How many nappies (diapers) do I need?

How many cloth nappies (diapers) do I need? Isn’t that the question nearly every newbie asks as they set out on their cloth journey? How many do I need? And the answer isn’t simple – it is individual depending on your preferences and routine.

When I started on my cloth journey nearly 12 years ago (before nuababy was a twinkle in anyone’s eye!), I bought 20 nappies. That meant I had to wash every 2.5-3 days.

The things to consider are namely, "How quickly will the nappy dry in my house?" and "How often do I need to wash them?" Most newborns will use around 5 nappies a day, maybe more and rarely less. As your baby grows, they will need to be changed less often, but probably still need to be changed around 4 times in 24 hours.

One of the amazing things about nuababy nappies is that they line-dry in a few hours. I have an ikea laundry octopus and hang them on that off the ceiling. They take about 4 hours (possibly a little less) to be completely dry. So, if you had 20 nappies and washed and dried every third day your routine would work without stress. And you could stretch that a little depending on how it was working out time-wise for you. Of course, if you were happy to wash every second day then you could have fewer nappies in your stash, or if you were only prepared to wash less often, then you would need to invest in more. And nuababy nappies can be tumble dried on low (although we recommend line-drying, especially for your nappy shells) and they will obviously be dry very quickly using this method!

So... the answer is very personal and depends on where you live, your access to washing and drying facilities and how often your baby needs their nappy changed.