Do You Need To Boost Your Cloth Nappies?

If you’re finding that your little one’s cloth nappies are leaking after a short amount of time (and the absorbent part of the nappy is completely saturated), it’s probably time to add some extra absorbency to the nappy.

Of course, it’s important to change all nappies frequently but you don’t want to (and shouldn’t have to!) be changing nappies every hour because they’re leaking. And if you’re experiencing leaks, then it will probably involve changing and washing extra clothes and bedding. As a mum, you’ve got enough to do without adding to your to do list!

So here’s a few tips on boosting (or adding extra absorbency), which will hopefully put an end to your leaky cloth nappies!

• We love natural fabrics for their absorbency power. Materials such as bamboo and cotton are favourites.
• Use your imagination and check out what you’ve already got in your nappy stash before going out and buying specific boosters. Prefolds and flats are perfect for boosting fitted and pocket nappies, for example.
• Try to add the booster to the ‘wet area’ – for boys this is usually at the front and for girls, in the middle (for obvious reasons!). But all babies are different, and factors such as the way that they sleep can make a difference e.g. tummy sleepers will need more absorbency at the front.
• Make sure that by adding boosters, you’re not affecting the fit of the cloth nappy on your baby. The important thing to check for is gaping around the legs.
• Fitted nappies (plus a cover) are perfect for using overnight as it is easy to tailor the absorbency to your little one’s needs. If you’re boosting a fitted nappy, add the boosters between the cover and the fitted so the nappy still fits well. Specialised night boosters are available for this use, and usually have extra layers of fabric to hold in a nights worth of wetness.
• The amount that babies wet does change as they get older. They also start to hold on more so when they wee it floods out. This means that a system that was working perfectly one week might not work so well the next, so it can take a bit of trial and error to get the absorbency right and your nappies working well again.