. You may be suprised that they're a lot easier to use than you may think - meeting other parents (in person or online) should give you confidence in giving it a go (particularly if you're not getting much support from family and friends.
- A specialist real nappy retailer / advisor - some retailers have years of experience in using and selling cloth nappies. Assuming they stock (and understand) a range of brands, they should be able to advise you on which brands will suit you best. It helps to meet advisors in person but they can offer advice by phone and email too. Here at Lizzie's Real Nappies we try to narrow things down for you, suggesting a small number of brands which are likely to suit you. We always recommend that parents try a few brands before making any decisions to get a feel for the differences between the nappies in terms of fit, absorbency, containment, drying times etc.
It's also worth talking to your local council to see if they offer any real nappy incentives. Some offer cashback, some offer real nappy vouchers while others give out free nappy kits (just be aware that some brands in these kits are not always particularly up to date and may not be giving you the best indication of what's available!)
Real Nappy Trial Kits
Even once you've narrowed things down, we'd still recommend you try out a couple of nappies first. This will allow you to understand the difference between the brands in terms of fit, absorbency, containment, drying times etc. Once you've tried them out you'll then be in a far better position to know what works for you, which will give you the confidence to move to a larger kit. And just remember there's no need to switch completely from disposables to real nappies over night - just using a few real nappies a day will help you cut down your waste and save you money!
