Washable/Reusable Nappies

trufflebuggy

To Onlyroz - most cloth nappy users would agree with you on the Kooshies front....... avoid this make with a barge pole, their AIO are okay for emergencies but that's about it!!!! (They have very obvious marketing which makes it look like they're a well loved brand - NOT).

steph

bylromarha

WAIT UNTIL YOUR BABY IS BORN AND TAKE THEM FOR A FITTING

Sorry to shout, but I used to sell reuseables and turned away loads of customers as they wanted to buy when pregnant and there is no way you can. It's like trying to buy an expensive outfit for a wedding, then going on a severe diet - you have no clue what your body shape will be in a few months time! Your baby's build will suit different nappies to other babies, both disposible and washable.

I bought when I was pregnant (Bambino Mio in fact...) and they were useless for my son's build. 5 months in I was ready to give up, took him to a local nappicino (sp) telling her how fed up I was, she fitted him and I swapped to Motherease as they were a far better fit for my son. Used them until potty training and bought a few more as DD came along before I'd potty trained DS, so had 2 in Motherease for a while. Worked perfectly for us.

Buying a pile of trial nappies to see which fit is okay, but I think it can cost a fortune and you can no longer sell 2nd hand nappies on ebay, so you're stuck with useless items.

All the best.

clearingout

Reusable nappies are great and good on you for trying! I used disposables with my first, but went on to use resuables with nos 2 and 3 and have never looked back.

There are basically the following types:
- the flat nappy, such as Bambino Mio. Requires some folding and a wrap for waterproofing. Work fine but not the best - some people swear by them. There is a knack to them, I think. I never got on with them, if I'm honest. They come in various sizes to fit your growing baby. Least loved in terms of childcare, family and friends who may have to change your baby for you - bit of a faff compared with disposables. Terry nappies fit into this category - as your mum might remember - and are probalby the cheapest way of doing it.
- the shaped nappy - such as Tots Bots originals or bamboozles (cotton or bamboo). These are shaped like a disposable nappy and fasten with poppers or aplix (velcro) or a nappy nippa (nifty little device which takes away the use for nappy pins - takes a bit of getting used to but is good if you have an odd shaped baby as you can get the fit exactly right!). These come in different sizes (Tots Bots) or can come in birth to potty size such as the Motherease one size (very, very popular nappy, well worth the money in my opinion - same nappy but cheaper is Popolini or One Life). You need a wrap over these for waterpoofing - Motherease wraps seem to have the best reviews and I use them myself. Little Lamb do a very cheap, perfectly useable version of the Tots Bots original which I have always found great to use (but reviews are mixed).
- the 'suffable' or pocket nappy. This is a nappy which is effectively all in one - it has a pocket at the back and you stuff it with as much or as little absorbent material as you want. Perfect for using with childcare/grandparents as you make them up, they work the same as a disposable for the uninformed and they just put them in a bag and send back to you. Well known makes are Happy Heinys, Minki, Fuzzi Bunz, Wonderoos....they come in either varying sizes or one sizes. I used a lot of Wonderoos one size but found them quite small past the one year mark, if that helps. You buy an insert to fit in them - made of cotton, bamboo, hemp, microfibre....or you can shove in a flat nappy, terry nappy, teatowel...
- the all in one nappy - the most known of these is the Kushies one you can get in Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Pretty useless, but handy to have in the changing bag. Good for childcare 'cos again, is just like a disposable.
- Mothercare does the Smart Nappy - not very popular - which is a pocket in which you can put either a disposable absorbent part (like a sanitary towel) or a reusable one.

You need liners - either washable ones (fleece works well) or disposable. This lets the wee through but captures the poo so you can flush it down the loo. Fleece is soft, washable and keeps your costs down further and frankly does the job. The pocket nappies have a fleece-type lining so you can omit this - although I always add a liner. You can buy them or cut up a cheap fleece blanket into long oblong shapes (if you google 'resuable nappy liner template' you should come up with something to go off).

Extra asborbency can be added in the form of boosters - cotton, bamboo, hemp, microfibre...or you can go yoru local pound shop and buy a load of microfibre clothes for about a 10th of the cost!

Most wraps are made of PUL - I forget what it stands for - but it's soft and waterproof, not like the plastic pants you might think of of yesteryear which go hard. They are washable but not tumble dry-able.

Nappies wash in modern machines at 60 without any problems. You must use non-bio and NO fabric conditioner to avoid any build up of chemicals on the materials which makes them less aborbent. You need to wash cotton/hemp/bamboo at least 3 times before using to help get rid of any finishing on them so they are absorbent from day one.

Microfibre nappies - Tots Bots used to do one called the 'fluffle' - are great if you are in a small space (say a flat) with no tumble dryer as they come out almost dry. Cotton takes longer to dry (avoid radiators as they go crispy!) and bamboo takes a good 24 hours to dry in a house with the radiators on. Drying is a consideration in terms of how you live - you will have to put up with nappies hanging around the house! Great in summer on the line but more of an issue in winter!

You need a nappy bucket and you should 'dry pail'. Just put in the dirty nappy, couple of drops of tea tree oil or lavendar in the bucket and stick the lid on. Wash every 36 hours or so and there'll be no smell. No need to be putting nappies into a bucket with water and nappysan. I keep my nappy bucket in the utility room, others in their bathroom. You will need to shake poo into the loo if you're using fleece liners or just put the disposable liner down the loo if using disposable liners.

Hope that helps! You can no longer get used nappies on ebay but there is an alternative auction site - I'm not allowed to post it here but PM me if you want the address. Shout if you need any more info!. Good luck with the baby!

clearingout

PS - if you're using reusable nappies, might aswell use reusable wipes aswell - i use Junior Joy ones, commonly found on ebay, have a life of about 2 years. Just buy a plant spray and squirt in a bit of baby bath, spray on wipe befpre using, put in bucket and wash with nappies. Fortune saved, believe me!

Chakani

clearingout wrote: »

PS - if you're using reusable nappies, might aswell use reusable wipes aswell - i use Junior Joy ones, commonly found on ebay, have a life of about 2 years. Just buy a plant spray and squirt in a bit of baby bath, spray on wipe befpre using, put in bucket and wash with nappies. Fortune saved, believe me!

Or a pack of cheap facecloths - I got a job-lot of 20 off Ebay for £3.50, don't even need baby bath, I just use water with them, then chuck them in the nappy bucket. I also have a different pack for wiping faces and sticky fingers (different colour).

rach

My advice would be ask around and see what you can get!

I have not had my baby yet but was keen to use washable nappies...and persuaded dh with the cost factor. I put a wanted on netmums and got:

15 (brand new or almost brand new, but no marks on them) tots bots size 1 with 3 wraps and some disposable liners. These were FREE from a lady I'd never met - amazing!
15 brand new kooshies (i know these are a bit crappy but I didn't know this at the time and they have some lovely fleece liners with them) only paid £10 so no loss if they don't work out
15 (some used some brand new) cotton bottoms, with 3 wraps - again not the best but will try them - also 2 packs disposable liners - again paid £10
My friend is also giving me her stash of used tots bots, I am hoping there are some size 2s in there too.

I have bought 2 packs of 8 facecloths in the 99p shop for wipes, and will use some fleece too (will just cut up an ikea one I think) plus I might buy some really nice terry on one side and fleece on the other ones for if there's nappy rash/teething.

I put another wanted on netmums and got a nappy bucket for free, it's small so will need another too but will do for the wipes.

So I reckon all I need are some muslins (some brand new coming from a friend already), some new wraps (I am going for motherease as everyone recommends them), another bucket and some meshes and perhaps some boosters...my feeling is I've spent next to nothing and although I am determined to use them, if it doesn't work out with these particular types we've lost nothing.

So don't be afraid to ask - I would've happily paid more but these were what people offered!

My council don't take part in the scheme (only london council which doesn't) but I have raised this with the council and after no response raised with my Councillor who is looking into it for me

jellyspots

I used motherease nappie on all 3 of mine and they were all in pants by 2yrs, They were brilliant and I really miss using them! Strange but you do get attached to them. One thing that was really good is that i use my own liners cut from fleece which were fab as you just empty the contents into the loo. I never soaked my nappies but just put them into a large bucket which was a beer making one with a lid and a few drops of eucaliptus ( can't spell that) and then just put them in the wash daily. Coudn't stand all that water messing about in a bucket. No stains as the sun gets them out.
Good luck and also I used face cloths from ikea the ones iwth the coloured tabs on for wipes.

skintchick

I've got TotsBots pockets )I think they are called that, they are a wrapper with a insert to absorb the wee) and to be honest they were useless until DD'spoo changed once she went on solids. Her breastfed poo just squirted out the legs!!

I only use tham at home and use disposables when out and about as I refuse to carry pooey nappies around with me.

I do like them but wish I'd bought them after she was born, and that way I'd have bought less (Ihave 15 and 5 might nappiees she has now grown out of, those were Bamboo ones and when we worked out the cost of the next size up it was cheaper to use disposables!) and realised what would have suited me better.

We were advised by Lollipop but TBH I've not found them to be very good in terms of customer service, as I complained about the poo leakage and was told 'oh Totsbots have changed the design because of that problem' but they never offered any money back or to change the (mostly unused apart from a couple) nappies.

Next baby I may or may not use washables. to be honest I prefer disposables

lauren_1

I just wanted to ask what the best cloth nappy is? worse? cheapest?

Any views or reviews?

Thanks

SugarSpun

All babies are different shapes and what works for one might not work for another. The same is true of disposables.

We use BumGenius and would highly recommend them.

Whatever you use, I'd recommend getting a couple of cheap Ikea fleeces and making reusable nappy liners out of them (simple cutting job or you can stitch two together if you're feeling flash). They're highly absorbent, lovely and soft against the baby's bits and pieces, they save the inside of the nappy from yellow/orange staining, they make it easier to drop solids right into the toilet (this once they stop the all-liquid diet and you have actual solids to deal with), and if a piece is completely unsalvageable you can just chuck it away and rejoice in the remaining ~40 you have from your original fleece.