Washable/Reusable Nappies

Sammy_Girl

My first baby is due in March 2011 and I am planning on using reusable nappies. The lovely ladies on the pregnancy thread have given me some food for thought and I'd like to pick some more brains, as it's proving to be a bit of a minefield!!

Can you please provide your experiences, good and bad, and which brand worked best for you. Also, where's the best place to buy and how much do they cost? There's so much choice out there it's all very confusing!!

I've looked at my Council's website and they are providing a £40 voucher to pay towards the nappies.

Many thanks

TitchD

Hi Sammy

You are right, there is a huge choice out there:

poppers or nippas?
Pocket nappies, shaped or flat?
Sized nappies or Birth to Potty?
All in ones or separate Outer?

(FYI I like the nippa, pocket style, birth to potty with a separate outer :rotfl:)

It is actually not that bad though - I used the nappy lady website: https://www.thenappylady.co.uk

Really helpful lady came to the house and showed me the different types.

I would suggest that you try a few with baby, as every baby is a different shape and as with disposables, some will fit better than others. You can get good deals on bundles and borth to potty, but unless you know they fit baby, it would eb a waste of money.

If possible, try asking on Freecycle - they are rare, but do come up. I've had a few and they have been great.

Also there is a sort of nappy e-bay site called https://www.usednappies.co.uk where people sell off their nappies, so if you dont' mind using 2nd hand ones (some new on here too I think), then this is a good place to go.

Hope that helps!

T

WATTY1978

Well done you!

Like you i found i t to be a minefield. i was luck enough to have a friend pass her childrens nappies on to me. If you can please consider used, it makes the whole idea of reusables even more eco friendly plus many of the nappies people sell either haven't been suitable or never got much use so its worth considering.

Like people say babies are all shapes and sizes and so are nappies. i have mios but if they don't suit i plan to simply sell on and buy some used in another brand that will.

Also look out for offers, i managed to get a little lamb and a bum genius to trial too while i've been looking out for baby freebies, they do come up in the magazines from time to time. so keep an eye out.

Good luck with your new baby (and finding the right nappies!)

xx

mwa

Hi there

Could I very strongly suggest that you try some out before you buy a whole starter set? With my first child I romanticised about using washable nappies and spent 200quid on a whole set. After struggling with breastfeeding, broken sleep, the general demands of a baby and the massive lifestyle change that comes with it I found that the nappies were just one more huge hassle and they quickly became the bane of my life and had to go for my sanity! Not just for the extra work but I found that when she wee'd it was very uncomfortable for her (literally like having a wet towel wrapped around you) which isn't great when you're out and about. Disposable nappies hold about 1-2 pints of liquid comfortably away from their skin and I found that she got rash if I didn't change her quickly enough (which isn't always easy to do when you are out of the house and the resuable nappies take a bit of getting used to before you can change them quickly).

Not to say I don't think they're a great idea in principal, I know of one friend who has used them with both her children and has got on OK but even she admits it is a lot of work.

If I were you I'd buy a few second hand ones and see how you get on, and if you can imagine using them for up to 3 years. For me, disposable all the way I'm afraid!

Good luck whatever you decide )

vl2588

You may find the following threads helpful

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/815535

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1849453

Sammy_Girl

Many thanks for the input

mwa - this is one of my fears as I'm a first time mum and have the fear of the unknown!! I have started stocking up on newborn disposables as my plan is to use disposables for the first month or so until I get comfortable and into some sort of routine - then fingers crossed it's disposables all the way!!

vl2588 - thank you for the links. I shall have a good read.

Watty1978 - I hadn't thought of using used resuables! That makes it double eco-friendly. I think I will put a wanted up on Freecycle and see if there is anything out there.

TitchD - See it's nappy speak like that which gets me confused :rotfl: I guess it makes sense to have maybe 1 or 2 of the different brands and see which works best with baby and our lifestyle. Hmm. Thanks for the link, I shall have a look.

lallysmum

As MWA said, do not buy a birth to potty set of nappies. Different shapes suit different babies, and if you are determined to use cloth, you don't want to be discouraged when/if something you buy doesn't work for you.

I used cloth for 3.5 years with my son (LATE potty trainer, lol) started off with Little Lambs (need a wrap) moved onto Bumgenius (pocket nappy so no wrap required) and then onto fitted nappies with woollen trousers as a cover. That sounds odd but it's proper 100% wool, lanolised so they repel wet, and they look super cute.

Check out https://www.thenappygarden.co.uk Lisa, the owner does trial packs of nappies for you to try and then send back...and lots of accessories too.

https://www.clothnappytree.co.uk is another forum to buy/sell second hand nappies.. you can get almost new ones for next to nothing.

hth

Oh, online shops, other than NappyGarden, try
https://www.bibsnbots.co.uk
https://www.babykind.co.uk
https://www.weenotions.co.uk (for the cutest embroidered nappies, absolutely stunning)
https://www.jabulanappies.co.uk

clearingout

it is worth getting somebody out to you ( a 'nappy advisor') to show you everything that there is and discuss your needs with you. In a nutshell, birth to potty nappies tend to come up small on a large toddler (particularly if he/she toilet trains late) so if you're a tall family, these might not be the option for you. But they are one of the cheaper options, probably, so if you're short on money, they make good sense. If you know your child is going to be in childcare, the pocket nappies (minki, happy heinys, wonderoos, bumgenius...) are as easy to use as disposables. Many people don't like the cotton bottoms/bambino mio option (probably the more complicated of modern nappies) but others swear by them. Lovely chubby babies may find themselves happier in a nippa nappy where the fit is easily adjustable....Bamboo is slimmer fitting than cotton....all resuable nappies cause a bit of a problem with trousers (so if you're having a boy, start buying dunagrees!) as the cut of clothing these days is for children wearing disposables...

Get someone out to show you. Discuss the pros and cons of each and see what you think then. I have had three children and used disposables with no. 1, reusables with no. 2 and got rid of them as I didn't intend to have anymore. I have had no. 3 on my own and made a decision not to go with reusables again, mainly based on my income situation as they do need an upfront investment which I don't have at the moment. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, however. They really are no more trouble than disposables. Hope that helps (clear as mud!).

TitchD

Sammy_Girl wrote: »

Many thanks for the input


TitchD - See it's nappy speak like that which gets me confused :rotfl: I guess it makes sense to have maybe 1 or 2 of the different brands and see which works best with baby and our lifestyle. Hmm. Thanks for the link, I shall have a look.

Hi Sammy

It is very confusing isn't it! that's why I mentioned the nappy lady, who will bring samples to you and you can see the types you can buy - it makes it much more simple to choose. Plus you can have a go at trying them on if she brings a doll with her, which is always fun at first!

But very moneysaver as it saves sooo much money (especially if you use them for more than one or get them second hand). Plus, my DS loves them as they are more comfy for him (personal opinion obviously!!), though we use disposables if we are out all day sometimes.

building_with_lego

I found twinkleontheweb.co.uk really helpful- you could always ring up for advice- and they offer a trial pack where you get various flat (for example) nappies with a variety of wraps to see what works before you shell out for a huge pack!

Mwa- I did what you did, spent £200 on a birth to potty pack only to have a super- skinny daughter and the wraps didn't fit her well at all. I almost gave up until I went to a group where they had a nappy advisor and sooooo many different things to try- I found a wrap (eenee) that worked so much better for her. If I were to start again knowing what I do now I'd have bought terry nappies, as they're cheap and versatile, and a small selection of different style wraps, that I could add to once the baby was born.

Be warned though- it's very easy to get nappy- obsessed! I know a lot of 'cloth mothers' who absolutely rave about their nappies, something you'll almost never hear from a 'disposable mother'.