Real Nappies (Merged Discussion Thread)

lynneinjapan

Re using a cotton bud to deodorise the nappy bucket: I use a panty liner (self-adhesive!) stuck to the inside of the lid, with a few drops of tea tree & lavender oil on it.

georgeyoggy wrote:

I use terry squares for my little ones bottom with nature babies wraps, however latley the wraps have been leaking......infact all the front of the wrap leaks....I'm having to change the wrap with every terry at the mo. Night time is awful..I have to change him during the night or hes soaked ( unless hes sleeping in his minki! Thats always been reliable )
My question is..can I get something to re-waterproof the wraps? I'd rather not buy new ones as apart from the leaking they look brand new!!
Thanks for reading

I read something today saying that a blast on hot in the tumble dryer will revitalise PUL. I've also seen comments on Australian sites saying that you shouldn't put vinegar in the rinse if you have PUL wraps in the load, as it damages the PUL.

Edit: I've just found this on the Plush Pants site:
"Wicking can be solved by washing larger cotton wraps in a product called nikwax solution - available from outdoor and camping shops and usually used to treat waterproof coats and walking boots - this will keep your cotton wrap dry, but does compromise breathability a bit."
I think the product she's referring to is called TX-Direct - that's what I use to reproof my Paramo waterproofs. It's quite expensive, about £6 a bottle, which contains two treatments for a half machine load each time, if I remember rightly. BUT it's not designed to withstand washing in detergent!

SusanCarter

Does anyone know why my thread about not using nappies has been merged with one about using washable nappies?

SusanCarter

Lynneinjapan, any chance of an update on the success (or not) you are having with elimination communication?

Mrs_Sparkle

Hi there, clueless mum to be here.

Can anyone advise me how many cloth nappies I should be buying for my newborn? Also if anyone has favourite brands I'd be grateful for any recommendations. I've bought 3 second-hand Kissaluvs and 2 wraps from eBay so far and they look pretty good but obviously I'm going to need a few more than this!

Thanks in advance!

uglybug

I believe that you'll need about 8 per day and then multiply that by however many days you want to leave between washing. My wife and I are currently looking into this also, for our baby who will be born in March.

arkonite_babe

Have a look at the real nappies discussion thread. Hopefully you will find some good advice on there

ab

nrog52

Hi, Mrs Sparkle,
good for you, I've used washables for all my three (2 still in them) and found the Motherease ones really good, some of my friends have used cotton bottoms and like them.
I found that wraps with poppers better as the velcro ones can tend to rub the tummy a bit.
Firstly check with your county council as some send out free packs of washables (west sussex do worth £100!!)
Ideally you need about 4 days supply to leave time for washing and drying, I never soak mine as they get washed every other day and a bucket full of soaked dirty nappies is VERY heavy, and not something you want dropped anywhere!
I also use flannels as baby wipes, much cheaper and no horrible chemicals on babies skin.
good luck with your hunt, it can seem a bit daunting as there is a lot of choice.
naomi

Mrs_Sparkle

Thank you all- that's really useful. Naomi you're so right- the choice is bewildering and I don't know where to start. I'm going to check out the link posted above to see how other people are getting on.

C x

beckyw_2

We bought a variety of nappies but the ones that worked best (on boy and girl) were tots bots and motherease popper wraps.

We used size 2 nappy nippa tots bots and folded the top over so they could be used from birth to potty training. Although, this may not work if you had a tiny baby (our son was 8lb 6).

Becky

Fidget

Has anyone checked whether their local council does a nappy scheme?

I don't know if they still do them but when I had my little girl a couple of years ago there was a scheme were you paid a couple of pounds a week and I was given all the equipment (nappies bambino (or something like that?), the pads and a bin with scented liners. They came every week and collected the contents of the bin and replaced with new nappies. Loads cheaper than disposables and landfill friendly. Drawbacks were: the bin did smell sometimes and I think re-usables do get a bit messy and uncontainable on older babies.

Ask your local council - even if you ask and they don't do it at least they will know there is the demand.