The Good Old-fashioned Nappy

Below is a folded Nature's Child organic cotton terry square nappy. I've used these several times and they are useful to have as a back-up. The nappy is fastened using a Snappi which works a little like a bandage fastener to grap the fabric and hold itself in place - much simpler and safer than pins. Snappi's are widely available in shops (eg, chemists) and on the internet. There are many different nappy folds - which one you use depends on size, gender and shape of your baby. The Nature's Child website (www.natureschild.com.au) has some excellent nappy folding instructions (with diagrams).

One disadvantage of terry squares is the need to use a nappy cover. This could also be an advantage as I have found the chance of leakage is minimal with nappy covers (compared to fitted nappies that don't need a cover). The cover below is a lovely pure organic wool cover made by Disana. It's a beautiful, soft, comfortable cover. Unfortunately I managed to shrink one of them by accidentally popping it in with the ordinary wash! Although wool covers need to be hand washed, washing can be done less frequently (eg, once a week) - apparently when the lanolin in wool comes in contact with urine an anti-bacterial product is created.

Below is a PUL (polyurethane laminated) polyester cover, by Eenee Designs (www.eenee.com). Its similar to the old-fashioned pilchers however the PUL polyester is breathable. Although not as luxurious as the wool cover, it works well, is easy to wash, quick-drying and still has the bonus of breathability.

There are many other covers available, including both wool and PUL covers from Baby Beehinds (www.babybeehinds.com.au). I would steer clear of the old-fashioned PVC covers as they do not breathe so they create ideal nappy rash conditions.