How to care for your KO-COON pieces

Everything we make is natural fibre: merino wool, cotton knit, muslin, lala palm and birch. Looked after properly, it lasts through every stage, and often through the next baby too.

This guide covers how to wash, dry and store each piece, and which spares and add-ons save you a wash. Jump to your product below, or save the quick reference for wash day.

Jump to:

• Five rules for everything we make
• Quick wash reference
• Moses baskets and stands
• Merino Nesting Pod 3-in-1
• Merino mattress and Puddle Pads
• Cot and toddler bedding
• Changing baskets and padding
• Sleepwear, swaddles and blankets
• Feeding
• Play
• The spares list

Five rules for everything we make

1. Merino goes on a wool cycle. Use a wool detergent, cold water and the lowest spin. This applies to every wool part: mattress, border, Puddle Pads, pillows and nursing pads.
2. Never tumble dry. Nothing we make goes in the dryer. Heat shrinks cotton knit and felts wool. Dry flat, in the shade.
3. Air your wool between washes. Merino needs less washing than you'd think. Air it regularly and rotate the mattress weekly for even wear.
4. Cover the wool. Slipcovers, nest covers and Puddle Pads take the spills, so the merino stays clean between washes.
5. Two of everything that touches baby. One on, one in the wash. Spills and leaks are part of baby life; a spare means no waiting for things to dry.

Quick wash reference

Material	Pieces	How to wash
Merino wool	Mattress / Pod base, Pod border, Puddle Pads, pillows, toddler duvet, nursing pads	Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, lowest spin. Dry flat in the shade.
Merino nappy liners	Nappy liners	Rinse first if soiled. Wool cycle, wool detergent, no spin.
Cotton knit	Nest covers, slipcovers, liners, sheets, pillowcases, sleepwear, bibs, burp cloths	Gentle or delicate cycle, cold water, lowest spin. Kimono up to 30°C.
Quilted cotton padding	Changing padding	Gentle cycle, cold water, minimum spin.
Cotton muslin and quilted playmat	Muslin blanket, muslin burp cloths, feeding pillow cover, playmat	Light cycle at 20°C, minimum spin.
Cotton fleece	Sensory blanket with silk ears	Hand wash or gentle cycle, cold or lukewarm, mild detergent. Dry flat.
Lala palm, leather, birch, clear mat	Baskets, handles, stands, travel mat	Wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Let it dry fully.

Never tumble dry. Nothing we make goes in the dryer.

Moses baskets and stands

The basket is lala palm, handwoven in Malawi. We attach the leather or hemp handles in our Cape Town studio. The Rocker and Foldable stands are solid birch. Natural fibre stays fresh with dusting, vacuuming and fresh air.

How to wash

• Basket: dust and vacuum: Dust with a soft brush or cloth once a week, ideally each time you change the liner. Vacuum with a brush attachment every two weeks to clear the weave.
• Basket: air it: Air it regularly in a well-ventilated room and in indirect sunlight. Keep it away from bathrooms and other damp spots. If it gets damp, dry it with a fan, never a heater. Check it more often in humid months: winter in the Cape, summer up north.
• Basket: wipe: Wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Never soak it or use bleach. Let it dry completely before the bedding goes back in.
• Leather and hemp handles: Wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth.
• Rocker and Foldable stand: Wipe clean like any wooden furniture. After moving the Rocker, check the side safety brackets still sit snug against the basket.
• Fitted liner: Gentle cycle, air dry. Newborns sweat a lot, so wash it every few days, sooner after an accident.
• Slipcover: Gentle or delicate cycle, cold water, lowest spin.

Spotted mould or mildew? Follow our step-by-step basket cleaning guide. Read the guide →

How to dress the basket, bottom to top

1. Fitted liner
2. Merino mattress
3. Puddle Pad
4. Slipcover

Spares and what to pair it with

• Keep two slipcovers and two liners: one in the basket, one in the wash.
• Add a Puddle Pad between the mattress and the slipcover. It catches leaks before they reach the merino.
• Stand weight limits cover basket, bedding and baby together: Rocker 20 kg, Foldable stand 14–15 kg.
• Use the basket until your baby can sit up unaided or pull themselves up. After that it becomes storage, and the Rocker becomes a rocking horse.

Back to top ↑

Merino Nesting Pod 3-in-1

The pod has two wool parts, the base and the 1.9 m border, and two stretch cotton covers, newborn and 4m+. The covers take the daily wear, so the wool needs washing far less often.

How to wash

• Base and border (merino): Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, lowest spin. Dry flat in the shade. Air them regularly and rotate the base weekly.
• Newborn and 4m+ covers: Delicate cycle, cold water, lowest spin. Dry flat so the stretch knit keeps its shape.
• Noodle pillow cover: Gentle or delicate cycle, cold water, lowest spin.
• Storing it: Make sure every part is completely dry, then pack it in the cotton carry bag.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Keep a spare newborn cover. One on the nest, one in the wash.
• Lay a Puddle Pad between the base and the cover to protect the merino.
• A nest cover can double as a slipcover. A slipcover can't form a nest: it has no stretch.
• Using the border on its own as a cot bumper? Dress it in a noodle pillow cover, and keep two.

Back to top ↑

Merino mattress and Puddle Pads

The merino Moses mattress is the same piece as the Nesting Pod base. Puddle Pads are quilted merino sealed inside woven cotton, made to sit under the sheet and catch what gets through.

How to wash

• Moses mattress / Pod base: Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, lowest spin. Dry flat in the shade. Always use it with a slipcover.
• Puddle Pad (Moses 40 × 60 cm, cot 120 × 60 cm): Wool cycle or hand wash, cool water, lowest spin. Dry flat.
• Why it works: Merino holds up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet. The tight cotton weave keeps the wool in place, wash after wash.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Protect the mattress with a Puddle Pad under the slipcover. A leak then means washing a pad, not a mattress.
• Keep two Puddle Pads, especially in the early months and when travelling.
• The cot Puddle Pad also works as a changing mat, a nap mat at playschool or a floor play mat.
• Keep wool away from heaters and the dryer. Dry it flat; hanging wet wool stretches it.

Back to top ↑

Cot and toddler bedding

Merino duvets and pillows, plus their cotton covers, pillowcases and fitted sheets.

How to wash

• Merino toddler duvet and pillow: Wool cycle, wool detergent. Dry flat. The duvet can be used without a cover.
• Merino baby and toddler pillow inners: Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, minimum spin.
• Anti-reflux wedge: Remove the cotton sleeve and wash it on a wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, low spin. Lay flat to dry.
• Pillowcases, duvet cover set, cot fitted sheet: Gentle cycle, cold water.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Keep a spare pillowcase so the pillow always has a clean one.
• Moving to a cot? Lay a cot Puddle Pad over the mattress, under the fitted sheet.
• The noodle pillow slides under the cot's fitted sheet to soften the edge during the move from basket to cot.

Back to top ↑

Changing baskets and padding

The changing basket is handwoven lala palm. Each quilted cotton padding is made to fit its own basket.

How to wash

• Changing basket and leather handles: Wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth.
• Quilted padding: Gentle cycle, cold water, minimum spin.
• Clear travel mat: Wipe with a damp cloth and air dry.
• Merino nappy liners: Rinse in cold water first if soiled. Wool cycle, wool detergent, no spin.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Lay the clear mat over the padding. Most changes then need a wipe, not a wash.
• Keep a spare padding so you're never without one while the other dries.
• Heading out? Take the padding and clear mat with you.
• Don't carry the basket with your baby in it.

Back to top ↑

Sleepwear, swaddles and blankets

Cotton knit, muslin and fleece. All of it shrinks in heat, so cold water and air drying keep sizes true.

How to wash

• Zipped swaddle, beanie, receiving blanket: Gentle cycle, cold water.
• Kimono sleeping bag: Gentle cycle at 30°C, low spin.
• Muslin blanket with bunny hood: Light cycle at 20°C, minimum spin.
• Sensory blanket with silk ears: Hand wash or gentle cycle, cold or lukewarm, mild detergent. Dry flat. Cotton fleece may shrink slightly.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Close zips and poppers before washing so they don't catch other pieces.
• Wash new sleepwear once before first use.
• Two swaddles or kimonos cover the night when one gets a leak.

Back to top ↑

Feeding

The pregnancy and feeding pillow, nursing pads, burp cloths and bibs.

How to wash

• Pregnancy + feeding pillow inner: Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, minimum spin.
• Muslin pillow cover: Light cycle at 20°C, minimum spin.
• Merino nursing pads: Wool cycle, wool detergent, cold water, lowest spin.
• Burp cloths and drool bibs: Gentle cycle, cold water. Muslin burp cloths: light cycle at 20°C.

Spares and what to pair it with

• Keep a spare pillow cover. It protects the wool inner and saves washing the whole pillow.
• Change nursing pads as soon as one feels damp, and keep a few pairs on rotation.
• Three burp cloths: one on your shoulder, one in the nappy bag, one in the wash.

Back to top ↑

Play

The quilted playmat, the MOON play gym frame, and the cot Puddle Pad as a second playmat.

How to wash

• Quilted playmat: Light cycle at 20°C, minimum spin.
• MOON frame: Wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth.

Spares and what to pair it with

• The playmat folds into a baby bag for visits and picnics.
• The cot Puddle Pad (120 × 60 cm) also works as a playmat: soft, absorbent and machine washable on a wool cycle.

Back to top ↑

The spares list: one on, one in the wash

☐ Slipcover	×2	Moses mattress / Pod base
☐ Fitted liner	×2	Moses basket
☐ Puddle Pad	×2	Moses, Pod or cot
☐ Newborn nest cover	spare	Nesting Pod
☐ Noodle pillow cover	×2	Cot bumper / border
☐ Changing padding	spare	Changing basket
☐ Clear travel mat	×1	Over the padding
☐ Feeding pillow cover	spare	Pregnancy + feeding pillow
☐ Toddler pillowcase	spare	Toddler pillow
☐ Nursing pads	2–3 pairs	On rotation
☐ Burp cloths	×3	Shoulder, bag, wash

Questions

Not sure how to wash something? Send us a WhatsApp or visit ko-coon.co.za. We reply within one working day: Monday to Thursday 8am–2pm, Friday 8am–12pm.