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| An article by Lizzy Bazley and Aki MacFarlane with additions from Alicia Norman, Hannah Ruth & Emily Perretti |
For Reusable Nappy Week 2025, we have decided to put our collective knowledge together to create…
The ultimate guide to buying second hand reusable nappies!
Not all reusable nappies are made (or treated or stored) equal, so here are our top tips for getting the best out of your second-hand purchases.
The headlines:
Consider what nappy brands you are buying and whether they will be good value for money
Look for thorough, detailed and honest listings
Try and assess the condition of the nappies, and request more photos if needed
Always pay through a platform that offers buyer protection e.g. PayPal Goods and Services
When your second-hand nappies arrive, check their condition immediately, and don’t forget to strip wash them before you start using them
The details:
Consider what nappy brands you are buying and whether they will be good value for money
Look up the price of the nappies when bought new – are they economy brands? And/or only sold by big online retailers who aren’t specialist cloth nappy retailers (e.g. Amazon, Temu, Shein, AliExpress)? Brands with low RRP are often lower quality and unlikely to last multiple children. They may also not suit your washing and drying needs e.g. they may not be able to withstand tumble drying. Some brands that we have used and found to have good quality and longevity for their price point include Poppets, Easy Peasy and Little LoveBum, but there are other great brands out there. It’s worth taking a minute to check the reputation of the brand you’re considering buying.
Look for thorough, detailed and honest listings
The first thing to consider when purchasing second hand is the quality of the listing. A good second-hand advert will provide clear, detailed honest descriptions of the nappies, providing information about:
How well used the nappies are, covering points like whether the seller purchased them new, how many babies they have been used on, whether they were part of a large or small rotation of nappies,
Characteristics of the household they come from e.g. are there any pets, is it a smoke-free home
What wash routine the seller used. You are looking for reassurance that the nappies have been thoroughly cleaned after each use, as poor washing over a long period of time can wear the nappies out faster. We have always been satisfied with the The Nappy Lady washing instructions for reusable nappies.
If the nappies have been stored unused for any significant time, how they were stored. You are looking for nappies that have been stored in a breathable container like a cardboard box, in a fairly heat stable room like a bedroom. Beware nappies stored in a sealed plastic box (not enough air flow), or in a loft or garage (where temperatures can fluctuate massively)
If the seller doesn’t provide this level of detail, and doesn’t offer it to you when you ask questions… be cautious.
Try and assess the condition of the nappies, and request more photos if needed
There should be good quality photos, with any stains/damage photographed. If you can’t see it – ask to see the inside of any nappies you plan to buy to check for damage.
For two-parters and booster or inserts made of natural fabrics such as cotton, bamboo and hemp, check for signs that the fabric is thinning, also known as balding. If this is starting to happen, there won’t be much life left in them. This article is a great reference to show what balding fabrics can look like.
If they are velcro fastening nappies– does the velcro look in good condition? Needing to be cleared of fluff isn’t necessarily an issue (use a nit comb!), but if they are curled and looking in poor condition they might not stick well enough for a more mobile child.
If you are buying pockets/all in twos or wraps – pay careful attention to the PUL – any nicks or cracks and they are unlikely to be water resistant any more.
Always pay through a platform that offers buyer protection e.g. PayPal Goods and Services
Protect yourself and only buy using PayPal Goods and Services, or a similar service like those offered as standard by Vinted and eBay. This will provide you with some buyer protection, should you find the goods are not in the condition described, or if the parcel gets lost in the post. There is a small fee for this buyer protection, but often sellers will cover this cost as part of the price of the nappies.
When your second-hand nappies arrive, check their condition immediately, and don’t forget to strip wash them before you start using them
Check the nappies as soon as they arrive, so that you can raise any issues with the seller if needed. Don’t forget to check things that would have been difficult to see in the photos, like whether the elastics are still springy, and very gently stretch the water-resistant PUL layer to check for cracks.
Strip wash all second-hand nappies. This is to ensure the nappies are fully “reset” and ready for you to use. A strip wash can take care of any faint smells like mustiness from storage, or a strongly perfumed detergent used by the seller. Click here for how to strip wash reusable nappies.
We hope those were helpful tips for buying second-hand. However, even with sustainability in mind, it’s still important to consider when to buy nappies new.
You do not need to buy new cloth nappies for a new baby - good quality cloth nappies are designed to be able to be strip-washed to ensure they are clean and sanitary ready for their next user.
However, it makes more sense to buy some parts of your nappies new. Wraps in particular are worth considering buying new, as they don’t last as long and are pretty essential to preventing nappy leaks! Whereas fleece liners are fairly indestructible, so it’s difficult to go wrong buying those second-hand.
If you can, consider buying new nappies to support the cloth nappy economy and keep quality cloth nappy companies in business. A lot of the reputable nappy companies are small, family-oriented and working with small profit margins (even if they look like they might be a big enterprise). Even the larger retailers are working as a market for lots of smaller brands – they work hard to promote small independent companies so that their products get enough reach to keep them afloat. Without these small businesses, there will be no high-quality replacement nappies coming into the second-hand market in just a few short years!
