FAQs

Definitely! Some parents opt for reusable diapers at home and use disposables when they are out and about. Some parents use cloth diapers during the day and disposable diapers during the night until they gain confidence for full-time cloth diapering.

If you want to sample cloth diapering, we recommend you buy one or three Charlie Banana® reusable cloth diapers. Our value packs of 3 cloth diapers are also a great way to try the unique Charlie Banana® cloth diapering system at a reasonable price.

Adjusting the diaper to fit appropriately will prevent leaks. Leg fastening needs to be tight, snug, and secure. Charlie Banana® diapers have a waterproof outer layer with a wide and comfortable back and leg elastics casing that helps contain the mess. Use 2 inserts for heavy wetters or night usage. We’ve observed that many babies above 4 months already require 2 inserts. Sometimes diapers may leak due to detergent residue accumulating in them. Diaper rash ointment, if used directly with our diapers, clogs the pores of the fabric which may cause leaks.

You can load 1 or 2 Reusable Cloth Diaper Inserts into the pocket for maximum absorbency. In case putting 2 inserts inside the pocket is too time-consuming, you have the option of putting 1 insert inside the pocket and laying the 2nd insert on top.

Our free size cloth diapers are sold with 2 inserts. Only new born cloth diapers are sold with 1 insert. Once your baby is 4 months old, they drink a lot more water and for maximum absorption you may need to load 2 Reusable Cloth Diaper Inserts. That’s why our Free Size Cloth Diapers come with 2 inserts so you can have the perfect experience with cloth diapers right from the start. In most cases, you may not need to buy additional inserts, but we love giving you an option. If you often experience humid weather and have no dryer, you might want to have two sets of inserts as they take longer to dry than diaper shells.

We recommend to first check and confirm that the leg fastening is tight, snug, and secure. For the leg opening, it needs to be quite tight, but not so tight to leave any marks. You may want to use 2 inserts for more absorbency. Change the baby every 2 hours unless it’s night-time.

The way you wash the diapers (the shell and the reusable inserts) is also important in preventing leaks. Avoid using detergent that could leave residue including suds, optical brighteners, bleach, ammonia, paraben, and perfumes which leave a film on clothes and cloth nappies. These can clog fibres resulting in your Charlie Banana® diaper repelling liquids and causing leaks, i.e. the fleece will not let liquid pass through, and the insert will become less absorbent.

However, if your inserts are already less absorbent than you would like, soak the diaper and inserts with dish soap and wash them in your washing machine a couple of times to remove the residue (you can use a toothbrush to scrub the fleece if the build-up is intense). They will work fine again. 1-2 washes should do the trick. Rinse them until you see no more suds in the water.

Depending on the region you live, the water hardness may impact the diaper material during laundry and cause additional build-up. There are some products available to help, e.g. RLR Laundry Treatment

Most of the solids will come off easily from the fleece. You could also use a brush or diaper sprayer to get rid of the solids. Remove your inserts by pulling on the brand tag and set aside. Shake as much solids as possible into the toilet and then hold your diaper under running water and use the brush. Simply spray with cold water to prevent stains from setting in.

The thinnest layer of micro-fleece is used on our diapers and this material keeps temperature constant. If you put cotton on you baby, under hot weather, he/she sweats the same but with the micro-fleece, the moisture will go through the layer and be absorbed by the micro terry inserts. Your baby will feel dry and comfortable. Our products can be used in all kinds of weather conditions.

If you have a gap at the leg even with the tightest setting on bra-strap (which is XS), it means that the diaper is still a bit too large for your gorgeous little one. You should wait a few weeks so that he or she gets a little more baby fat and enjoys the fit a better fit. Meantime, you can consider buying our newborn cloth diapers. Many parents buy newborn diapers for the first 4-5 months as they fit perfectly for that special time. The sizing can get a little tricky at that stage as every baby is special. Babies from birth to 6 months can be on the Newborn Cloth Diaper, and beyond 6 months you can shift to the Free Size Cloth Diaper with the right setting on bra-strap – it varies as the baby grows. Do not rush to get your baby to a Free Size or the diaper will leak.

Wash your diapers twice - store diapers right away after drying, with tissue paper layered between them. If you live in humid climate, please make sure that the diapers are in a moisture-proof container. Ideally look for plastic #5 (Polypropylene (PP)) containers. They have high resistance to heat and act as a barrier to moisture. Elastics may disintegrate after a while. The same happens to bathing suits or lingerie. The gentler you are to the garment, the longer it will last.

Charlie Banana® Reusable Cloth Diaper Inserts are made of a soft layer of fleece top sheet, and several layers of Microfiber, which is known for fast absorption. The insert fits perfectly in the pocket of our Free Size Cloth Diapers. These inserts can be used in pocket style (stuffed inside the pocket) or cover style (placed on the top of the pocket).

Charlie Banana® Reusable Cloth Diaper Inserts are made of a soft layer of fleece top sheet, and several layers of Microfiber, which is known for fast absorption. The insert fits perfectly in the pocket of our Free Size Cloth Diapers. These inserts can be used in pocket style (stuffed inside the pocket) or cover style (placed on the top of the pocket).

You can use the snap to adjust around the waist. Always start with the lower snap, then snap the waist snap as loose as needed. On our Free Size diaper, we have an extra snap that allows you a crossover, making the waist even smaller.

To get the right fit around the thigh, our Free Size Cloth diapers come with a unique, patented bra-strap mechanism. With this mechanism you can adjust the length around the thigh from small to large sizes. Our bra-strap leg sizing system can be adjusted to tailor-fit the baby inch by inch. Try the leg setting on your wrist and you will see that even tight it is still very comfortable. If you get red marks that don’t go away soon after the diaper is removed, the setting is too tight.

For more details on this, check the ‘How To Use’ section on our website.

The microfiber inserts themselves will hold up and absorb practically forever, but peak absorbency is around two years. No one has done an official longevity study.