thread for reusable/cloth nappy users

rolo-polo1965

I used nappies for all 4 of my children. They were terry squares. Some of the nappies were used on me and my sister when we were babies, and some of them i bought second hand.

The nappies are now ready for my Grandson who is due in September. My dauhter and i have used freecycle to get some pre shapes nappies. I am sure over the years they saved me a fourtune!

I also used terry pullups when potty training.

I used to put the nappies in a bucket and wash then 2 or 3 times a week with anything else that was white or light coloured. With my eldest daughter now 23 i didnt have an automatic washing machine bt had a twin tub!

Seeing nappies blowing on the line on a nice summers day is a good sight!

helzbelz_57

my nana still uses my terries (from when i was a baby) to polish her bowls (boules?) not sure of correct spelling.

Cardew

helzbelz_57 wrote: »

my nana still uses my terries (from when i was a baby) to polish her bowls - not sure of correct spelling.

Notwithstanding the primary use of nappies, I am pretty certain the letter 'e' is not missing;)

Glacierchick

I am expecting my first child in September.
I'm keen to use reusable nappies as far as possible (though I'm sure there'll be occasions when I also use reusables).
I have several questions:

1) What do I actually need to get (I mean the complete list for nappy changing, cleaning etc as well as what components are required for using a cloth nappy)?
2) It seems there is a huge range of different cloth nappies out there. What are your reccommendations?
3) Will I need different nappies for different purposes (i.e. sleeping, crawling, waking)?
4) Are they extendable? As in will I need to get different sizes as it the child grows or will getting one lot just fit until potty training time?
5) What temperature do you wash at? And is there a special detergent necessary or just a standard one (we currently use ecover products)

Sorry if this is a long and complex list, I'm a bit clueless about babies in general as I've never spent much time around them, and just about all my friends use disposables which I certainly don't want to do for environmental reasons.

Any help you can give would be very gratefully received...

helzbelz_57

hi glacierchick, congratulations on your baby.

wrt your questions,

you probably will find that different types of nappy are better for different times.

i have got 15 preshaped nappies that are made from fleece or bamboo and i find them great for during the day because the fleece wicks the moisture away from the baby's skin but i find you have to booster them quite a lot to last any length of time so i dont use them at night. instead i use terries or prefolds that are made out of several layers of cotton that is stitched together with a thicker section in the middle. i find they have far better absorbancy for night time.

there are lots of different types of nappies on the market so i suggest you do an internet search and see what there is available and how much they all cost and have a thinnk about what suits your circumstances best.

also, find out if your local council offer a nappy laundry service or a grant towards the cost of reusable nappies as this can help reduce the cost for you.

just to give you an idea of what you might need, this is what i have but again, your circumstane might be different.

*15 preshaped velcro nappies;(in the shape of a disposable)
- 10 fleece lollipops (that's the brand), they have a booster attatched but you can add more if necessary. they dry very quickly
- 2 bamboo lollipops, boosters and liners came with them but are removeable
-2 bamboo bambino mios, boosters came with them and are removeable
-1 bamboo little lamb, booster attached but very thin so i always put in extra

*10 terry squares, just plain white squares. you fold them in a particular fold (there are quite a few) and fasten with a nappy pin or i use a nappy nippa

*24 cotton prefolds, plain white rectangles with a thicker centre section.
12 smaller size and 12 larger size. again you fold them to suit and fasten with nappy pin or nappy nippa.

you will also need liners. you can use flushable ones that you buy on a roll or reusable ones. i made all of mine from a big piece of fleece. i have about 40 liners and they dry super quick.


i have about 35 wraps.

*7 motherease rikki wraps. these are my favourite as i have never had a leak with them. they fasten with poppers and are adjustable to allow for growth.

*10 pairs of rubber pants these are ok but i find that they dont let the skin breathe very well so only use them if all the rest are in the machine

* 4 lollipop wraps, these are supposed to be from birth to potty but tbh my boy is just 1 and i find them a bit small now around his legs. he isn't a big baby either.

* 4 others that i dont know the name of but are similar to lollipops.

i use a nappy bucket and when i take a nappy off i flush the poo, rinse the nappy in warm water, put in the bucket, add tea trea oil and white vinegar and soak til the evening. i wash my nappies with my normal wash every evening at 40 degrees. once a week i do a towel wash and so the nappies go in with that at 60 degrees.

you might find that you need to use a barrier cream on your baby when using reusables as disposables are very good at drawing the moisture away from the skin but cloth doesn't. i use aloe vera vaseline on my LO and he never has nappy rash.

i hope this helps you. good luck with everything.

Glacierchick

Thanks helzbelz, that's really helpful and useful information.

It seems that when the baby arrives it'll be easier to work out which type will suit us best. In the meantime I will get researching some of the different types.

Thanks! GC

Miss_Yell_2

Hi There

I have used cloth nappies on my 4 kids, but I did use disposables as well for the first two. I have done several brands with the oldest and terry squares too. For baby 3, we bought all Mother-ease nappies in kit form from https://www.earthlets.co.uk you save a fortune doing it this way, and I have raised two of the kids on one set of nappies so far ( a total of £250 I think) . We have never looked back once we got this kit.

The disposables and their chemicals scare the hell out of me. Who can confirm that the chemicals are not doing damage we have not yet discovered about! My kids are too precious to risk!

I have also just had a free delivery code sent to me by Little Green Earthlets. If anyone wants it , it lasts until June 1st FRED510. It will give free delivery on anything, so its a good time to but I guess!

Can swear by my nappies; guess I have saved about £1,000 so far on the last 2 kids! Still saving daily too!

radiohelen

I have used both reusables and disposables on my lo and he's 22 months old now. We bought a daypack of totsbots and I've got about 12 motherease nappies. I've managed with just four wraps because I've never found the need for more.
There have been times when I've been too knackered/too busy/too ill/too emotional/too out and about to use the reusables. I cannot bear the idea of carting pooey, wet dirty nappies around so I leave them at home.
I also cannot bring myself to put pooey nappies in with my normal wash. It ain't hygienic imho... wet ones yes - brown ones, well they go in on a 60 degree wash when I've got enough together (this does not take long).
I have tried to use the eco nappies in the supermarket where I can and biodegradeable nappy sacks (although they are a nightmare to tear off the roll - they ALWAYS tear!).
Ultimately - do what is best for you because your sanity and health is more important than any ecological imperative.

helzbelz_57

that is so true radiohelen. there is absolutely no point putting pressure on yourself to use reusables if it makes you uncomfortaable or is simply too much work. life is hard enough when you have LO's and we all try to do what makes it easier. i am more than happy using cloth but i know many of my friends who just wouldn't be, we are all good parents.

jessanna

Hi, do you all know about the cashback you can get on reusable nappies from your local councils? Not all councils offer this but some offer as much as £75 so it's worth having a look into it. The following link gives a list council schemes: http://www.lizziesrealnappies.co.uk/index.cfm/advice/Cheshire.Home

Good luck!