How Many Do I Need?

1. Nappies.

This depends on three factors:
- The nappy system you have chosen.
- How often you want to wash your nappies.
- The age of your baby.

If you are starting to use cloth nappies when your baby is between 0-9 months, you will need:
12 to 24 small or birth-to-potty nappies.
- If you are prepared to wash a day’s worth of nappies every day with your family’s normal wash loads, 12 nappies will be sufficient.
- If you want to wash your nappies every second day, you will need around 18 nappies (this is the recommended number to start with).
- If you want to do a large load two or three times a week, you will need up to 24 nappies.
When your baby reaches 9-12 months you will need to add to your collection:
10 to 18 large nappies or boosters for birth-to-potty nappies
(to use from around 9-12 months).
- As above, the fewer nappies you have, the more often you will need to wash them.
- Older babies need less changes, so less nappies are required as your baby grows.

If you are starting to use cloth nappies after your baby reaches around 9 months, you will only need 10 to 18 large or birth-to-potty nappies with boosters.

2. Wraps.

You will need between 4 and 6 wraps per size, and 3 to 5 sizes will be needed from birth to potty training.
Typically, a baby will use 4-6 small wraps, 3-4 medium wraps and 3-4 large wraps, but the following factors need to be taken into account:
If your baby is premature or very tiny, you may need an extra small size wrap.
If your baby gets very large as a toddler, or potty trains relatively late, you may need an extra large size wrap.
Some nappies have better containment than others (eg. shaped, elasticated nappies), and you will find few wraps get soiled over the course of a day.
If you do not wash every day, more wraps may be needed.