Free shipping from 40€
+49651 99792620
★★★★★ 4.97/5.00 (from 3402)
Purchase comfortable on account
frequently asked questions about cloth nappies
Frequently asked questions about cloth nappies

Why are modern cloth nappies better than disposables?

Stoffwindeln sind gut für die Umwelt

Environment

Cloth nappies are active environmental protection! For the nappy-changing time of a child, about 1000kg of waste can be saved.

billige Stoffwindeln Stoffwindeln sind doch billig mit Stoffwindeln sparen

Saving

With cloth nappies you save several hundred euros compared to disposable nappies. In addition, the cloth nappies will last for years thank for the front snaps, which you can use to adjust the size to fit your baby.
 

Sind Stoffwindeln gut für mein Baby

Health

Cloth nappies are breathable and contain no unnecessary ingredients, so it is very unlikely that babies will have an allergic reaction.

 
 

Modern cloth nappies offer many advantages over disposable nappies. These include health, environmental, hygiene and financial aspects. If you want to know more, read our seven good reasons to use cloth nappies and our cost-saving page..

Top

 

How many nappies do I need?

We recommend having enough material on hand for around 20-25 diaper changes, so you only have to wash every 2-3 days. This ensures you’ll have enough fresh nappies to use while the soiled ones are being washed and dried.

Most of our nappies come in one size, also known as “birth-to-potty”, meaning they’ll grow with your baby through adjustable sizing, so your child will be able to wear the same set over the duration of their nappy-wearing time.

Not sure which cloth diaper system you need? Here we provide you with a cloth diaper quiz! In Trier you can visit us in our store Natürlich Familie. There you can get detailed advice and feel and see all products with your own eyes. From now on there are also StoffyWelt partner workshops with experienced and trained consultants. Check out our workshop page!

Top

What accessories do I need?

Nappy Liners / Stay Dry Liners

Nappy liners help to catch “number twos” so they can be easily removed and flushed down the toilet.

Stay Dry Liner/Fleecy Liner is made of polyester and is the co-washable alternative to Nappy Liner. After use, dispose of the stool in the toilet and co-wash the fleece in the washing machine. Recommended especially for nighttime use (longer diapering intervals) to keep the child's skin dry.

Nappy Liner/ Paper Fleece is made of natural, biodegradable and compostable materials and is usually available on rolls. Nappy Liner/ Paper Fleece with stool is disposed of in the toilet/trash can. Nappy Liner/ Paper Fleece with pee only can be washed in the washing machine and reused (depending on brand). Biodegradable diaper fleece is therefore perfect for on the go.

 

Wet bags/diaper containers

We recommend a wet bag for when you are on the go. Wet bags are waterproof bags in which used nappies can be stored safely and odor-free.

Also very useful is a suitable container to store used nappies at home. A diaper bucket with a lid or a larger wet bag will serve this purpose.

 

Detergents

Of course, you will also need detergents to wash the nappies. To protect the nappies, maintain their absorbency and clean them properly, a good detergent should be used. The detergents we offer in the store - TotsBots Potion and Ulrich Natürlich, are perfectly suitable for cloth nappies and regular laundry.

For bamboo nappies and inserts, use a detergent without the enzyme cellulase, because cellulase destroys the bamboo fibers.
Avoid fabric softener, which acts like a film on the fibers and significantly reduces absorbency.
Avoid chlorine bleach because it can damage the fibers. Alternatives include stain removers such as I Provenzali vegan Wash Away Stain Soap or Ulrich Stain Remover.

For babies with sensitive skin or allergies: avoid fragrances and optical brighteners, which can irritate delicate skin.

Other detergents suitable for Stoffys: Ecover liquid (without enzymes), most ecological detergents (Sonett, Klar Basis Sensitiv, Sodasan). Since each brand offers several products, and the composition of them also changes, you should always check the ingredients.

 

Absorbent pads, Booster

If your baby often wets a lot at once, or if you want to increase the absorbency of the Stoffys overnight, then this is easily done with a few extra absorbent pads.

You can find the accessories mentioned here under Diaper Accessories.

Top

The price of 350-600€ sounds like a lot of money for nappies. Is it worth it?

Stoffwindeln für 3 Jahre Wegwerfwindeln für 1 Woche

Cloth nappies for three years

Disposable nappies for one week

350 - 1000 Euro = long-term investment, reusable for next children

6.000 pieces per child = 900 - 1500 Euro per child

Plus costs for water, electricity and detergent

Plus costs for waste disposal and trips to the store

Well-served reusable nappies can be used for next child or resell for 50% original value

Usable 1 time and throw away

Many places offer financial support for cloth nappies

No financial support known

Here you can learn more about how much you can save with cloth nappies.

We understand the upfront costs of 400-800€ may sound expensive at first, but when you consider that these are healthy, ‘green’ and gorgeous baby products that your child will wear every day, all day, for the first 2.5 years of their life, it puts things into perspective.
Just consider the latest prams and strollers that many parents don’t think twice about spending for and which will be used for a few hours each day or a few times per week. Or what about those beautiful baby clothes that will be grown out of within weeks or months? Instead, our stoffies are sustainable, high quality and long lasting items.

You may wish to take advantage of our gift vouchers to allow family and friends to help contribute to a gift that you know is best for your baby. Next time they ask what they can give, point them towards the StoffyWelt.de homepage and the Gift vouchers section. They’ll have the satisfaction of knowing their gift of stoffies is being used on a daily basis and protecting the environment at the same time!

Many families wish to purchase stoffys 4-6 at a time during the pregnancy to spread out the upfront costs over several months. On the other hand, those who know what they want can purchase in bulk by taking advantage of our Savings packs.

We accept Paypal, bank transfer and credit cards, as well as StoffyWelt gift vouchers and discount codes.

Top

How do I wash my cloth nappies?

The temperature

Modern cloth nappies should be washed at a maximum of 60 degrees. Warmer temperatures are unnecessary and can damage the waterproof PUL layer.

 

The washing

Before the first use, we recommend washing each Stoffy one to three times. Diapers and liners made of synthetic fabrics, such as PUL (coated polyester) and microfiber, only need to be washed once.

Absorbent fabrics such as cotton, bamboo (viscose) and hemp should be washed at least three times to develop their full absorbency. After about 10 washes, they will have reached their maximum absorbency. Please note that diapers and liners should be dried between washes.

* Exception: The Smart Bottoms Dream Diaper All-in-One only needs to be pre-washed once!
 

Which detergent?

All diapers can be washed with all-purpose detergent(powder). It contains environmentally friendly and germicidal oxygen bleach. You can buy suitable detergents in our assortment here. We recommend TotsBots Potion or Ulrich Natürlich. Please follow the dosage instructions of the detergent!
 

Please avoid:
* Fragrances + optical brighteners in the detergent - can irritate the skin.
* Homemade detergents
* Washing nuts, chestnuts, ivy
* Frog Aloe Vera Sensitive washing powder - too aggressive
Always follow the washing instructions of the diaper manufacturer!

to our detailed wash instruction
Top

How do I care for my wool nappies?


Wool swaddling has many advantages and is a great alternative for all parents who want an all-natural option for their children. Wool is very breathable, hardly ever gets dirty, and naturally regulates temperature. Most wool covers for cloth diapers are made of 100% virgin wool.

Virgin wool contains lanolin (wool grease), a special substance that makes wool water repellent. Wool absorbs 30% of its own weight before it feels wet. When the diaper is full, the excess liquid is absorbed by the wool.

Wool covers only need to be washed in the following situations:
Before first use
When they are dirty
When they smell
When wetness penetrates through the fabric
Otherwise simply wash your wool covers every 3-6 weeks

to our detailed wool care instruction
Top

I don't own a clothes dryer, can I still use cloth diapers?


Absolutely! Many cloth using families have never owned a dryer and find they manage perfectly fine without one. In fact, we recommend line drying whenever possible. Of course during the winter months, the thought of how to dry your stoffies inside without a dryer is definitely a consideration.


Tips for using stoffies without a dryer:

Firstly, choose fabrics or styles that dry quickly. Polyester outers that separate from the absorbent inserts generally dry very fast. Microfibre and minky dries quicker than bamboo, and of course, one layer of bamboo dries quicker than three layers. Check the fabric content of your desired stoffies and when using one of our trial packs, check the drying times first hand at home. However, if you love natural fabrics and want to use bamboo nappies, that doesn’t mean you have to give them all up in favour of synthetic fibres.

Secondly, make sure you have enough nappies available so that if the others are still drying, you won’t be caught short and find yourself reaching for a disposable. Instead of investing in a dryer, purchasing a few more stoffies often makes more sense.

Thirdly, have a mixed stash of stoffies containing a few different styles.If you want natural fabrics to make up the bulk of your stash, include a few minky or polyester nappies as they’ll be the first ones on the washing line ready to be used again. If natural materials are important to you, wool covers are super alternative for PUL covers! Thanks to lanolin, wool has a self-cleaning effect, wetness protection and moisture absorption capacity after being greased. That's why you need to do less washing and wool covers are also quick-drying. Nevertheless, the overpants must be greased after each wash, because the lanolin washes out during the washing process. Therefore, we recommend washing and greasing wool overpants every 2-6 weeks (depending on the brand).

Top

The nappies are leaking, what’s wrong?


 
 

You can be sure that all our products have been tested first hand and are of high quality. However, some nappies may not function so well on some babies at a particular time due to being in-between size settings or for another reason, and this may lead to leaking.

Here are the main reasons why nappies may leak and tips on how to fix them:

* Fit - Make sure that the nappy fits snugly around the legs and waist without being too tight. Place two fingers under the waistband to check fit and adjust if necessary. Also lift the baby’s legs and waist up to smooth out any gap at the back and then adjust the snaps or aplix again. Tuck away any excess insert or liner that may be showing.

* Absorbency - The microfibre and bamboo parts need to be washed several times to reach their optimum absorbency, which is usually after 10 washes. Wash the nappy 1-3 times before use and expect that the absorbency will increase over time.

On the other hand, the nappy may need extra absorbency for heavy wetters, active toddlers and at night. Consider boosting the cloth content by adding an extra insert to meet your child’s changing needs.

* Frequency - Cloth nappies need to be changed more regularly than disposables, because cloth soaks up the fluid rather than chemical absorbers. This may take a bit of adjustment if you are used to changing disposables every 4-6 hours during the day. Stoffies need to be changed typically every 2-4 hours, while one nappy should last throughout the night up to 12 hours when adequately boosted.

Nappy changing time should not be viewed as a burden, but rather as healthy for your baby, as getting a clean dry nappy and some fresh air on the bum is always a good thing!

* Residue - Many ingredients in conventional washing powders leave a residue on the fibres, which builds up over time leading to decreased absorbency (as well as irritation on the skin). If you have owned your stoffies for a while and have been using standard washing powder, it may be time to do a “strip” in order to remove the residues. This involves washing the nappies twice at 60 degrees without any detergent.

To avoid detergent build-up and residue, you may wish to use TotsBots Potion instead.

Top

How do I eliminate stains?


 
 

Drying nappies in the sunlight is the best way to remove stains through the natural bleaching effect of the sun's UV rays. Even on a cold or overcast day, the stains on a nappy will fade in the sunlight if left on a window sill for a few hours.

Bleach should be used rarely, if ever, and fabric softener, vinegar and baking soda should also be avoided. If in doubt, check the manufacturer’s washing and care instructions to be sure.

We offer a small selection of Stoffy-friendly stain removers. We have taken special care to find gentle and environmentally friendly products that still do a good job.

Diaper fleece or dry fleece avoids most stains by trapping dirt before the diaper itself gets dirty. Some brands offer clothys in dark colors so stains don't stand out as much.
<
If your baby is breastfeeding and has a “poo-nami” or “poo-splosion”, you may wish to rinse the nappy first before placing the dirty nappy in the bucket until washing day.

Top

How much does shipping cost? When can I expect my parcel?


At StoffyWelt we’ve tried to make things as simple as possible and have eliminated additional shipping charges where we can. Within Germany you get free ship with order from 40 Euro. Packages should arrive within 1-3 days. You'll find our details concerning other countries under Shipping Costs. For queries on postage rates to countries not mentioned, please email us for a quote.

Top

What if I wish to return my purchase?


If an item does not fit or you do not like it, you can return it to us free of charge within 14 days.
PLEASE NOTE
Washed or used goods cannot be returned.
If you do not use our return label for returning the goods or if you want to return goods from outside of Germany, you are responsible for the return shipping costs. In this case, please be sure to include the return shipping label (on the invoice or download from return page).
Please do not send any goods back to us freight collect. We will deduct the costs of a freight collect shipment from the refund amount.

Please view our Returns page for more details.

Top

My question is not answered yet!


If you still have questions or would like some personal advice, please join us on our Facebook page or email us.
If you live in Trier or nearby, you can visit our shop Natürlich Familie in Trier!

Top

Service
AUSGEZEICHNET.ORG