Deutsch
ENGLISH: In my last blog post, I talked about cloth nappies in general – the overall pros and cons, as well as my own experience and recommendation. During that, I often mentioned the cloth nappies from Judes Family. In total, we tested four different brands of cloth nappies, and I wanted to give you a little review since I’m frequently asked which brands I can recommend. (Ad/Affiliate – Links are Affiliate Links, see below for more info).
Which cloth nappy companies did I try?
Totsbots Starter Kit: All-in-One as well as the two-layer system – this was a gift
A big set of secondhand Bambino Mio diapers
One Kit & Kin cloth nappy that we bought at the drugstore
Judes Family Full-Time Package aka the Premium Set in Standard. Full transparency: I received this as a PR sample, so I used Judes Family the most for diapering. That’s why I have the biggest insights on these.
The short version:
Overall, I’ve tested quite a few brands, and Judes Family is actually my favourite. I wasn’t paid for this blog post, and there was no obligation to write about Judes Family! I want to make that clear, as my review of Judes Family will be quite positive. However, as I mentioned, I WASN’T paid for this, there’s no obligation or any other kind of arrangement. I incorporated affiliate links in this post (so I can earn a little something if you buy Judes Family nappies through me). I hope you’ll see my review as transparent and honest despite the PR sample. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. I also have a discount code for you: With MIA12 you get 12% off at Judes Family and the code is valid until May 27, 2024!
The long version:
As I said, my absolute favourite is the Judes Family nappies. Why? You’ll find out below.
My second favourite is the All-in-One nappies from Totsbots: easy to use, rarely leak, and look cute 🙂 We’ve only had the Kit&Kin cloth nappy for a short time, so I don’t have a long-term report yet. We bought the Bambino Mio nappies secondhand, and we found them okay, but they leaked very, very often (even though the elastic around the legs seemed fine…), so we ended up passing them on…we just couldn’t get the fit right.
The Judes Family nappies work really simply:
- Judes consists of an outer wrap and an inner nappy.
- You put the Poo Paper in the inner nappy. Then you put the nappy on the baby. First the inner nappy, then the outer wrap, fastening it with the velcro.
- For changing: If there’s poo in the nappy, remove the Poo Paper (it catches the poo) and bin it. Both the wrap and inner nappy go into the wetbag. If there’s no poo, bin the Poo Paper, put the inner nappy in the wetbag, and air out the wrap to reuse for the next change. We change the wrap after around 4 uses.
- The dirty nappies can stay in the wetbag for 3-4 days until the next wash. There is also a travel version of the wetbag.
- Then the whole bag goes in the washing machine. No need to touch the used nappies again. Just unzip the bag, put it in the machine, and the nappies get shaken out during the wash cycle.
- Everything gets washed together at 60°C. We don’t use a special rinse cycle or programme. Just a regular cotton wash at 60°C with normal detergent. But they recommend doing a pre-rinse, using special Family Care detergent, and not spinning faster than 1,000rpm.
- Then air dry the nappies or pop them in the dryer. Top tip for air drying: install a clothes horse that you can hoist up to the ceiling. The air is warmest up by the ceiling, so everything dries faster, and the horse is out of the way! We installed ours in the hallway, super handy!
The list of advantages Judes Family cloth nappies have over others is actually quite long:
- With cloth nappies, you sometimes have to faff about folding or doing up fiddly studs – something I find too complicated. Thanks to the velcro fastening, Judes Family nappies are super easy to take on and off (the same moves as disposables). This gets especially handy once baby is more mobile! The two layers take some getting used to, but then it’s a breeze.
- The inserts at Judes are sewn in firmly, so no extra folding is needed and the absorbent layers can’t shift around when putting the nappy on (e.g. standing up). Since no separate inserts are used, there are fewer individual bits to wash and dry, cutting down on time.
- All the components can be washed hassle-free at 60°C and put in the tumble dryer. Plus with the nappy bag, you can hygienically transfer the nappies to the washing machine without touching them again – just unzip and they automatically fall out.
- I LOVE the Judes Family nappy bags! I can’t recommend them enough. They make washing, but especially storing, dirty cloth nappies so pleasant and easy: There’s a big bag and a travel version. You can just chuck the whole bag in the washing machine, then unzip it, close the door and the nappies tumble out by themselves during the cycle.
- I find Judes contain leaks really well thanks to the extremely absorbent fabric layers. But the outer wrap also prevents leakage effectively, better than other cloth nappies we tried.
- Despite the super-absorbent layers, Judes have a relatively trim, snug fit. So with our little one, regular clothing sizes still fit – handy for the occasional swap to disposables without changing outfits. Breastfeeding, sleeping, crawling and playing are just as easy for our baby and don’t seem different from slimmer disposables.
- Not to be underestimated: the sleek, stylish design with the gorgeous colours is very aesthetically appealing to me 🙂 The look makes handling them much more pleasant for me, even if that’s subjective of course.
- you can use the outer wrap as a swim nappy, too!
- A few more cool features from the company:
- There’s an online nappy set finder
- As well as nappy changing coaching!
- Judes Family also offers secondhand options
- There’s a 100-day return guarantee
- And you can even rent-to-buy the nappies
The downsides to using Judes Family nappies:
- Compared to disposables, they unfortunately don’t hold as long for us. I’m not totally sure what it is. Our little one just drinks a ton before his nap and then he’s usually wet after the nap. So we have to change them relatively often which is a pain since our baby HATES nappy changes SO MUCH…it’s a drama every time (no matter which brand haha). This happens with all cloth nappies for us though, some more than others. Least with Judes Family.
- The two layers are actually an advantage since the outer wrap can just be aired out and re-used a few times, meaning you need fewer nappies at home. Space-saving and makes laundry easier. Plus the inner nappies dry faster. For us though, the issue is that nursery won’t accept re-using the wraps due to their hygiene rules. So at nursery the wrap can only be used once. This means we currently don’t have enough for full-time cloth, even with the full-time pack, since we don’t want to wash the wraps every day. To get around it, we bought a few extra wraps, but stocking up more would be too pricey for us. It also means washing the wraps more often than intended, so we’re seeing quite a bit of pilling (doesn’t affect function though). Any experiences sharing with your nursery about Judes Family nappies?
Long-term experience with Judes Family quality
I’ve been using the Judes Family nappies for almost a year now and I can only report good things about the quality. Yes, the nappies are looking well-used and not bright white anymore, there is some pilling on the wraps, and they have shrunken slightly. But the velcro fastening and elastic waistband are still TOP, and the shrinkage isn’t too bad since they still fit well thanks to the cut. Here’s a comparison photo of a new wrap on the left and one we’ve been washing every 3 days for a year (as mentioned above, we have to wash the wraps more often than intended), so you can see the pilling.
Despite the visible wear, the used wrap is still going strong functionally after a year of heavy rotation. The inner nappies have held up equally well through constant washing. I’m really impressed with how durable and long-lasting the quality is, even with our extra frequent wash cycle.
Overall, I’d recommend getting a starter kit first, no matter which brand you choose. That way you can get familiar with the particular system at your own pace before birth or switching over. Read reviews on the brands, watch videos, chat with friends, and then decide! It’s a big initial investment and swapping brands back and forth is rarely practical or cost-effective. But overall you do save quite a bit of money, at least that’s been our experience.
What’s it like for you?
Are you planning to use cloth nappies? What are your questions? Or are you already cloth nappying? What has your experience been?
I’m really interested to hear your thoughts and experiences! Do you have a preferred brand or system? Any insider tips to share? Cloth nappies can seem daunting at first, but so rewarding once you find what works for your family. Don’t hesitate to ask any other questions – I’m happy to provide more details on our routine and favourites. Let me know in the comments!
