Little Koala

Little Koala is pleased to offer a unique collection of cloth nappies, baby carriers and organic baby clothes. We are dedicated to providing quality products and top-notch customer service. Our goal is to make cloth diapering your baby as easy as possible !

It is all here, 21st century cloth nappies! Modern nappies are not only adorable but also effective, leak-proof, very easy to use and wonderfully healthy for your baby. All our cloth nappies are rated in the top ten on several nappy review sites. Nappies tried and tested by mothers worldwide and my son, Louis.

Washing your nappies

Pail instructions
Most people tend to wash their nappies every 2 to 3 days. There are a variety of ways to “pail” or store your dirty nappies before washing them. The commonest are the wet pail and the dry pail; I have found the dry pail to be the easiest method.

The Dry Pail
A locking lid pail is not necessary with the dry pail method, though it will keep curious children out of the dirty nappies.
Just throw your wet nappies directly into the pail after a change. For purely breastfed babies, the dirty nappy can be thrown directly into the pail with no rinsing. For babies on solids, you will need to dump the faeces in the toilet and, if necessary, rinse the excess poo either in the toilet by flushing or in the laundry tub. Flushable liners are also useful. You can then add one or more of the following, which will all help with the odours:
Baking Soda - sprinkle on the bottom of the pail.
Tea Tree Oil or Lavender oil– Put 1-2 drops in the pail.
Washable liner - This is to line your pail and make transferring your diapers to the washer easy!
If odours are really troubling to you, you can also rinse out each and every diaper – wet and dirty alike. Some older toddlers can produce very strong smelling urine, and rinsing their nappies may dramatically reduce the odour in your pail.

The Wet Pail
Very briefly since I am not recommending this method mostly because children can get into the nappy buckets and cause a lot of mess. If you really want to soak your nappies before washing them then it would probably be better to use a top loading washing machine to soak them in.
Get yourself a locking-lid container – this is an important safety feature!
Half fill your bucket or pail with water.
Add half a cup of Baking Soda.
Then add:
Oxygen bleach (1-2 scoops)
Tea Tree Oil (2-3 drops)
Never use detergent to soak your diapers! And never use chlorine bleach or fabric softeners to soak or wash your diapers!
Always replace and reseal locking lid after adding each diaper. And keep this bucket out of reach of children.

Washing instructions
First-time washing
Prior to use, all new cloth nappy products should be washed. Wraps, covers and pocket diapers need only a quick rinse. Any cotton or hemp products like the Chinese prefolds, doublers and inserts require 3-4 hot washes to maximize their absorbency. Be sure to wash and dry 3-4 times.
Regular washing of dirty nappies
A single wash load really should not exceed 24 diapers for optimal cleaning. Your nappies, covers, fleece liners and wipes can all go into the machine together.

Start with a COLD wash with either detergent (1/4-1/2 the amount recommended on the box) or baking soda. Oxygen bleach can also be used to whiten and sanitise. I sometimes use a few drops of tea tree oil. This initial cold wash keeps your diapers from staining.

Then, run a full HOT wash with either detergent (1/4-1/2 the amount recommended on the box) or baking soda.
About once or twice a month, I like to add 1/2 cup vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser. This does an excellent job of removing any detergent build-up in the nappies. But every now and then you will have a load that may need one more wash – no detergent or additives, just a full wash cycle with water only.
That’s it! Hang your Bummis covers and pocket nappies to dry Dry your nappies and fleece liners on high heat for approx. 60 minutes, depending on your dryer.

I tend to line dry all my nappy products because there is really nothing better than the sun to remove stains and bleach your diapers naturally. Diapers get their stiffest when dried quickly in the heat of the sun. Hang your diapers in the early or late part of the day to slow the drying time.
As far as choosing a laundry powder/liquid goes, you basically want to make sure it's a detergent and not a soap.

A quick note about your diaper covers! You do not need to wash your covers after every use. This is how you are able to use only 4-6 daytime covers in each size. If unsoiled, let air dry and alternate with another cover. Of course, if a cover is soiled (or just smells), fold the flaps over the velcro, and put it in the diaper pail.

Wonderoos, pocket nappies. Click here for info.