Why hire cloth nappies?
Hiring nappies is the best choice if you are keen to start using cloth but you don’t know where to start or which brands to go for. Hiring a kit gives you the opportunity to try a variety of styles, types and brands to see exactly what works best for you and your baby. This way you don’t need to spend money on nappies that might not work for you, and it saves you a lot of stress too.
How long can I hire for?
Standard hire period is for 4 weeks for Birth To Potty Kits and 6 weeks for the Newborn ones. However, you can extend the hire period 1-4 weeks at a time, for a maximum of 12 weeks, for an extra £8 a week. Extensions, however, are subject to availability so, if you think you would like to keep them for longer then please let us know as soon as possible. Long term hire is perfect if you think your child is near potty training or if you want to fully use the hire kit before buying your own nappies.
What’s in the kit?
You’ll receive the nappy kit requested along with extra boosters, liners and wetbags (for details on the content of full time, part-time, night and newborn kits respectively, please read on the booking section).
You can also choose to add a 12pack of cloth wipes to keep for £7.99.
In the kit you’ll also find: a wash guide, a fit guide, list of nappies included, terms and conditions of hire and a 10% off voucher to use on your first purchase in our shop (valid on all full price items; no minimum spend).
Furthermore, if you fall in love with a particular print or style in your hire kit, you may have the opportunity to buy it for 20% off RRP.
The kits are mainly made up with excellent condition, sanitised nappies which are ready for you to use, but there may also be a few brand new nappies too. Whenever possible, we’ll prewash brand new nappies and inserts to remove factory residue and increase absorption, so they’re ready for you to use. If we aren’t able to prewash brand new nappies due to a lack of time between hirers, we’ll let you know and you will need to prewash them (this might happen with new boosters, flat or fitted bamboo and hemp nappies which -unlike AIOs, AI2s and pockets- need a few washes to become fully absorbent, hence they require more time to prep).
Health and Safety
My Mini Hippo is fully insured to carry out the Nappy Library Service.
The nappies in our hire kits are in excellent condition, either brand new or sanitised to high standards to ensure the safety of your child, following HSE guidelines (see below).
We provide personalised wash routines to fit with your lifestyle and preferences. We also provide ongoing support throughout the hire period and beyond.
How are the nappies cleaned between hirers?
We follow HSE guidelines for cleaning and sanitising nappies, as also advised by Cloth Nappy Nerds who carried out a thorough research on nappy sanitising methods.
https://www.clothnappynerds.com/sanitise-cloth-nappies
https://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/blood-borne-viruses/laundry-treatments.htm
All prefolds, muslins, terries, boosters, inserts and fleece liners go through a 90 degree wash with a full dose of detergent and oxy stain remover. All items with PUL are bleach sanitised at the HSE recommendations of 150ppm concentration to disinfect low risk items and washed at 60 degrees with a full dose of detergent and oxy stain remover. This ensures that the nappies are adequately sanitised to kill any potential pathogens and break down ammonia. It also ensures the nappies are visibly clean, smell fresh and stain free.
Once washed, the nappies without PUL are tumble dried to keep them nice and soft for your use, while those with PUL are air dried.
You’ll receive your kit ready to use on your baby as we sanitise nappies between hirers, so you do not need to sanitise your hire kit either before or after use.
However if you go on to buy 2nd hand nappies or if your child develops a fungal infection or suspected ammonia build up then you may wish to sanitise them. If this is the case, you can follow Cloth Nappy Nerds strip and sanitising method and use their Bleach Dilution Calculator online. If unsure, please do get in touch and we’ll be happy to help you even beyond the hire period.
How do I get the nappies and how do I send them back?
We provide a postal hire service so we can post to anywhere in the UK. If you live in Norwich, you can collect the kit at no extra cost. Get in touch to receive the collection address.
If using the postal hire, nappies are posted to you within 7 days of ordering the hire kit and hire starts once you have received them.
You are to post or drop off the hire kit back on or before the end date of the hire period.
You may send the nappies back early but you will not receive a refund of the unused weeks. If you are having any difficulties with the nappies please get in touch, if you need extra boosters or fit advice then we can help. We may be able to exchange some nappies for a small fee too if you are not getting along with specific brands in your hire kit.
Your deposit is returned once the nappies are received back, in their entirety and in good condition. For further information see T&Cs of hire.