My daughter is growing up now, so she’s ditching her diapers and putting on her pants to go to the bathroom. For me, it is with some sadness that I will no longer need our wonderful Mandy Mac diapers (well, at least until baby number two graces us!)
You may be wondering why I am writing about modern cloth diapers today, since I have previously advocated for natural infant hygiene. I still think Natural Infant Hygiene is the way to go, but it also works best starting from birth. Which I didn’t do because I didn’t find out until my daughter was six months old. However, we are doing well together at Natural Infant Hygiene, so she is transitioning from full-time to part-time diapering, as she already successfully potties for most of her eliminations at twelve. months. When baby number two graces us, I’ll wear my Mandy Mac diapers as I learn baby elimination and exit cues.
So why do I think Mandy Mac Modern Cloth Diapers are the bomb?
1. The Design
They are one-size-fits-all diapers with a built-in liner to trap solid waste. Made from a hemp/cotton blend or a bamboo/cotton blend, they fit all sizes of baby, from birth to conventional Western potty training age. The shape is almost identical to a disposable diaper, making it easy for people to figure it out. You put the diaper on, pull the front up over the baby’s crotch, and secure the sides with an elastic clip or some pins.
Another great thing about the design is that they are not waterproof. Now you might think that a diaper that needs an extra PUL cover would be more hassle than it’s worth, but it’s not. The main idea behind modern cloth diapers is to change them when they are wet and not to let your child sit in his dirty diaper until he is “full” like you would with a disposable diaper. If you use a modern cloth diaper, your baby will feel wet and will generally not be happy with this feeling. He will let her know that she needs a change and this has two big purposes. First of all, a modern cloth diapered baby rarely gets diaper rash. Her bottom is kept clean and dry and does not remain in contact with her waste. She may still get a weird teething rash, but this has nothing to do with how clean her diaper is. Second, she may be potty trained earlier because the baby doesn’t like to feel wet. This helps with Natural Infant Hygiene as well as conventional Western potty training, as even when you are conventionally potty training your baby, it is often recommended that you switch to a cloth diaper for precisely this reason.
Also, by not using a PUL cover while at home, the diaper fabric has more breathability and further promotes a hygienic environment for your baby’s bottom.
However, by wearing a PUL cover over the Mandy Mac diaper, you can walk away with the confidence that your baby’s diaper will not fill up and create a puddle where they are sitting, until you can get to a changing room to change. him again. PUL is more breathable than a plastic cover.
2. The fabrics
They are made from a blend of hemp and cotton or a blend of bamboo and cotton.
Bamboo is soft, delicate and highly absorbent. It’s a lovely fabric to wear, and if you only have one child, this is a great choice. Being highly absorbent, these diapers may take longer to dry, especially if you live in a wet and cold area.
Hemp lasts well and dries faster, but can feel a bit scratchy at times. This isn’t actually a problem because the baby’s body doesn’t come in contact with the hemp, the baby’s body comes in contact with the built-in liner, so the slightly harder texture of a hemp diaper isn’t really a problem. Also, hemp is very durable, so depending on your projected use, you may need to use hemp ones if you are going to pass them on to subsequent children.
Mandy Mac has some fabulous overnight diapers called “Purple Nights”. So named because the built-in lining is a beautiful royal purple. They are made of bamboo, which makes them highly absorbent, and with twenty-two layers of bamboo, your baby can go through the night without a diaper change. It is best used when the baby sleeps through the night and no longer wakes up to feed in the middle of the night. I have three. One to wear, one in the wash, and one on the line.
3. Ethics
Mandy Mac’s Modern Cloth Diapers are not only eco-friendly, but are made in fair trade working environments. The people who make the diapers receive a fair wage, great benefits for themselves and their communities in exchange for their work.
So how many modern cloth diapers would you need to get started?
For a newborn baby, you can expect that until he gets used to a comfortable feeding and sleeping routine, he will need 8-10 diapers a day, especially if he is a breastfed baby. Don’t worry, it doesn’t take a newborn baby long to get used to a comfortable routine, and you can start cutting down on the number of diapers needed because you can predict how often your baby will need to be changed.
For a 3-6 month old baby, you may need six to eight per day.
For a 6-18 month old baby you may need around six per day plus one Purple Nights for nighttime use.
I bought 14 Mandy Macs, 3 Snappies, 3 PUL sleeves, and 3 Purple Nights. I also use a pair of prefold cotton diapers if it’s been raining and the clothes haven’t dried in time! You can use a dryer for your modern day cloth diapers, I just choose not to for environmental reasons.
Where did I buy them?
You can get these from Mandy Mac herself, but I bought mine from a wonderful fair trade baby shop in Canberra called Brindabella Baby. Now, I have no monetary affiliation with Brindabella Baby, I just think that a fair trade focused baby store is a very good idea and should be promoted. At the time of writing, they have a very reasonably priced Mandy Mac Hemp six pack and estimate that you could save thousands of dollars by choosing modern cloth diapers over disposables for lifetime use. They also offer a 9 month reserve so you can pay your investment in installments while you are pregnant.
So Mandy Mac, these are for me and my babies. Which one will you choose for yours?