Monday 16 April 2012

Top Tips to keep your nappies soft and share your tips to Win...




So Mummies, Real Nappy Week 2012 has officially started! As well as sharing all the fabulous offers on facebook and Twitter each day we will have a special #RNW2012 Post. Today I am honoured to host a guest post from the lovely Arabella Greatorex of http://www.naturalnursery.co.uk/ , retailers of cloth nappies and baby slings.




Below she shares her Top Tips for keeping your cloth Nappies lovely and soft....





1) Use a fleece liner to reduce the amount of hard nappy touching your babies skin.
Fleece liners are cheap, colourful and they can be washed and re-used hundreds of times. They are soft against your baby’s skin and help to wick the wet away from the bottom, meaning a more comfortable baby.


2) Scrunch the nappy up and rub it hard between your hands after it has dried.
The idea here is to physically fluff up the fibres of the nappy. It is mostly the movement in a tumble dryer that helps to keep a nappy soft so anything you can do to replicate that helps.


3) Hang the nappy out on the line if possible
Grab every opportunity to give your cloth nappies a bit of line drying time as they will be softer than if they are dried on a radiator. If you really have to radiator dry try to keep the nappies away from the radiator a little - either by using an airer that hooks over the radiator or by drying on chair backs next to the radiator.


4) Tumble dry nappies now and again if possible.
A once a month tumble dry will give your nappies a boost, I used to take mine to my mum's for a nappy spa day, or I'd use a launderette once in a while.


5) Reduce the amount of washing powder you use.
Washing powders can build up on fabric, stiffening it and making it less absorbent.  Once in a while try just running the nappies through on a hot wash with no powder to strip them of anything that might be making them hard.


6) Put a small cupful of white distilled vinegar into the wash.
White vinegar is great for neutralising smells and for softening hard water. You just put it in the conditioner drawer.  I have used ordinary vinegar in desperation and it works just as well, just smells more vinegary than the distilled stuff.


7) Do an extra fast spin at the end of the wash.
The logic here is to remove as much water from the nappies as possible so they need less time to dry.


8) Add bicarbonate of soda to the washing powder.
This helps to soften the water, you can use it with white distilled vinegar as well to remove stains.  Half a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda is more than enough.


Some Great tips there to keep your fluffy bums nice and soft!

The Natural Nursery have some great Real Nappy Week offers starting today including 20% off SmartiPants, Pop-in Nappies, Disana organic nappies, BumGenius, Flip Nappy Covers and Gen-Y Classic covers. Check out the website for more details and don't forget to follow on facebook and Twitter.

Now we would like your Cloth nappy tips!

Comment Below with your best cloth nappy tip and one lucky winner will be chosen by Arabella to win a Citrus Spot Wonderoo nappy worth £16.49 from http://www.naturalnursery.co.uk/

T’s and C’s

· open to residents of UK only and only one entry permitted  per person..
· Facebook is no way affiliated with this competition.
· If the winner does not contact me within 3 days of their name being chosen another winner will be drawn.
· Competition will close 9pm 22th April 2012 and will be announced on here shortly afterwards
· The prize is as stated and no cash alternative will be offered

42 comments:

  1. to keep the nappies soft dont stroke your babies bum too much hehe xx

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  2. wash them in soap nuts not only do they leave them soft but they are also very cheap, also try minky liners my daughter prefers it when we use our minky ones instead of fleece ones

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  3. Chery halliwellMonday, April 16, 2012

    I always give mine a quick tumble in the dryer after hanging so they fluff up :-)

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  4. 10 mins in the tumble dryer before you hang them out fluffs them up and makes them dryer a lot quicker as they come out hot

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  5. we love totsbots new easyfits, they are super soft and stay soft after washing :)

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  6. I would love to try real nappies as anything you do to them they will be softer than disposable nappies :-)

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  7. My tip? With the weather warming up invest in a pair of babylegs and take your baby out and about with their gorgeous fluffy cloth nappies on show! :)

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  8. Make sure that you strip wash the nappies every so often to make sure you have got all the detergent out. This helps keep them absorbent and leak free

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  9. Use Ecover fabric Softener, Its clay based so perfect for Nappies :-)

    Marie Tasker

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  10. Nice wash in bold 2 in 1 then a quick tumble after a line dry, soft soft soft :) x

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  11. Get your other half or a friend to sit and chat with you while you put the nappies back together - it makes it more enjoyable! :-)

    tori Giblin

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  12. Fab tips! I didn't even know fleece liners existed. My tip is to fold in advance if you're doing terry squares. It saves lots of time.

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    1. Oh, just realised I didn't leave a contact: adele@circusqueen.com or @AdeleJK

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  13. Clean your washing machine once a month. On empty wash it on a 90 degree cycle. I do this once a month. I often add a few drops of lavendar oil or tea tree oil into the drum.

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  14. we use a mesh bag in our nappy bucket so once they are in the bucket i dont have to touch the nappies again just pick it out and through them in the wash x

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  15. try a few different makes of nappy before you invest n a whole kit difernt nappies fit differnt babies

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  16. I am a future cloth bum mum newbie (31 weeks pregnant with baba no 4)
    I have no real nappy tips, however, I can suggest using liquid detergent rather than powder or tablets as over time powder and tablets will degrade your washing machine. Liquid ensures a longer washing machine life.

    Claire Mooney

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  17. Make your own fleece liners by cutting up a fleece blanket

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  18. Wet bags are great to use instead of nappy buckets, XL ones hold loads of nappies and you simply unzip and chuck in the washing machine. I've also got into the habit of putting my nappies together especially for my boyfriend so he doesn't have to worry about what inserts and liners to use.

    bumps2babies@btinternet.com

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  19. When all the nappies are dry, before you put them back together, if you have one, let your toddler roll around in them on the floor, my daughter loves it and they get all nice and fluffed up!!
    mandijmorrison@aol.com

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  20. Wish I had a great tip but the last time I used reusable it was the good old fashions terry towel pin and rubbers for the top haha, I am currently using disposable but would love to give reusable a whirl even if its not full time just every few nappies, I figured it would be better than using full disposable :)
    my tip would be from what I have seen and read if you have considered reusable just go for it but try a few before you buy in bulk :) @mummy2five1

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  21. Sunlight is good for getting rid of stains so get those nappies on the line! Or near a window when weather is grizzly!

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  22. My top fluffiness tip has been said so here's some general ones
    Watch when using ecover fabric softener I don't know if it's because my stash is mainly tots bots bamboo or because I live in a soft water area but I used it once and had to strip wash as they all went leaky :-(
    My other tip helps to have a fresh smelling bucket - stick a disposable sanitary towel under the lid of your nappy bucket and drop a little essential oil onto it every few days - it helps with the pong when you open the lid!

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  23. Line dry your nappies; not only will it brighten your white nappies, remove stains in the sunlight, make your nappies smell really fresh and prolong the life of your nappies.... it is also free!!!

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  24. Stacey G and Marie Tasker... You shouldn't use any fabric conditioner on your nappies, as it coats the fibres and makes them a lot less absorbent (and therefore they will leak)

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  25. ATM I'm still using 50/50 disponsables and cloth untill I can afford to go 100%. I soak mine then wash with soap nuts :)

    Raiden_Lexie@hotmail.co.uk

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  26. Avoid tumble drying – hang nappies out to dry or use an airer.

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  27. Always give them an extra rinse after the wash cycle to get rid of any excess powder.

    Tori Giblin

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  28. If you have cheeky wipes and you have a dry bucket - put some mucky oil on a cotton ball and put it in the lid keeps ur bucket smelling fresh

    Emma Ann scott - Facebook

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  29. on minky nappies once washed before hanging i use a soft baby brush to fluff them up a bit- great when you get 2nd hand nappies :)

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  30. give them a quick tumble dry before you use them :) nie an warm anf fluffy xx

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  31. ive bought a few re-usables to use once our baby is born,i have been using them with my nephew when i mind him .He loves it when his nappy has had a quick blast in the dryer cos its so much softer than when hung out to dry x
    @chanson2010

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  32. wash with soap nuts that keeps your nappies soft

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  33. My tip would be to try a range of different makes and types. As baby grows some makes suit better than others and you can also adapt for different situation. We have one type that is really good for journeys, prefolds and wraps for camping, pockets for nursery, nighttime etc.

    Basically a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

    Lee K

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  34. always pre preare your nappies when they are dry - makes it so muc easier ! :-)

    emma ann scott
    facebook ;)

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  35. Drying nappies on the line is fab as sunlight acts as a sanitizer and gets rid of any little stains.

    If you're nervous about trying cloth, just go for it. Try a couple of different types so you can see what suits you. Even if you don't use cloth all the time, every cloth nappy you use is one less nappy in landfill :)

    When you're nappies are dry, prefold them / stuff them etc before you pit them away. Makes nappy changes easier :) I usually do this while watching telly!

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  36. I've been told to try and dry nappies on the line outside whenever possible and try and tumbledry them regularly to keep them soft and fluffy! Can't wait to try them out
    Carly Markham

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  37. Even if you only use one cloth nappy EVER, it is still one less nappy going into a landfill. Have a go, they're easier than you think!

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  38. I havent started the change yet (roll on tuesday!) but the best tip ive been given from someone is to put a net bag in the pail so that you can put it stright in the machine without touching the nappies!

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  39. I'm new to it all but have been advised not to soak my AIOs in nappisan

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I love to read your comments, thank you for sharing your thoughts.