Best Australian Cloth Nappies – My Top 6

What are the best Australian cloth nappies; how much do they cost, what are the advantages, and are there any disadvantages? Cloth nappies are changing from a fad to a more sustainable, economical, and environmentally friendly option. But that also means there are more cloth nappy companies to choose from. So which are the best and why?

Introduction

What are the best cloth nappy brands, and what makes them the best? When buying cloth nappies, parents want something that is absorbent, won’t leak, will grow with their child, and will also not break the bank. Many times, those parameters are hard to find all-in-one. Hard, but not impossible. The six cloth nappy companies listed below have many Advantages with few Disadvantages.

best australian cloth nappies
Australian cloth nappies can range in cost from around $16, up to $39+, depending on brand and quality.

This can help narrow down your search of which cloth nappies won’t cause you to change your child’s bedsheets in the middle of the night due to leaks, which cloth nappies you won’t have to use multiple inserts in for absorbency, and which can fit your budget.

How many Australian cloth nappy companies are there?

Fortunately, there are more than a dozen Australian cloth nappy companies for you to choose from in your cloth nappy journey. Not only does this make it more convenient for purchasing, but it also helps provide options for which cloth nappies are best for your baby.

Are Australian Cloth Nappies expensive? What is the price range?

Modern cloth nappies can be expensive, but they can also be a reasonable cost. It just depends on which company and nappy you choose to use for your child. Individual cloth nappy prices from the six companies detailed below range from $16.99 to $34.95+. You need to consider the lifetime cost too. If you are spending more but the nappy lasts longer, it may be worth the investment if the nappy provides you with more uses per item, as your child/ren grow.

What are the best Australian Cloth Nappies?

The best cloth nappies in Australia include:

EcoNaps

eBusiness Institute Banner Generic

Baby Beehinds

Bare & Boho

My Little Gumnut

Mimi & Co

ModiBodi

You can find reviews of several of these brands here on Product Review.1

1.   EcoNaps2

This brand is all about sustainability and creating a better future for our children that doesn’t include trash and landfills populating the Earth. Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of EcoNaps nappies:

econaps, best australian cloth nappies,

Advantages:

  • Certified made from sustainable materials
  • Not as bulky as other brands
  • Well-fitting
  • Nice selection of prints, including gender neutral colors
  • Can purchase one trial cloth nappy or bundles

Disadvantages:

  • Higher cost ($34.95+ per nappy) than other competitors
  • Nappies may not last as long as expected
  • Potential leakage

2.   Baby Beehinds3

This company has been around for almost twenty years and is Australian-designed, owned, and managed. Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Baby Beehinds nappies:

baby beehinds, cloth nappies

Advantages:

  • Won numerous awards
  • Used the same EU factory from the start of their business
  • Website has a quiz that new-to-cloth-nappy parents can take to help find the best fit for their babies.
  • Can purchase trial packs
  • Cost for one nappy ranges from $27.27 to $33.64

Disadvantages:

  • Nappies may take a long time to dry
  • A little bulky

3.   Bare and Boho4

A much younger nappy company, but no less successful than its competitors. Its brand largely became known after being featured on Shark Tank and has continued to grow ever since, especially after being sold in Aldi stores across the country5. Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Bare and Boho nappies:

sharesight
bare and boho cloth nappies

Advantages:

  • Patterns are designed by local Australian artists
  • Boasts nature-inspired print designs
  • Nappies are made from organic and recyclable fibres
  • Nappy inserts work well, preventing leaks even overnight
  • Reasonable cost ($29.95 or $69.95 for a bundle of three)

Disadvantages:

  • Nappies may take a longer than average time to dry

4.   My Little Gumnut6

Created back in 2013 by a mum focused on sustainable and minimalistic living. Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of My Little Gumnut nappies:

my little gumnut, best australian cloth nappies

Advantages:

  • 100% Australian owned and operated
  • Each nappy comes with a waterproof cover and insert
  • Nappies designed by Australian and New Zealand artists
  • Affordable ($16.99/nappy)
  • Sells bundles anywhere from trial to starter to half-time to full-time use, making the nappy journey a bit easier than having to pick and choose

Disadvantages:

  • Reports of leakage – may have to use multiple inserts or boosters

5.   Mimi & Co7.

Began when a mum sat down in front of her sewing machine determined to create her own cloth nappy for her baby. In her own words, “I thought having a baby now meant I couldn’t have a career. Instead, he became my inspiration.” Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Mimi & Co. nappies:

mimi and co, cloth nappies

Advantages:

  • Midline cost ($26.18)
  • Inserts don’t curl
  • Designed in Australia
  • Over 1,000 five star verified reviews
  • Nappies sport longer flaps that help with sizing

Disadvantages:

  • Newer company – started in 2020
  • Not manufactured in Australia
  • Sizes down well but could cause issues when baby grows older

6.   ModiBodi8

Founded because of a lack of comfortable, sustainable, and renewable products for women. However, it has since evolved into apparel for men and kids, including cloth nappies.

kids first aid
modibodi nappies, best australian cloth nappies

Here are the Advantages and Disadvantages of ModiBodi nappies:

Advantages:

  • 100% Australian designed
  • Boasts a 60 day risk-free trial – perfect for mums just starting out
  • Reusable nappy that has a lining that helps repel odours, stains, and solids.
  • Focused on sustainability for all products
  • Has won numerous awards each year since 2016

Disadvantages:

  • Most expensive nappy compared to the other five nappy companies listed
  • Nappy selection is small as company is focused on more than nappies

Are there physical stores where you can shop for Australian Cloth Nappies?

Yes, there are brick-and-mortar stores where you can buy reusable cloth nappies. Nest Nappies9, located in Brisbane, boasts that it is “Australia’s longest-running Cloth Nappy Shop!” Aldi10, the popular, German-founded grocery store, paired with Bare and Boho11 to sell their reusable nappies in store. Darlings Downunder12 is another physical store where you can stroll around, delighting in all things baby.

There are also many other individual stores that sell Australian reusable nappy brands.

Can you rent cloth nappies?

Cloth nappies can indeed be rented. Australian Cloth Nappy Rental (https://www.australianclothnappyrental.com.au/modern-cloth-nappies/13) is a great place to start for beginners. They put together a bundle that you can use and experiment with for 6 weeks to help you decide what is working best for your baby…and also if the cloth nappy journey is for you! They also have a physical store where you can go in and buy the products you’ve already tested and deemed appropriate for your child, which is pretty cool.

australian cloth nappy rental

Little Eco Baby (https://littleecobaby.com.au/14) is similar, providing customizable packages that can be shipped to anywhere in Australia for a flat fee of $20. 

How do you clean cloth nappies?

Isn’t this the most important question? After all, cloth nappies sometimes get a bad rap due to being a hassle to clean, but thankfully, cloth nappies are really no harder to clean than normal clothing. Yes, if there is poo in the nappy, you’ll want to dispose of that first: wipe or spray it out and flush it down the toilet. You can also buy disposable liners that help you skip this step. Then simply throw the nappy in the wash with the other dirty nappies; rinse in cold water first, then wash in warm/hot water, and line dry.

best australian cloth nappies, cleaning cloth nappies
Cleaning Cloth nappies is not as hard as you might think – read more about Cleaning Cloth Nappies HERE

I have a dedicated article discussing the Cleaning of Cloth Nappies which you can read HERE.

Before throwing them in the washing machine, though, you should make sure to read the manufacturer’s tag, that way you’re not voiding any warranties. You can also put the cloth nappies in a mesh bag before washing so that any velcro, ties, or buttons don’t get caught or tangled against the other nappies.

As a disposable nappy is usually more absorbent than a cloth nappy, you want to make sure your child is not left in a wet nappy or a soiled nappy for too long as this will likely cause a nasty nappy rash on your baby’s skin, so check nappies frequently and change when required.

Cloth nappies can also assist in the toilet training process once your child is ready for that, too. You can read my best Toilet Training Tips HERE.

Summary

It’s now up to you to decide which company and which nappy is best for your child(ren). Deciding to forego disposable nappies and instead use cloth nappies can be daunting. The care, cleaning of, upfront costs, and unknown of what works best can seem like huge obstacles. Many parents choose to use both disposable and cloth until they decide whether one works better for them, or whether they may continue using both.

There’s no harm in trying cloth nappies. After all, they are a much more sustainable option, and better for our pockets in the long run. You can read my article on Cloth vs Disposable Nappies HERE.

Do you use cloth diapers/ cloth nappies? Or disposable nappies, or both? Why? Are there any nappy brands in Australia that you would recommend, that I have not listed here? Let me know in the comments!

Reference List:

  1. ‘Best Reusable Nappies’, Product Review. Accessed online at https://www.productreview.com.au/c/reusable-nappies on Feb 27, 2023.
  2. https://www.econaps.com.au/
  3. https://www.babybeehinds.com.au/
  4. https://bareandboho.com.au/
  5. ‘Aussie small business Bare and Boho lands coveted spot in Aldi’s ‘special buys’ for its ethical cloth nappies’, Eloise Keating, Smart Company. Published: Jan 29, 2020. Accessed online at https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/retail/bare-and-boho-aldi-cloth-nappies/ on Feb 27, 2023.
  6. https://mylittlegumnut.com.au/
  7. https://mimiandco.com.au/
  8. https://www.modibodi.com/collections/nappies
  9. https://nestnappies.com.au/
  10. https://www.aldi.com.au/
  11. ‘I was afraid’: Aldi shoppers get ‘physical’ as cloth nappies sell out in ‘seconds’, Gillian Wolski, Yahoo News. Published: Jan 30, 2020. Accessed online at https://nz.news.yahoo.com/news/aldi-cloth-nappies-by-bare-and-boho-sell-out-in-seconds-230505341.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudXB3b3JrLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFeXnepzj8I7FU0hYD3B2takDGyt3gusas8Hnu6em3R8K3xTV0R62VNTjOjqcBPgw16v8n2OljZVafGZnJTZU19UB89S_mjgP4OBPtBzDcrbWPQkqA8J0dvRWEAUS6gtrsB7CHdmStNc-EhPgTrxf8n-Dmg96-3wxqKXU3UTET_2 on Feb 27, 2023.
  12. https://www.darlingsdownunder.com.au/
  13. https://www.australianclothnappyrental.com.au/modern-cloth-nappies/
  14. https://littleecobaby.com.au/

2 thoughts on “Best Australian Cloth Nappies – My Top 6

    1. Thanks for reading Julia! I like your range at Baby Bare too. Your trial pack looks like a great idea and I like your other accessories too!

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