What is a birth-to-potty nappy? (And why they're so good!)

Since cloth nappies are a little like clothes, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you have to buy multiple sizes to fit your baby as they grow. The good news is that modern cloth nappies like ours are usually designed to grow with your baby, so you can use the same set of nappies from birth right the way to potty training.

Here’s everything you need to know about birth-to-potty nappies!

What is a birth-to-potty nappy? 

A birth-to-potty nappy is sometimes called a one size nappy, and is designed to fit a baby from close to birth through to potty training. Most of these nappies work with rows of snaps down the front of the nappy, which can be closed and opened to shorten and lengthen the nappy. There will also be one or two rows of snaps at the waist to allow a customisable fit as the waist changes shape. 

Will a birth-to-potty nappy fit my baby from birth to potty training?

This might seem like a silly question, but it’s worth saying that not all birth-to-potty nappies will actually fit from birth right up to potty training. Different nappies are different shapes and sizes. Likewise, not all babies are the same size! Some one size nappies are small and will fit even the smallest baby at birth, but might not last to potty training, while others will be too large to fit a baby until they’re several weeks old. 

The best way to work out whether a nappy is right for you is to try them out. It’s always a good idea to just buy one or two nappies before you invest in a whole stash, so you can check you’ve got a nappy that will work well for your baby.

Are Pim Pam nappies birth-to-potty?

Yes! Our pocket nappies are designed to fit from around 8-10lbs up to 35lbs. However, like we said above, different babies are different shapes, and it will depend a little bit on your baby. Our nappies are on the smaller side for a birth-to-potty nappy, so likely to work better for smaller and average-sized babies. That being said, lots of parents with chunkier babes love our nappies too!  

The fact that our nappies run a little smaller also means that they can work really well for the early days - here’s what they look like on a little newborn and a two year old who’s just potty trained.         

How can I tell when to adjust the snaps on a birth-to-potty nappy?

It can be difficult to work out when to move to the next row of rise snaps (that’s the ones down the front of the nappy), and it can sometimes involve a little bit of trial and error. Here are some tips to help:

• Look for a good fit on the legs, there should be no gaps, but you should still be able to slide a finger easily under the elastic.
• Some signs that you might need to make the nappy bigger include the front of the nappy pulling down, and occasionally getting leaks out of the top front of the nappy.
• It’s a common mistake to make the nappy bigger than it needs to be. If in doubt, size down!

You might find that you need to adjust up and down between two settings for a few weeks as your baby moves up to the next size. Eventually you’ll find they settle into the new setting and you can then leave those snaps in place until you need to adjust in a few months’ time.

For more detailed instructions on how to fit our nappies, take a look at our fit guide.

Can I use birth-to-potty nappies on multiple children?

Yes! One of the benefits of using one size nappies is that you can use the same set of nappies for multiple children, and simply adjust the size as needed when you put the nappy on. Just remember that you’ll need a few more nappies in your stash.