Pop-In FAQ
Having trouble with your Pop-ins? Hopefully our handy troubleshooting guide should be able to help!
But if you're still finding you're struggling, don't be shy and drop an email to hello@closeparent.com and she'll be happy to help with any problems or queries you might have!
For full time use we recommend buying 20 nappies. This will mean in the early days you’ll have a day’s worth to wash and a day’s worth to dry when you’re washing every day. Later on you can wash less frequently.
All the boxes come in mixed, plain unisex colours, either bright colours or pastel colours.
Please be aware that if you try to use fewer than 20 nappies for full time use, the nappies, being washed more frequently, won’t last as long. Equally you don’t need too many more than 20, it may make the first few weeks easier on the washing front but long term you won’t need them. Though it’s hard to resist adding the odd printed nappy to the collection – sold separately as single nappies – they’re always nice to have!
The newborn nappies work differently to the Pop-in one size nappies, they come in a box containing 6 outershells and 10 soakers/boosters. Most families find they just need the one box to see them through the first few weeks, the intention being that you can change just the soaker/booster at most nappy changes as the outershell shouldn’t often get dirty, and the nappies are quick to dry after washing so you can rotate the whole stash very quickly.
The newborn nappies are intended for those lower wetting but higher frequency changes that you will encounter in the first few weeks, when you can be changing up to 10 nappies a day. They can be used with a very small or premature baby and will last basically until your baby has grown into the one-size Pop-in nappy… this could be anything from 4 weeks to 4 months!
The Pop-in nappies are intended for use for up to around 2 - 2 ½ years when most children are potty trained, but of course washing conditions and detergent use differ from family to family so we cannot guarantee every nappy will last exactly 2 ½ years. Every baby is different and will potty train at different ages, but they’re called birth to potty nappies to indicate that once your baby is big enough to fit into them you don’t need to change sizes and buy new nappies as your baby grows, you’ll just continue to use the same nappy, changing the size setting using the poppers. Please note that all our nappies are intended for use for one baby, not more than one.
The nappies are one size only, and fit most babies from birth to potty (8-35lbs) but obviously all babies are different shapes and sizes! The weights for the different popper settings are only a rough guide and you’ll need to use your judgement about when to change up popper settings. If you can get a snug fit on your baby around the waist and thighs so that there are no gaps but they are not too tight then the fit is probably a good one. When it seems to get a bit tight then try moving up a setting, and don’t be afraid to experiment (hopefully without causing too many leaks!).
If your baby is just a few months old and you’re getting a bit worried that you have gone all the way up the sizing and you’re on the biggest size already, don’t worry, what we tend to find is that babies change shape quite radically when they start to crawl and then walk, and their waist and thighs slim down even though they continue to grow and get bigger. So the nappies magically still fit!
When your baby is small the night time booster will generally be too bulky to use together with the whole nappy. However the Pop-in nappy system is intended to be flexible so that you can use the different parts to suit the absorbency needs of your baby. So for instance you could un-popper a booster off another nappy and add it into your usual day time nappy to increase the absorbency for night time. (Or we do sell general boosters separately to boost the nappy during the day or night if you want to keep all your nappies intact!) This would be less bulky than the night time booster but should give you the absorbency you need for your baby overnight. If it’s not quite enough you could try using 2 soakers inside the nappy instead. It’s basically trying out different combinations to see which works for you. When your baby is older the intention is that you would use all 3 parts together, (the soaker, booster and night time booster) once your baby is big enough and sleeping through… isn’t it great to reach that stage!
It’s very unusual for the bamboo nappy to leak, if you find that it does the first thing to check is whether or not the nappy inside is completely soaking when you take it off? If the soaker and booster are completely soaked through then your baby needs more absorbency in the nappy. We sell general boosters separately to increase the absorbency of the nappy but you could try adding in a booster from another nappy to see if it solves the problem first. Sometimes this can seem to begin very suddenly and you may wonder why, but if your baby is perhaps 14 months+ then it’s very possible that they’re beginning to get ready for potty training, and they start to hold the wee in for longer periods so when they do release it there’s quite a large amount all at once, flooding the nappy! A bit more absorbency should help for a while… If on the other hand the nappy isn’t completely soaked through but still leaking then it’s more likely to be the fit of the nappy on the baby. Have you recently changed the popper setting, or perhaps you need to change the popper setting? You may go through short periods of unsettlement during these growth periods, and it may be a case of trying to fit the nappy on in a slightly different way, experimenting with how the tabs fit around the waist for instance, or how high up on the back the nappy sits when you’re putting it on. If you experiment but still have problems do feel free to contact us for suggestions!
The Minkee nappy is designed with fast wicking, fast drying materials – so the nappy quickly moves the moisture away from baby’s bottom to keep baby drier than in the bamboo nappy, and also when it is washed it dries very quickly so that you can use the nappy again soon. It’s intended for more frequent changes but with a quicker laundry cycle. The compromise with this nappy is that it isn’t as absorbent as bamboo, so it can’t be left on the baby for as long. So where you could leave the bamboo nappy on your baby for 3-4 hours, with the Minkee you’ll need to change baby every 2-3 hours. Changing the baby an hour sooner makes a big difference with this nappy!
The other thing to check is the popper setting you have the nappy on. The nappy needs to fit snugly on the baby but not too tight, as microfibre fabrics have a tendency to suffer from ‘compression wetness’ which is that because the material ‘holds’ the liquid, rather than absorbing it, it can get squeezed out if the fit is too tight, or if for instance a vest over the top is tight, causing leaks before the nappy is even full.
We recommend washing a reasonable amount together (12-15 nappies) as fewer nappies make it less environmentally friendly, but don’t overcrowd the load as the nappies need plenty of room to agitate in the wash to thoroughly clean them.
If you have a higher water setting on your washing machine then it’s worth using it at least once in a while, as lower water levels just don’t wash as well and can leave your nappies a bit smelly still – see the advice below if this happens!
Never use biological detergents, bleaching agents, enzymes or brighteners on your Pop-ins (most soaking solutions contain one or more of these) as they will deteriorate the fabric and will reduce the lifespan of your nappies, particularly the bamboo nappies. Likewise vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, washing sodas etc will all deteriorate the fabric. Fabric softeners or dryer sheets will coat your nappies making them less absorbent so avoid these too!
This isn’t something you should need to do very often, it’s only required if, over time, you have a massive build up of detergent on your nappies causing them to be less absorbent. So if you don’t have a problem, don’t strip wash! This should also fix any problem of nappies still smelling after washing.
So, if you find that the nappies seem far less absorbent than they used to be (as opposed to your baby doing much bigger wees as they grow!) or if they still smell even when you’ve washed them, and you suspect detergent build up to be the case then you could try strip washing your nappies. Start with a cold wash (or max 30 degrees) with no detergent. No need to dry, then a hot wash (60 degrees) on a long cycle again with no detergent and hopefully you shouldn't see any soap suds during this wash.
As an ongoing routine it’s a good idea to rinse the nappies on a cold rinse before washing at 60 degrees, this will help prevent smells and stains from setting in the wash.
Assuming the average room temperature is 18 degrees, over a line the nappies should take the following amount of time to dry:
Outershell: approx. 2-3 hours
Minkee soaker/booster: approx. 4-6 hours
Bamboo soaker/booster: approx. 24 hours
Never tumble your outershell or leave it in contact with direct heat (such as a hot radiator) as this will deteriorate the waterproofing.
You can tumble dry the inner parts once in a while if necessary, so separate the soaker and booster from the outershell and tumble dry on a low heat. It can help to revitalise bamboo fibres keeping them nice and soft. We only recommend tumble drying infrequently to maximise the lifespan of the product, as otherwise, all the fluff that’s collected in the filter of your machine is your nappy wearing away!
First of all, we would recommend a cold wash before your normal wash as part of your usual routine, as this will help prevent stains and smells from setting in the wash.
If you have a higher water setting on your washing machine then it’s worth using it at least once in a while, as lower water levels just don’t wash as well and can leave your nappies a bit smelly still! If you do have a problem with the nappies still smelling keep using the higher water setting with every wash.
If after a few washes the nappies still smell then try doing a strip wash – see instructions for this above.
If they still smell after strip washing, try adding a small amount of Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser to your wash, and repeat if necessary.
This can happen with the bamboo nappies, particularly in hard water areas. Ensure that the nappies are rinsed well enough after washing to get rid of all the detergent – if you can still see bubbles in the machine at the end of the rinse cycle try doing another rinse. Some people recommend adding vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften the nappies, but please don’t do this as the vinegar will deteriorate the fibres of the nappy. Tumble drying just the soakers & boosters for a very short period of time can help revitalise the fibres and bring the softness back, even 5 minutes in the machine can help. See the separate advice on tumble drying above.
Thorough washing of nappies is crucial if your baby has thrush, and we would recommend trying the Dettol Anti-Bacterial Laundry Cleanser, which can be used in conjunction with your usual detergent and is said to kill off bacteria…