Real Nappies (Merged Discussion Thread)

lynneinjapan

Oops, have only just seen your request, Susan!

What I'm doing isn't really EC, more just poo-catching. I don't have the commitment to do EC properly, and besides, she's going to be going to nursery when I return to work at Easter and I can't see a nursery doing EC! She does wear nappies most of the time (washable ones of course), and I just sit her on the potty and give the "psss" cue at each nappy change. She produces something more often than not. When we're away from home I hold her over the toilet if there's one handy, but she's not so keen on that. The first few times she just cried, but she has performed a couple of times.

If nothing else, it gets her used to the feeling of peeing/pooing somewhere other than in her clothes, and cuts down a little on the amount of laundry I have to do!

Update 18/12/06:
I really think my 16-week-old baby is exercising some bowel control! Over the last week or two her poo frequency has gone down to 2-3 per day, with none at all on the 15th & 17th. On the 16th we had 3 poos, including one HUGE one, and all except about a quarter of the first one landed in the potty rather than the nappy. And today we've only had one (so far) and ALL of it went in the potty. It's not as if I'm sitting her on the potty every half hour; most days now she only has four nappy changes / potty sittings, so she really does seem to be saving it up!

larissa156_2

Hi there,

I usually recommend about 18 nappies and 4 wraps (I'm an advisor...). Once your baby is sleeping through the night, you should be able to wash every other day. Obviously, if you want to wash on a daily basis, you could buy a few less than these (or if you've got super-fast drying nappies, such as the Tots Bots Fluffle).

It's always a good idea to have a look at the different types if you can to see if you like them - have a look at the real nappy campaign's nappyfinder to see if there is anyone near you that can give you a demonstration (just put 'nappyfinder' in a search engine and you will find it). Also, see if you can get some advice for your specific situation - no one nappy suits everyone!

Good luck! Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Babylonian_2

I have totsbots bamboozles and fluffles
I filled in a questionnaire via the Nappy Lady website (google) to get some advice on the best sort for me. I also contacted my local council - they do a laundry service at a discount - but my county council do a voucher scheme - so check all avenues.

The voucher had to spent with a local supplier but the benefit was that the advisor visited my home and talked me through everything I was unsure about like boosters, liners, type of wrap etc.

Some companies do discounted offers at The Baby Show (March and October) and I believe TotsBots do seconds too. Resale value is quite good.

jessanna

I'd recommend finding websites which offer personalised advice to help you find the right brand. I bought my first nappies based on recommendations from friends, but personally didn't like their choices. I got some advice from https://www.lizziesrealnappies.org.uk and she was able to help me find nappies which suited me far better (it all depends on whether you have a drier, whether you want natural fabric or man-made etc).

Also I got £25 cashback from my local council. i get the impression that quite a few councils do still offer these incentives.

By the way my favorite nappies are Bamboozles by Tots Bots (although you will need a tumble dryer) with Motherease wraps.

kpbonecruncher

Thanks everyone. I am also a clueless mum to be and stated at work yesterday that my intention was to use real nappies...everyone laughed and said they would give it a week max!!!

are they really that much more of a hassle or are my colleagues kids (5yrs plus) before the real nappy revoltion?

larissa156_2

See that would just make me want to do it even more...!! :rolleyes: I imagine, too, that the nappies have changed quite a lot in the last 5 years, but I wasn't using them then, so I don't know! You already know that you don't need to use terries and fold them if you don't want to. I imagine this is what they are thinking of.

No, they are really not that much more work, once you get into a routine. I would suggest not starting until you and your baby are a bit used to each other - there is plenty of time to start using cloth. Best of luck!

abingdonboy

Hi,

we use about 20 nappies. Our 6 month old uses on average 6-7 a day, so they get washed on a 3 day cycle. They are put in the machine at 60, and hung on an airer in front of the dehumidifier (or on the line), dry within the day, it has just become part of the routine...

We tried all sorts of 'fitted' nappies, and concluded that a 'terry square' was just as good, and dry the fastest by far.

Picked up 20 squares of the toddler size at a nearly new sale the other day for £2 for the lot!!!!!!

By my calcs we are already saving money over disposables....

Cheers,

AB.

Aggie_3

Hi,

My little one is nearly one and I have been using cloth nappies since he was 3 weeks old! Don't leave it too long after he is born as I have friends who tried that and the baby couldn't handle feeling wet and so was changing him every hour! (you would need a lot of nappies to do that).

I think about 20 nappies is right and wash every other day or so. I am using tots bots and other shaped nappies with Motherease Airflow (the popper type) wraps. I also have terry squares as these are great as a back up, are really cheap, dry really quickly and are really useful if you go out and have forgotten a bib, the bench in the park is wet, your baby has a stomach bug and you need to line the car seat/pushchair/cot, there are no towels in the loo (just some of the uses I've found for my terries). Don't buy mothercares, their rubbish, buy John Lewis, about the same price and infinitely better!

Washable wipes are good for at home too, either cut up cheap face flannels or buy a bit of fleece and chop that up, saves you buckets on wipes or cotton wool!

And no, I don't find it much more work than disposables - remember you're not washing them, the washing machine is!

Good luck
Aggie

Ken-Dodds-Hairy-Knodule

Aggie wrote:

the baby couldn't handle feeling wet and so was changing him every hour!

The baby shouldn't have to handle being wet.

There is outcry when carehomes budget to allow oap's only 6 pads a day, but it is ok for babies?

If your baby is lying in a pool of p iss then change it!

Madmel

If the baby dislikes feeling wet, use a polyester fleece liner (a rectangle of fleece will do from an offcut).

I agree with pps that 20 nappies and 4 wraps should be ample for every stage. However, if you opt for the prefold system (Cotton Bottoms or Bambino Mio) I would always advise at least 1 extra wrap in each size.

What nobody else has pointed out is that you don't seem to have that much extra washing. I found disposables leaked horribly, even premium brands. This meant a complete change of outfit for the baby and sometimes for me too if it was a bad leak, not to mention the bedding :eek: Add that up over a couple of days and a bucket full of terries doesn't seem so bad.

Tots Bots are fine, but in my experience (6 years advising) you need a tumble drier or a lot of them. They are very absorbent, but not slim fitting. I think terries are the ultimate one size quick drying nappy, but I'm quite fond of stuffables and also OneLife. The wraps are key - make sure you get a good quality one and you won't go far wrong. Feel free to PM me if you want any more help and good luck - think of the money you'll save :rotfl: