Glossary
Absorbency: the amount of liquid the material will hold
Adjustability: how well you can adjust the nappy or wrap to fit your baby. A good fit is vital to achieve maximum containment, especially in a newborn, breastfed baby.
All-in-one: this does as it says on the tin! An all-in-one nappy goes in to the wash as it comes off the baby (minus any solid products) and goes back on once it’s dry without any fiddling around with inserts etc. The waterproof bit is built in, so there’s no wrap to worry about. They can be very slow drying and the containment can be a problem for young babies, especially those who are breastfed.
Aplix (velcro): aplix gives a very easy to use method of doing up nappies or wraps. There is good adjustability, though it can lose its effectiveness over time, especially if there are pets in the house as pet hair clogs up alplix very quickly.
Bamboo: an eco-friendly material that is very absorbent and gives a slim fitting nappy. It does take a while to dry but stays nice and soft, despite repeated washing. Bamboo nappies are slightly more expensive than cotton ones.
Booster: a pad of fabric that is placed within the nappy in order to increase absorbency. Useful for daytime nappies for heavy wetters, but most nappies will need some sort of boosting for overnight use. A range of materials and designs are available.
Bulkiness: how big the nappy is. Some parents love the ‘big-bummed’ look whilst others prefer a more slimline silhouette.
Containment: the ability of the nappy to prevent leaks. A shaped nappy with a wrap should be able to contain all but the most extreme of breastfed baby poo explosions. Formula fed babies usually have more solid bowel motions and so provide less of a challenge in the containment stakes. Once solid foods have been introduced, containment becomes less of an issue.
Cotton terry: the ‘standard’ nappy fabric. Reasonable absorbency and fairly quick to dry. A cheap and effective option to form the bulk of your collection. Does lose some of its softness with repeated washing. Some organic options available.
Fastenings: the way in which the nappy is held in place over the baby’s bottom. The options available include nappi nippas, poppers or aplix (velcro).
Fleece: fleece is used to line nappies or as an alternative to PUL wraps. One layer of fleece will allow moisture through to the absorbent material underneath, whilst preventing it returning and containing any solids. Two layers of fleece provide a water resistant layer and can be used as a wrap over shaped nappies.
Hemp: a very absorbent material. Not used to make whole nappies, but very useful as a booster or pocket nappy insert. Can go stiff with repeated washing in hard water areas.
Inserts: the absorbent material which goes in the pocket of pocket nappies. Made of a variety of materials and a variety of designs. Can also be used as boosters for overnight use.
Liners: there are two types of liners available, fleece and paper. The idea with fleece liners is that the solids roll off in to the toilet and the fleece keeps the baby’s bottom dry. The liner is then washed along with the nappies. Paper liners are designed to be discarded once dirty. Many people lift them off the nappy and flush them down the toilet with their contents, but they can cause havoc with plumbing systems. Most all-in-one and pocket nappies, and some shaped nappies already have fleece liners built in. You can buy separate fleece or paper liners for nappies that don’t have liners built in.
Material: what the nappy is made of. When considering materials for your nappy, you need to weigh up absorbency against bulkiness and drying time. A very absorbent nappy (eg one made from bamboo) will be slim fitting, but will take a long time to dry. A nappy that dries very quickly (eg one made from microfibre) will be made from a less absorbent material and so will be bulkier. It can be worth having a selection of nappies made from a range of materials, so that you can put a pair of slim fitting trousers on baby, or have more absorbency when necessary (for long car journeys etc), whilst still having some nappies that will dry quickly on an airer on rainy days!
Microterry/microfibre: a very quick drying fabric but low absorbency, so nappies have to be bulkier to give a reasonable overall absorbency. A good option if you don’t have a tumble drier and aren’t adverse to the ‘big-bummed’ look.
Nappi nippas (or nippas): A stretchy plastic T-shaped device with hooks on each end that grip the fabric of the nappy. A modern version of the traditional nappy pin without the pin holes in your fingers or your baby’s tummy! Nippas are used to hold shaped nappies in place and give a perfect fit whatever size your baby is. Nippas last pretty much indefinitely and nippa fastening nappies are a good choice for birth to potty nappies, or if you plan to use your nappies for more than one child.
One-sized (or birth-to-potty) nappies: a one-sized nappy will, in theory, fit a baby from birth through to potty training. Unsurprisingly for a nappy that will fit a toddler, they are usually bulky on a newborn (though some manufacturers have taken steps to address this) and some babies may outgrow them just prior to walking, and also possibly before potty training if they are big. They are a cheaper option than sized nappies, but you may need additional nappies and/or boosters to see you through the stages where their fit will not be optimum.
Organic velour: an organic option which stays soft with repeated washing. Good absorbency, so a slim fit, but can be slow drying. More expensive than other options – the ‘luxury’ choice!
Pocket nappy: a pocket nappy consists of a fleece liner and an outer waterproof layer (containing PUL). There is an opening at one end (at least) to create a pocket. In to this pocket, you place some sort of absorbent material (an ‘insert‘). They are easy to put on as they go on in one step, but leaks may be a problem in young babies, especially those who are breastfed. The inserts generally need to be removed before washing.
Poppers: poppers are a convenient way of fastening nappies or wraps. By design, popper fastening nappies or wraps will have a certain number of ‘settings’ so the adjustability may not always be as good as with other fastenings.
Pre-folds: rectangular nappies that have a double layer sewn in to the middle to save one of the folds that you would do with terry nappies. They still require folding and placing within a waterproof wrap.
Rise: the rise of a nappy is the measurement of the nappy from the crotch to the waistband. One-size nappies have poppers to enable you to adjust the rise of the nappy as your baby grows.
Shaped nappies: a shaped nappy is one step up from a pre-fold. It has wings so that it fits over your baby much like a disposable does, but it fastens with either a nippa, aplix or poppers. A shaped nappy needs a wrap over it to make it waterproof. They provide the best containment for newborn babies, especially breastfed ones!
Sized nappies: sized nappies are designed to fit your child at each individual stage of their development. For pocket or all-in-one nappies, you would need 3 or 4 sizes to see you through from birth to potty training. For shaped nappies, you would need 2 sizes of nappies and three or four sizes of wraps. The fit of sized nappies is usually superior to one-size options and should give better containment.
Soaker pads: the absorbent material which is contained in all-in-one nappies. Made of a variety of materials. Some all-in-one nappies are designed with flap-out soaker pads in order to decrease drying time.
Terry nappies: a rectangular piece of terry cotton which is folded to provide more absorbency where needed and secured with either a pin or a nippa.
Wrap: a waterproof layer that goes over the absorbent part of the nappy. Made from PUL (a plastic-y type material with a fabric covering), fleece or wool.