Getting the fit right in cloth nappies can take a couple of practices, but it’s well worth perfecting. Quite often any issues your having with real nappies can be rectified by tweaking the fit. In this post I’m going to share a simple step-by-step guide for getting the fit:
Start with the back of the nappy in line with the base of your baby’s back just above their bottom. This is lower than you would a disposable nappy which fits around the waste. NB. Some brands will fit slightly lower than this (namely Peachi Baby and Tickle Tots), start these at the top of Baby’s bottom crack.
As you bring the front of the nappy up between the legs, if you pinch the middle this will help bring the leg elastics into the knicker line, if any are poking out, just tuck them back in. The one exception of this is the Motherease nappies which the binding can be tucked in or left out.
Lay the waistband flat across the front.
As you bring the wings around to fasten the nappy, stretch them nice and wide and bring them up and over the hip for a snug fit.
For popper nappies, I recommend fastening the hip poppers first before the waist ones. Don’t worry about the poppers being in the same position, I stagger my poppers to allow more room around chunky thighs whilst keeping a snug fit around the waist.
For aplix nappies, don’t feel you have to fasten the aplix straight, many mums find it easier to fasten with the tabs pointing down for a tighter fit.
If you have any of the rise poppers closed the general rule is to tuck the fabric up towards the waistband to tighten the leg holes. However, if your baby has chunky thighs you can tuck this down to allow a little more space around the legs.
Check the tightness around the edges. Like with a car seat you will want to be able to comfortably get two fingers around the back and the leg holes this will mean the nappy is tight enough to contain leaks, but not too tight to be uncomfortable for Baby.
Finally, check around all of the edges to make sure you have nothing poking out, no rogue liners or boosters, and that all internal labels are tucked in fully.
For a video demonstration of how to fit a cloth nappy, watch my YouTube video for a demonstration complete with a wriggly baby.
