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Brief guide to real nappies

WRAPS are waterproof outer covers, they can be made of waterproof fabric (PUL), fleece or wool and fasten with poppers or velcro (Aplix)

WRAPS go over PREFOLDS which squares made of sewn up layers of cotton, old fashioned TERRY nappies or SHAPED nappies

SHAPED nappies vary in absorbency, some have a flap that you can fold for extra soaking up power where you need it depending on the sex of the child, some have hollow sections you can stuff with

BOOSTERS which are layers of terry covered in fleece

ALL IN ONES (AIO) are a shaped nappy and a wrap combined

If drying nappies is a consideration TERRYS dry the fastest, AIO the slowest.

The best wrap for your baby will depend on its shape and size, and the type of nappy you use. You may need a bigger size wrap for the larger shaped nappies. You get the most value out of medium sized wraps as they last the longest.

Gussets help to hold the nappy itself into the wrap, but can make the wrap more difficult to clean. Most can be washed at 40 degrees, some at 60 and you can scrub the seams with a nailbrush if they get too dirty.

Diaperaps and Proraps, quite thick and on the small size but tough.

Junior Joy, thin fabric, nice deep gusset

Motherese, thin fabric, wide fit, a lot of peoples favourite wrap. Popo wraps are much the same.

Cotton Bottoms or Bummis don’t have gussets but work well anyway, they also come in great prints. They are made of thick fabric and are on the small size.

Nature Babies multisized poppered wrap. This is a very clever idea; one set of poppers shortens the wrap for smaller babies and 3 settings of poppers on the waist make it very flexible in terms of fit, which in turn makes it a good value wrap. It is very soft and comes in lovely bright patterns and colours. Admittedly I am a big velcro fan and was slightly biased against this wrap before I tried it. I did find the poppers fiddly, but it didn’t leak and the small boy didn’t object at all so I assume it was pretty comfortable. I also found it difficult to wash.

I have discovered that the more the merrier when it comes to wraps. I have a collection of about 15 now and I do a wash every other day. Having more means that I can keep the changing bag stocked up with nappies ready made up and I win races against disposable users in changing rooms. I like to use a variety of wraps to prevent rubbing my sons legs in the same place all the time. He lets me know quite audibly when he wants me to use a different type.

Lisa Cole 2004 - www.lactivist.co.uk