Reusable/washable/cloth nappies

LilMissEmmylou

I am another who loves cloth (however at the moment I am mixed using between dispos and washables for various reasons... mainly OH cant be assed with reuseables)

From reading this thread I can honestly say the research referred to at the start was flawed. Not a little flawed... but majorly! They went on the basis we all used terry towels, washed at 90 degrees after soaking in napisan etc, tumble dried and then ironed! What the heck!? Find me a cloth user who does that and i will give you a gold star!! And I know a lot of cloth users!!! All nappies where also brand new... I for one know most of my nappies where 2nd hand and I have sold them on as DD grew out of them.

I washed my nappies 2 - 3 days a week, no need for a daily wash. I used 50% of the rec washing powder and no fabric softner as it plays with the fabrics absorbancy. I dried on a clothes airer or the washing line and what the heck would be the point in ironing them?! And more to the point, pocket nappies and wraps CAN NOT be ironed or you would damage them! Same with tumble drying, too high a temp would mess with the elastics. So err yes.... I can see how both are equally bad for the environment.... not.

I am not a big fan of disposables as they put down the lower male sperm count down to the higher temp created by the plastic on them. Also the chemicals arent a big thing I want on my babies bottom either.

The average cloth user will/should have 20 nappies to ensure they only wash at most every other day. The average cloth nappy will last 3 hours before needing changed unless a poo has been done. They r stored in a nappy bucket which may or may not have a nappy net in it. if u have a nappy net u chuck it in the wash rather than lifting the individual nappies again. You can wash at 40o no problem using a 60o wash once or twice a week and at times when your baby has an upset tummy etc.

Another great company to check out is lollipop (forget their url but google lollipop childrens products). I used to be a rep for them and we go out to your house or have you to ours if you would rather and show you lots of different types, talk you through how they work and what would work best for you as an individual.

oh and im also a bad mummy along with the other non ironers... I am sure I have an iron my mum gave me at 18 when I left home.... just never used it....

halia

for those who asked about my using washables and them leaking. I went via a nappy recomendation site (nappylady I think) and got a trial kit, sized for my baby. I had ones with nappynippas and ones with velcro.

ALL of them leaked, now I have occasionally had a disposable leak - after a 12 hr night when daddy forgot to change the nappy at the 11pm bottle feed! However the washables were awful, he was constantly wet and sore, I tried extra inserts, extra pads, different types of covers and nothing worked. It was an incredible amount of hassle.

shirlgirl2004

Did you contact the Nappylady advisor and tell them about the leaks? Did they work through the problems with you? Did you manage to meet with a cloth user that could check you were putting them on properly? Sorry I have never heard of someone having a problem with leaks that hasn't been cureable. Of course you could always be the first!

fernliebee

I think thats the thing with re-usables is finding ones that are right for you. Personally I never even entertained the idea of disposables, my mum used ducky diaper laundry service 17 years ago when they first came over from US and my logic was, if I could change him when I was 8 years old, I would be fine now! The main thing for me is the chemicals, I take a lot of care over what I use on my own sensitive skin so it just seems natural to want the same for my DD.

I decided to use prefolds as do most laundry services, and figured that they would be fine. For the most part they were, as I mentioned above I have had a few leaks but personally would much rather do a bit more washing and keep LO out of disposables. I found that now she is bigger and has moved up a size she never leaks. I also now use mother ease wraps with popolini 2 size nappies that I was given brand new from a local recycling co. Now that is MSE

I did find that the paper liners made my LO bum sore but changed to fleece liners and never been a problem since. If you are determined and seek advice any problem you have can be resolved!

IMO Everyone has different priorities and if they are not for you fine but it is up to everyone to find out for themselves- don't be put of by scaremongering! They don't all leak (most good quality brands will not leak IF used correctly!) They don't cause nappy rash, in fact prevent it in some sensitive skinned babes, they aren't hard to wash, You wash their clothes don't you? I'm sure you can figure it out I love them and although the chemical factor is my main reason the environmental impact, and cost is a bonus!!

UltraCheap_2

I think reusable nappies are great. My son is now 4-months old and I couldn't imagine using disposables, the few times that I have used disposables there have been terrible leaks. I recommend Motherease one-size nappies, which will fit a child from birth to potty. I have 23 nappies and 4 wraps (the plastic covers which are fantastic) and I wash them every 2-3 days (when the nappy bucket gets full, usually a load of 17 nappies in one go). I wash with SurCare which is non-bio and meant for sensitive skin and the nappies always come out of the wash bright white and stain-free. I have an old-fashioned cast iron/wood dring rack in the bathroom where I dry the nappies. All-in-all, I only spend around 20 minutes every 2-3 days washing and drying the nappies, it is no work at all. Put a few drops of lavendar oil into the nappy bucket to keep it smelling nice.

I use reusuable nappies because they are easy, inexpensive, good for my child - no chemicals and synthetic fibres against his skin - and because they are good for the environment. I coulnd't recommend them more.

I purchased mine at Waitrose which seem to undercut a lot of the other companies that sell the Motherease brand.

nadnad

im afraid i'm a vote for disposables - i researched reusables before i had my baby and thought long and hard about it, but i heard so much negativity i was put off. it was also recommended i waited until baby was born before buying any to see what shape and size he was to try and guage the best type, and to be honest once he was born i couldnt believe anyone used them - i breast feed my baby and he was pooing about 8 times a day maybe more for the first 3 months, and I couldnt imagine doing all that washing as well as looking after baby.

i feel guilty using disposables i really do, esp. when i see the bin full of them but i try to be eco friendly in most other aspects of my life so I'm not going to beat myself up too much about it.

OrkneyStar

I cannot imagine using reusables. I appreciate that they are bad for the environment but hasn't it been proved that endless washing and drying of reusable nappies make a great negative impact too? One report has suggested it but not proven, especially if you use Eco balls or soap pods to wash. But most of all, I value my time and sanity. So do most of us! The last thing I want to deal with when I have a newborn baby is washing, drying and ironing nappies all the time. The washing machine washes them, they can dry as normal washing and noone in their right mind would iron them!!!! A baby wees every 15 min or so - and what, do I have to change his nappy 4 times an hour? You do not have to take the napy off every time the baby wets it! I will go mad and the thought of how much I allegedly saved by ditching disposables will not be any consolation. Money is not everything. Very true but a lot of MSE'ers ARE tryig to save money! What about the environment ?

With my daughter, I found that Boots own brand nappies were fine for her when she was a baby (they were great) and Tesco own brand for Active kids (or something - the purple packaging was similar to the Pampers one). They suited her very well and were by 25-30% cheaper than leading brands. Also, I joined Pampers, Huggies and Tesco baby clubs and would steadily receive money-off coupons for nappies 1-2 times a month. And there are always deals on big packs of nappies. I would spend on average £15 a month on nappies. That's 1 week of the child benefit money. Good points if you do go down the dispicables, sorry disposables, route!

I am potty-training my daughter now so I expect her to be out of nappies by the time she is 2. Which will bring my total expenditures on nappies from 0 to 24 months to no more than 360 pounds. For me, it looks a more than fair price for the opportunity to make my life a great deal easier in such a busy and enjoyable time. Fine for you, many children (esp boys) are in nappies for much longer. Also if you use the nappies on more than 1 child then your costs double, mine don't!

I have added a few comments.
Each to their own, but I did feel the need to respond to such a negative post about real nappies.
I used sposies in hosp for 5 days (was 100 miles from home and no choice), on hols and if I am ill, I HATE them and love getting back into his real ones! I can understand using sposies for first few weeks, esp if section/forceps/other difficult birth/twins etc but, no excuses after that ladies (and gents!).
x

hayleyc_2

i've just gone back to using cloth nappies on my son, and I definitely prefer them. We started off using cloth, but gradually gave in to disposables after a few months. I think we probably didn't buy the best nappies to start with, and also didn't have enough of them so kept reverting to disposables. I think the chopping and changing from cloth to disposables was causing nappy rash, so in the end we stuck with disposables. My DS is now 15 months old and i'm giving cloth nappies another try. I'm so pleased with them! This time I got Wonderoos and also a few green kids (birth to potty pocket nappies). Although it won't be for a while, we're planning on having another baby so money-wise I think it'll work out well. We've had no leaks since using them, and no nappy rash. They're easy to wash and quick to dry because they're pocket nappies (the filling comes out of the pocket so it can be hung to dry separately). I still think i would probably use disposables for the 1st couple of weeks, but finding some good nappies that work well has inspired me to use them from almost birth to potty next time

Also, if you're having problems with leaks, nappy rash etc etc, there are quite a few websites and forums where you can get advice, and make sure you're using the nappies correctly. I've recently found the 'cloth nappy tree' and have found it really useful.

Just wanted to add, after reading previous posts. The thought of ironing nappies is hilarious!!

Hayley

Fritha_2

On an mse side note anyone who does want to use cloth nappies Tots Bots sell seconds. We just got a multipack of flexitots for half price from there and they really are superb :-)

HeidiBoo_2

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