Classic baby needs: terry nappies are only the beginning!

Many people don't want to fill their homes with gaudy plastic things once a baby arrives.  Also, some people like TV character and Disney baby clothes and that's fine, but it's not everyone's style, it may not fit with your decor etc.  If you have a sense of traditional style, want to maintain a classic look or simply prefer the time-worn and better-for-the-environment old ways of doing things here are some ways to do it.  Also, these may make a good idea for baby shower gifts, something different from the latest craze of baby diaper cakes...

Thanks for the image, chatirygirl!

• Terry nappies
• Wooden high chairs
• Thrifted clothes and handmade clothing
• Toys made from wood or felt/cloth
• Getting outside to play in nature instead of staying in the house and getting bored with the same old toys

Please keep tuned for more to come, I will be writing about many eco-friendly and traditional baby items in the near future!

Terry nappy general storage and use

Once terry nappies are washed, bring them in off the line and put them in a pile.  Then pick a nice quiet time of day (traditionally after the baby has gone to bed, according to most mothers!) and fold up your squares.  Some people like to fold them into quarters to make a square, and stack them; some people like to pre-fold them into the nappy fold they will be using.  Others store terry nappies open and flat, maybe in a shelf beneath your change table.  You can also fold them neatly alongside your baby blankets, infant girl or infant boy clothing, modern cloth nappies and other baby paraphenalia in the airing cupoboard.  Terry nappies don't seem to mind how you store them.  :)


When you get ready to use your squares, you will probably be one-handed (baby on the other arm!) so make your change spot easy to use.  Your  nappies will be seeing the light of day a lot so organise them and everything else so it's fast and simple for you.  Some people like to use a stay-dry liner inside the nappy fold, like some which you can get made out of microfleece or microfibre suedecloth.  Make sure if you buy it off a roll that it is the right kind, a test piece will show you because it needs to let moisture through quickly and then alow the moisture to be drawn away from the other side by the absorbent fabric.  Once you have seen it you will know what I mean.


You can use stay-dry liners with your terry nappies to solve several problems.  For starters your terry will be less likely to come into contact with baby poo so they will stay whiter.  Secondly your baby will be less likely to get a nappy rash because the nappy will hold the wee while the liner stops his or her bottom from getting wet.  You still need to change the terry nappies as often as you would without a liner, though, as it's healthier for your baby, as it's not good for their skin to leave them sitting in the ammonia from pee.  If you don't want to think about washable liners you can get disposable liners as well, some that you have to throw out, some that you can flush and some that will compost.


Of course if you want to extra-green up your nappy system you could go cloth or compostable as it's not even more work to throw a few liners in the washing machine along with your terries.  Or in the compost, compostable nappy liners can break down into the earth again.  When you use terry nappies you will porbably be more aware of your baby's movements more than if you were using throwaway products.  Your baby, toddler or preschooler will find it easier to toilet train as he or she won't have spent all his time feeling unnaturally "dry".  Baby is also less likely to get nasty chemicals on his or her skin if you are using terry nappies, so that's a very good thing for baby.  Well, I can't think about any more to say about the wonderful and legendary terry nappy right now, so that will be all for today!

I loved  these Bright Bots Terry Nappies in thick 100% cotton - we used several packs of these in the gender neutral colours, but they can also come in either "boy" colours or "girl" colours.  In summer it is lovely to pop these brightly coloured Bright Bots on your baby and they can run around in nothing but the coloured terry nappy and the Snappi.  Baby + coloured terry nappies... so cute.  :o)


Well, I can't think about any more to say about the wonderful and legendary terry nappy right now, so that will be all for today!

How to wash your terry nappies

There are two ways to wash your terry nappies, essentially... the old way and the new way!


You can a) put them in nappy bucket with water to cover and add 2-3 tbsp. white distilled vinegar OR 1tbsp. sodium bicarbonate OR 5 drops of tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties (and top up the water over nappies when you add them and they fill up past the water line), or b) "dry pail" them in the bucket or put them in a "wet bag" and leave your nappies in there until you need to wash, then put them on to wash just like you would any other item.


As terry nappies are cotton they can handle boiling but you don't need to do this as it will reduce the life of the nappy while not really doing anything useful.  Don't use too much detergent on cloth nappies because if you use too much it will not rinse out fully and when the baby wees in the nappy, it will rehydrate and sting/burm your baby's bottom.


Never use fabric softeners or antistatic products, they can lessen the absorbency and the life of your nappies.  Terries will be disinfected just by hanging in the sun, so you don't need to go nuts with washing them with extra washing powder.  In fact, use less than the manufacturer's recommendation when washing them.


When it comes to drying them, hang them out in the sun if possible because the sun will bleach your terry nappies white again and they will look nice and clean and pretty hanging on the line!  If you can't hang them outside, hanging them inside in a sunny airy room will dry them in next to no time too and direct sun on them will keep your terry towel squares fine as fine can be.  Terries dry so fast, with just a little sun or a breeze, you couldn't ask for nappies that are faster drying.


At the top of this post is an example of a plain plastic nappy bucket.  Some people choose to use "hanging pails" or large wet bags instead.  We used wet bags, as they can be easier to grab and move to the laundry, but some people swear by buckets.  Buckets are bulky, of course, and even if you dry-pail rather than soak they are still heavier than a PUL and cotton wetbag.


That said, pails may hold in smells better, and they still generally cheaper - a large wetbag may set you back more than $30, but a nappy bucket can be "made" simply by begging, borrowing or hopefully not stealing (lol) from a local bakery - the buckets that bakery flour comes in are often an ideal size for nappy dry pailing.