We're so excited to share this news with you. We've just added Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Cream to our hire shop. We use this cream at home on our nappy-wearing bub and have been so impressed by it that we wanted to share it with our customers. Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Cream won the Australian Nappy Association's "Best Skincare Product" award in 2017.

Calendula (the botanical name for Marigold) has a long history of use as a healing ingredient in skincare products. The flowers used in Weleda creams are grown at their 135 hectares of biodynamic gardens in Germany. The flowers are steeped in water/alcohol solution to produce a tincture and this tincture is used in their skincare products.

Weleda Calendula Nappy Change cream has an oil-in-water base. It's formulated from plant oils such as sweet almond & sesame seed oil plus beeswax and lanolin for consistency and skin protection. The cream also contains zinc oxide, providing its characteristic white colour and a great moisture barrier between baby and nappy.

The cream is easy to wash out of cloth nappies with no special treatment required. The secret formula is sufficient good detergent + a long warm/hot wash = beautifully clean nappies. The heat from the water will melt the oily components and the detergent will wash it away, along with any other soiling present. The personalised wash routines that we provide to each nappy hire customer will make light work of cleaning off any cream residue.

Weleda Calendula Nappy Change cream comes in a tube which is important to prevent contamination. Most nappy creams in the natural/eco sphere are unpreserved meaning they are prone to being contaminated. Most are packaged in tubs and are therefore easily contaminated by dipping and double dipping. A tube minimises this risk. The cream has a long shelf life which is great as you only need a little bit!

You can add a tube (or two!) of Weleda Calendula Nappy Change Cream to your cart at our checkout. We hope you love it as much as we do!

​We first published this on the #getintocloth Queensland Facebook group. We’ve tried & tested pretty much everything on our own cloth nappy journey and we are really happy to share this experience with you! When it comes to nappies, it's all about the clean. There is nothing more satisfying than beautiful, white, stain-free, smell-free cloth nappies to use on your kids. With a little know how you too can be Queen of the Laundry!

 
#1: Omo Ultimate powder
This has always given me the most beautiful clean and I find the smell to be much milder than regular Omo powder. This year it became quite bubbly which caused some issues for people with front loaders and hopefully they will make it less sudsy again someday, but dropping the dose back half a scoop to 1.5 main wash seemed to work in any case. Also comes in a bulk cardboard box which I really like. It works well with warm or hot water. (For those who prefer liquid, Omo Ultimate liquid is also great!)
 
#2: Radiant liquid
This gives a beautiful clean and is my favourite laundry fragrance, to me it smells the best! It is also really economical to buy. It’s low foaming so very front loader friendly. It works well with warm or hot water. It’s palm oil free and not tested on animals. Great on regular laundry too.
 
#3: Biozet powder
Comes in at #3 as it’s produced in Japan and shipped over and I’m not sure that all of those miles are terribly environmentally friendly. It works really nicely, has a lovely fresh non-floral fragrance (I think it’s lemony), you can now buy it in bulk cardboard boxes and as with #1 and #2 it’s great on regular laundry as well as your nappies. Use with warm or hot water.
 
#4: Ecostore powder (Plant Based)
Although I need 3x the dose on the box to get a good clean, and need to use hot water, it does give a good clean and has very little residual fragrance. It is, thus far, the only plant based product that I’ve ever been able to wash my nappies with and have consistently great results. Winner!
 
#5: Coles $1.50 Laundry Liquid (Extreme Budget)
To be fair it has no stain removal power so you will need to pretreat anything dirty, but it gets smell out like a dream with a hot wash. I didn’t expect it to work at all so I was really really impressed. If you’re on a super low budget grab some of this, a box of Sunlight soap (for nappies) or some laundry soaker (for kids clothes/food etc) and you’re away.
 
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Happy washing! :)

If the idea of using cloth nappies away from the security of home seems daunting, read on! Using modern or traditional cloth nappies out of the house is really quite easy. Here are our top 5 tips to get you on your way.

Tip #1: Choose A Great Nappy Bag
A big nappy bag is useful. A big nappy bag can also be heavy, so it helps to choose a nappy bag that you can attach to your stroller or carry on your back. I've had two nappy bags over the course of my parenting journey: A Skip Hop Duo bag, which was nice and wide and fit well on the stroller but I found it difficult to fit all of my things (I carry my wallet, phone, keys, lip balm and a drink bottle) into the front pocket. Ultimately the zip broke and that was the end of that. I replaced it with a Skip Hop Forma backpack, which has been much better on the space front, but the stroller clips aren't quite long enough and so it gets stretched a lot to clip onto the stroller and as a result the strap is starting to fall off. It was also too heavy when my second was a newborn and would cause the stroller to tip backward so I had to store it in the basket underneath. Thankfully, that's no longer an issue. My hot tip if you're going for backpack style is test it out first to see if it fits!

Many nappies come with a change mat inside. This is really helpful if you're out at the park or in the car or somewhere without a change table setup. If yours doesn't, you might like to purchase a washable change mat to take with you. Many nappy manufacturers sell them so choose your favourite brand and go shopping.

Tip #2: Pack Enough Nappies
I like to pack a nappy for every two hours out of the house and another two as spares. My husband walks on the wild side and packs one spare. Pack your best, most absorbent nappies- you don't want wet clothes, a wet carrier or a poo explosion when you're away from home. You might even like to try fitted nappies and covers as they'll hold more than any modern cloth nappy. Better safe than sorry is my motto here!

Tip #3: Don't Forget the Wipes!
I know it generates waste, but I always carry a packet of wipes in my nappy bag. They are so handy for so many things. If you prefer to take cloth wipes, it's absolutely possible, you can pack them dry and run them under a tap or use your water bottle to wet them, or you can pack them wet into a well sealed container before you leave home. I think I've just inspired myself to do this actually! As with the nappies, take what you think you need and then a few extra. (Edit: After writing this I started to take a few washcloths with me in my nappy bag. I love them. I use my drink bottle to wet them and they work so well!)

Tip 4: Roll & Secure Dirty Nappies in a Wet Bag
Storing wet and dirty nappies is easy. Roll the nappy up and secure it with the snaps. Then pop it into a wet bag (waterproof bag) and you can sort it out at home. It doesn't smell when it's secured in this fashion.

Tip #5: Accessorise!
I carry a little bottle of hand sanitiser and a spare outfit in our nappy bag too. I like to use the hand sanitiser after changing a poopy nappy without hand washing facilities. I wash my hands first with a baby wipe and then use the sanitiser. I'm yet to get sick (touch wood!) so I think it's working for me!

I also have a little car stash. It contains a nappy, some wipes, a wet bag and a change of clothes. I've called on this little stash more times than I care to admit in the last few years. It's priceless!

So that's my top 5 tips for leaving home with cloth. What do you consider to be essential when you're out and about with cloth nappies?