Reusable/washable/cloth nappies

Krystaltips

I still have a box of terry squares... They were just used to clean the kitchen floor!

Might boil them up soon ready for the next one!

becs

Anguk,

I keep having the conversation with friends about how different they are since my mum used them on me! I haven't any little ones yet but I keep saying I'm keen to try washables, I have said I'm not saying I will stick with them but I would at least like to give them a go. The financial aspect is a bonus but to be honest I just like them more than disposables. They are so soft and natural. I don't like the thought of the plastics and chemical gels etc in disposables. I've also said if my mum could cope with the terry towelling and plastic pants with big nappy pins 35 years ago before washing machines were as good as they are now and tumble dryers etc then I'm sure it has to be alot easier with the new designs of washables.
It has to be said I'm also an exceptionally anally organised person which I'm sure could help!

do_it_today!

Hi all :hello:
Im expecting my first in November and have acquired a variety of re-useable nappies.
Im abit worried
does anyone have a set routine of managing reusable nappies? in total I have about 30 - I also recently bought a 2nd spin dryer for the nappies and have a tumble dryer and washing machine - roughly how many nappies are used a day? how often are they washed? do people pre- soak or just put straight in the washing machine?
I have a variety of motherease / Kushie wraps that need inserts? and prefolds (which arent prefolded at all? )

your help is appreciated.

Thanks :T

Js_Other_Half

I can only say from my own experiences - and for the first 3 months I used disposables. I think I used at least 10 disposable nappies a day when DS was tiny?
Anyway, I have two large buckets with lids. I dry pail each used nappy, along with the fleece liners. Generally now he uses up to 4 a day (disposable at night).Once one bucket is full (about 10/12 nappies - motherease with inserts)I shove that into the washing machine (leaving the other bucket for the next lot). I used to soak the nappies, but that was an accident waiting to happen, and it didn't do much good anyway. I wash the nappies on 60 with some napisan (I know I shouldn't...), and then out them on an airer in the event of no sunshine( 360 days of the year?). I've actually got an airer from Minky that fits in the bath and takes all of the nappies and the washable wipes.

I used some cheap washclothes from poundland (6 to pack I think) and made up a wash solution in a water spray bottle. I just spray the wipe once I've got most of the solid stuff off using some toilet paper...
I buy the baby bits soap from here:
http://www.babykind.co.uk/wipes.htm#babybits. I'm still on the first pack of 50 - 17 months on!

I should think you'll find your own routine, but I've a friend with twins who used to do the nappies every evening after tea whilst her husband cleaned up. The motherease aren't too quick drying in my experience, but I bought enough second hand for that not to be an issue.

hth

nuttywoman

Don`t know whether anyone is interested in this http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=268646.0
If your handy at sewing or know someone who is, its instructions on how to make a newborn ecco friendly nappy.

joannasmum

do_it_today! wrote: »

Hi all :hello:
Im expecting my first in November and have acquired a variety of re-useable nappies.
Im abit worried
does anyone have a set routine of managing reusable nappies? in total I have about 30 - I also recently bought a 2nd spin dryer for the nappies and have a tumble dryer and washing machine - roughly how many nappies are used a day? how often are they washed? do people pre- soak or just put straight in the washing machine?
I have a variety of motherease / Kushie wraps that need inserts? and prefolds (which arent prefolded at all? )

your help is appreciated.

Thanks :T

I can only go off what I did. I used shaped nappies from 2 weeks. I used a large bucket with a lid from Focus i think. I had 2 large nets bag that I put inside I think I got them from Twinkle on the web. I washed in the evening every other day while dh was bathing dd. I just threw the whole lot in in the net bag wiped out the bucket and put a clean net in it. I also used face cloths with a spray bottle for cleaning up. TBH I can't remember how many nappies we used in the early day but would imagine it was between 8-10.

I hung on the maiden overnight and had one of those multi-peg things for the £1 shop to hang the facecloths on. Next morning they either went on the line or if necessary I used the dryer for abit. One thing I did that helped was an extra spin at the end of the cycle to get more water out but not all washers let you do that.

HelenD_2

Hello All

First post on this thread since having my baby boy, Isaac on 21st July - 3 weeks early :0)

inaspin_3

shirlgirl2004 wrote: »

Or you can just get advice from people that know about the different sorts of cloth nappies and can recommend what is most likely to suit your family circumstances and baby.

Not all cloth nappies are equal some are better than others. Personally I think Bambino Mio and Kushies are rubbish. Far too many leaks for my liking. I got free advice from www.thenappylady.co.uk and didn't have to buy loads of trial nappies, although just out of interest I did buy others such as Kushies later on. If you buy a decent cloth nappy you'll get far fewer leaks than disposables. I bought small size nappies for £5.95 each, I used them on two babies and then sold them for £3.00 each. Now that's what I call moneysaving! I haven't finished with the larger size yet but DD2 is nearly 18 months and almost potty trained so it won't be long before I can sell them on and get a bit more cash back :j

I do agree with getting advice from how others get on, that's how I went about choosing bambino mios, but if you didnt get on with them at all but I do perfectly, shows that reusable nappies vary on each baby and family. I think if you know someone thats got a couple it's worth asking if you could try them. I think whatever you buy, they are a great investment though, I bought some of mine from usednappies and think i'll probably be able to sell them for what I bought them for

Congratulations HelenD! x

Bree

do_it_today! wrote: »

Hi all :hello:
Im expecting my first in November and have acquired a variety of re-useable nappies.
Im abit worried
does anyone have a set routine of managing reusable nappies? in total I have about 30 - I also recently bought a 2nd spin dryer for the nappies and have a tumble dryer and washing machine - roughly how many nappies are used a day? how often are they washed? do people pre- soak or just put straight in the washing machine?
I have a variety of motherease / Kushie wraps that need inserts? and prefolds (which arent prefolded at all? )

your help is appreciated.

Thanks :T

I used cloth nappies when I had my eldest, which put me off them for a while, but I reverted back to cloth when I had my younger ones.

I can tell you what I used to do, I used tots bots shaped nappies, and a varitety of wraps, I also used fleece liners.
I brought a flip lid bin and just lobbed the used nappies in it. The mucky ones where slushed in the toilet first. I did a load a day I think, then either line dried them outdoors or in the garage if was raining, the tumble dryer was the last resort. Sometimes when they had been line dried they became a bit like cardboard, but a quick blast in the tumble dryer soon softened them. I did'nt soak them at all. I can'nt remember how many I got through in a day though, 8 rings a bell though, not sure if that was just during the day or including the night as well. My youngest is 6 now, so its a few years since I washed nappies.

flea72

i dont think its that people dont get on with bambin mios, its that once you try something else, you realise they are fairly basic in comparrison, and the quirks you found with them, you realise arent quirks, they are design faults that up til that point you have accepted

I personally too have had no probs with bambino mios, they do the job. But, they are bulky, the wraps are fairly poor quality compared to others on the market, and they are aimed at the gullible novice. For some reason they have got the market sharehold for the highstreet, and are the only washable nappy freely available to people who dont have internet access. Tots bots have just started to get some high street publicity but when you compare the start up costs to bambino mios, TBs will loose out every time

In all honesty i think the birth to potty pack of bambino mios, is why alot of people give up on cloth so easily. If this is the only readily available option, at a reasonable price, then the idea of cloth being as easy as disps, is totally blown away.

Yes, the environment is most peoples main reason for trying cloth, but as soon as it gets to being a bit more work to your day, you will soon give up. Much in the same way, if you use one brand of disps and keep getting blow-outs, you soon swap brands. the only prob if using cloth, your options are limited, and you would rather use disps, than splash out money on another cloth nappy, that might or might not work

Its for that reason i would never recommend bambino mios to anyone. At least if you recommend something that suits the masses, and has a good sound following, then you know that someone new to cloth, might not be put off so soon into their usage

You only have to look in any newspaper free ads to see that bambino mios were a waste of time, as there are loads for sale. Now if they were selling them as cleaning cloths, id buy loads, as they are great for dusting, and last years!

Flea