My little girl is growing up now, so she’s dipping out of diapers and putting on her underpants to go potty. 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 today about modern cloth diapers, as I have previously advocated for natural infant hygiene. I still think that 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 already six months old. However, we are doing well together in Natural Infant Hygiene, which is why she is switching from full-time to part-time diapers, as she already successfully toilets for most of her eliminations at twelve months. When baby number two honors us, I’ll be wearing my Mandy Mac diapers while learning the baby’s elimination and exit cues.

So why do I think Mandy Mac’s 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 either a hemp/cotton blend or a bamboo/cotton blend, they fit all baby sizes, from birth to conventional Western potty training age. The shape is almost identical to that of 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 a few pins.

Another great thing about the design is that they are not waterproof. Now you might think that a diaper that needs an additional 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 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 be unhappy with this feeling. He will let her know that she needs a change and this has two main purposes. First of all, a modern cloth diapered baby rarely gets diaper rash. Her bottom stays clean and dry and doesn’t stay in contact with her debris. She may still get a weird teething rash, but this has nothing to do with the cleanliness of her diaper. 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 conventionally potty training, it is often recommended that you switch to a cloth diaper for precisely this reason.

Also, by not wearing 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 using a PUL cover over the Mandy Mac diaper, you can go out with the confidence that your baby’s diaper won’t fill up and create a puddle where they’re sitting, until they can get to a dressing room to change. him again. PUL is more breathable than a plastic sleeve.

2. The fabrics

They are made from a hemp-cotton blend or a bamboo-cotton blend.

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 option. Being highly absorbent, these diapers can take longer to dry, especially if you live in a cold, damp area.

Hemp lasts well and dries faster, but can feel a little rough at times. This isn’t really a problem because the baby’s body doesn’t come into contact with the hemp, the baby’s body comes into contact with the built-in liner, so the slightly harder texture of a hemp diaper isn’t really a problem. issue. Also, hemp is very durable, so depending on your intended 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 color. They’re 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 to use 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 use, one in the wash and one on the line.

3. Ethics

Mandy Mac’s modern cloth diapers are not only eco-friendly, they are made in fair trade workplace environments. The people who make the diapers receive a fair wage, excellent 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 begin to reduce the number of diapers needed because you can predict how often you’ll need to change them.

For a 3- to 6-month-old baby, you may need six to eight per day.

For a 6- to 18-month-old baby, you may need about six a day plus one Purple Nights for nighttime use.

I bought 14 Mandy Macs, 3 Snappies, 3 PUL cases, and 3 Purple Nights. I also use a pair of pre-folded cotton diapers if it’s been raining and the clothes haven’t dried in time! You can use a dryer for your modern cloth diapers, I just choose not to for environmental reasons.

Where did I buy them?

You can get them from Mandy Mac herself, but I bought mine from a wonderful fair trade baby store in Canberra called Brindabella Baby. Now, I have no monetary affiliation with Brindabella Baby, I just think 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 you could save thousands of dollars by choosing modern cloth diapers over disposable ones for lifetime use. They also offer a 9-month reserve so you can pay off your investment in installments while you’re pregnant.

So, Mandy Mac, these are for me and my babies. Which one will you choose for yours?