by Angela from Nest Nappies
Liners you say! So what’s the fuss about?
Not to be confused with boosters (which increase the absorbency in a nappy), liners come in 2 types: One Use & Reusable. They are designed to lie on top of any type of nappy and act as poop catchers. The one-use liners are designed to break down and are generally made from plant-based viscose. The reusable kind will last for years and can made from almost any fabric (although fleece is a popular choice).
So lets take a closer look at them: One Use vs Multi Use Liners:
Using liners when your little one arrives can be a great way of dealing with the epic amount of poo that comes with newborns. Fleece liners are great as they create a good moisture barrier between the absorbent layers of the nappy and your baby’s skin. They also provide a stay dry function when used in conjunction with natural fibred nappies, as the fleece will whisk moisture away from babies skin (leaving them feeling dryer). The downside is that they do still require rinsing prior to washing to remove the poo. (However, rinsing No. 2’s from a thin fleece liner is definitely an easier task than from a complete nappy).
One Use liners are a great option and are very popular, as they require less ‘work’ to clean up the number twos. Simple peel the liner off the nappy at change time and pop into the toilet or bin. The idea of peel & flush is highly attractive one! Here at Nest Nappies, we do acknowledge that they don’t break down as quickly as we would like. For this reason, we recommend only flushing poopy ones and binning your wet ones. We also recommend that you allow the poopy one to sit in the toilet until the next time you go. This will allow the break down process to start, as they require water and agitation to break down. Biodegradable liners can take up to about 10 days to fully break down.
Nest Nappies has spoken with Urban Utilities here in Brisbane and it has been indicated that there appears to little concern about plant-based liners being flushed. It’s more the wipes that are causing issues at the sewerage treatment plants.
If you are planning on breast feeding when your little one arrives (and you get that opportunity), breast fed baby poo is very runny and water soluble so can be rinsed under the laundry tap or even popped straight in the washing machine with no issues. (Just give the nappies a pre-rinse first if you do this before running your normal cycle). You might find that until bub starts on solids and the No 2’s start to ‘firm up’ then the idea of using liners is a little useless in those early months as so much of the poo ends up going straight through the one use liners anyway. Although we do love the one use liners for the meconium though! No one wants to deal with that tarry mess! lol
Another option would be to look at a product like the Little Squirt. This is a high-pressure water sprayer that connects onto the water inlet valve of your toilet and allows you to hose your poops straight into the toilet. This is a lifesaver for those of you who have a laundry in an inconvenient place (think under the house in most older Queenslanders). Dragging a poopy nappy & a baby to the dungeon laundry 8 times a day is not always a thought to relish.
Do I really need to use liners?
The short answer is no, unless you’re using cream… in which case, the answer is absolutely.
You can use barrier creams with cloth nappies, but it is really important to use a liner (one use or reusable) when using them. Barrier creams are designed to do just that – create a barrier between the urine and your baby’s skin, protecting it while it heals.
However, they can also create a barrier on the nappy, coating the fibres of the fabric and causing it to repel urine and leak. If you need to use creams, please always ensure you use a liner.
Of course there’s no hard and fast rule with liners and using them. Be informed and make your own personal choice.
Angela is mum to two gorgeous girls who have both been cloth nappied and works at Nest Nappies, Brisbane’s very own cloth nappy boutique. Nest Nappies is the perfect place to visit if you want to get the low down on everything cloth and most things baby too!
