I have been reading alot lately about many WAHM's refusing to make 100% cotton outer nappies, and it's ironic, as it comes at a time where I have been doing a little experiment on my youngest munchkin! She has been teething (as most babies do lol!) and to top it off, got hit with the vomiting / gastro bug a couple of weeks ago (along with her 4 older siblings). She very quickly developed a really bad nappy rash, and as much as I wanted to leave a nappy off her, I just couldn't risk it, having so many unwell kids!
As I love the bright colours and unusual designs of much of the quilter's cotton, I enjoy making this an outer of my nappies, so have many in my stash. Yes, there is common concensus that they wick quickly, but seriously, they have been a lifesaver in clearing up this rash! Lately, I have been finding that they last just as long as fleece or minky outers, perhaps it is the combination of the inner lining and the constitution of the boosters that are the key?
Anyway, it has brought to my attention that there may be a false sense of security regarding fleece and minky, fooling parents into thinking that they can leave a cloth nappy on their bub for longer (and don't get me started on the length of time some people leave disposables on their children!). But I am 99.9% positive that the breathability of the cotton combined with the breathability of the PUL has helped to clear the rash.
If I use nothing but my cotton outer nappies for 3 or more days (with the exception of night nappies), I find the rash disappears. However, if I use anything but cotton for any length of time, the rash returns. If I alternate, the rash tends to linger longer than using plain cotton nappies .... interesting.
Having said that, I find the inner fabric plays a part too. We just can't do suedecloth in this house. Microfleece works well, velour we can take take or leave.
But I do think that there is some value in using cotton nappies, whether it forces you to change your child more often, or simply adds that extra breathing factor to your nappies that polyester fabrics don't .... as far as I am concerned, it is comparable to using a plain PUL nappy!
The other thing I have been noticing is the increase, in companies and WAHM's alike, of NEWBORN nappies flooding the market. We have been offering newborn sizing for at least 18 months now, and at the beginning, we ridiculed for offering different sizes. We have never been firm believers in the one size fits all philosophy, because quite frankly, it doesn't! Right from the beginning, one size never fit any of my children, hence the designing, testing, modification etc of our own unique nappy pattern. This has been an ongoing process of more than THREE YEARS now, and we finally have a design that is so totally unique, that WORKS! Although, more on that to come at a later date! (we don't want yet another design and idea to be copied!!)
All I can say is that I am proud to be a pioneer in many areas, even if I don't get credit or recognition for it! Karma, babies!
