Aside from the waterproof layer the inside of cloth nappies can be made from quite a few different materials. Ranging from man-made materials like Microfibre to natural materials such as Hemp and Bamboo. You also find some nappies and inserts have a combination of materials like Bamboo Charcoal. It can be difficult to know which are best and therefore what to add to your nappy or which nappies are best for you. If you are adding an insert to boost your nappy how do you know which to go for?
This is a basic guide to the materials nappies are made from to help you understand what they all do and how they are used.
Pairing a Fast Absorber with a highly absorbent insert can be a great way to boost a nappy. For example if your nappy comes with a Microfibre insert adding a bamboo one can increase the absorbency. If your nappy is all bamboo but you are getting leaks due to the volume of urine your baby is producing in one go or your baby is upset by feeling wet adding a microfibre will help get the moisture away quicker so the bamboo has time to do it’s job.
Why not just add lots of Cotton to get a middle ground – you can and ‘prefolds’ or ‘Terry squares’ are exactly this and while efficient it can be quite bulky. If you are opting for the others typically you want one from the top of the list with one from the bottom.