Bamboo Inserts for Cloth Nappies

Let’s talk Bamboo Inserts for Cloth Nappies!

Bamboo plant is an all-natural sustainable resource. This means bamboo inserts cost more than any nappies which come with synthetic fibres such as microfibre inserts. However, it makes for a good investment if you’re looking at long-term cloth nappy use.

Bamboo inserts are extremely soft and gentle against your baby’s skin and can hold a lot of moisture without adding bulk to the nappy, making it light-weight and trim. Its ability to absorb moisture makes for a good nappy for longer naps and overnight use in addition to daily use- so you don’t have to worry about compression leaks! For heavy wetters, you can choose to add an additional bamboo, cotton or hemp insert.

An even better reason for choosing bamboo is its natural antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, reducing odour in the nappies and buildup of bacteria especially in warmer weathers.

However, not all advertised bamboo inserts are really bamboo inserts, such as “bamboo charcoal” inserts.

A bamboo charcoal insert is a mixture of bamboo & charcoal on the outside and microfibre on the inside, which makes it bulky and prone to compression leaks. Unfortunately, they don’t actually have much bamboo fibres in them, although the outer charcoal fleece layer does give the nappies a stay-dry layer.

At Chuckles, we offer two types of bamboo terry inserts: 4 layers inserts and 6 layers inserts. They are made of 80% bamboo fibres and 20% polyester. The added polyester is to add durability and strength to the soft bamboo fibres so it is able to withstand rigorous washing and drying yet remain soft over the years.

Our 4-layer inserts are generally paired with another insert such as hemp as it isn’t generally enough by itself unless we are using it alone on a newborn.

However, the 6-layer inserts are great daytime inserts when used alone in a cloth nappy. It is known to last approximately 2-3 hours for a moderate wetter. Heavy wetters will require additional inserts.

Practical tip: New bamboo inserts (or any natural fibre inserts) take up to 8x washes before reaching maximum absorbency. We advise changing more frequently in the first few uses.