washable nappies - which brand to use and where to find them cheap?

jellyhead

hi, i know there was a thread about washable nappies earlier but it got a bit heated. i was wondering if maybe we could have one where we discuss which brands we've used and what we thought, or where to get them cheap (and don't get into the rights or wrongs of washable versus disposable or breast versus bottle). i'm hoping to use washables when baby arrives in july but i don't know a single person who's used them (except those who only had terry squares to choose from lol!) so any advice would be welcome!

i've been looking on ebay but it's still a big outlay if you don't know how good a brand is, there's nowhere selling them near me, i've looked within an hours driving distance.

i can't decide between the ones you use wraps with, or the ones with integral waterproof bit. i found this website tonight, it looks good, pretty cheap. does anyone have any opinions? is the kit really worth twice as much?

http://www.littlelamb.co.uk/itemlist.php?clasrefr=products

BABY KIT A (SIZE 1) 'BABY KIT A' IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED WITH YOUR NEW BORN

The kit includes:
20 LittleLamb shaped nappies (new born - 9 months)
5 Proraps (the waterproof bit)
7 night time boosters
200 nappy liners
1 nappy bucket with lid

TOTAL VALUE: £199.00

HALF PRICE KIT OFFER,
ALL THIS FOR £99.00

Yoga_Girl

I used the Motherease nappies and wraps, the nappies were shaped ones that also came with an inner that you could use if needed (ie at night ) for extra absorbancy. The wraps had a choice of having either poppers or velcro fastenings. I would recommend them, I think I ordered them from a mail order catalogue called Little Green Earthlets but I'll check on that and post if I can remember exactly!

Nappy liners I ordered from PHP - the baby catalogue:

www.thebabycatalogue.co.uk

I used disposables for the 1st few weeks then switched to washables.

Also have a look at this website:

www.thenappylady.co.uk

which gives some advice and sells a range of disposables, don't know how the prices compare to elsewhere though.

flea72

i woudnt buy a starter pack that had just one style of nappy in it - different nappies fit different shaped bodies, and therefore, get the wrong style for your bub, and you will have leaks - also some people prefer different things

you can get AIOs (all in one) so thats the absorbent bit, and waterproof bit all in one piece, so used the same as a disposable

stuffed nappies - waterproof outer, with a pocket, that you put the absorbent bit in, ususally a prefold or terry nappy folded

a seperate wrap and shaped absorbent bit, usually made from flannel or towelling

or the old terry square, using hundreds of different shaped folds, to get the bulik where you need it, and then a wrap over the top

most nappies fix, by either alpix (velcro to you and me) or poppers - and you can even get fancy pins nowadays called nippas, looks like a three pronged elastic band, with teeth on the end that grips the fabric

price varies greatly - cheap and cheeful is the terry square, an AIO can cost anywhere between £10-£15 new

there are also lots of different wraps, fleece, pul, plastic pants, wool

it is a real minefield

one way to see if cloth nappies are for you, is to buy them 2nd hand - there are lots of parenting sites, that have buy and sell forums or ebay, where you can pick up something give it a try, and then if you like it, buy more new is you want, or just use all 2nd hand - dont be worried about germs etc. the temps you wash them at, kill anything you think the previous owner might have left on them - although most people love their nappies so much, they are well cared for

hope that gives you some ideas

ravenlooney

Hi,
I use Motherease all in one nappies, motherease wraps and washable fleece liners. I think theyre fab and would recommend them to anyone if theyre looking for shaped nappies. They hold poo fantastically, even new born, and you only need to buy 1 set as they fit right up to toddler. When I bought mine I spent a fortune as I wanted 'the best' for my new wee bubs. If I had to back again knowing what I know now I would have just gone for terry squares (or muslins at brand new born stage) with a shaped booster for extra absorbancy and fleecy liners. It would have saved a fortune and terry squares hold everything in just as well if you fold them right. I would always recommend Motherease wraps though cos theyre much better than anything else IMO.

As Yoga girl has already said, the nappy lady site is great. Their tailored advice is helpful too. They also have a classifieds section where you can buy 2nd hand

HTH

MATH

I used washables for all three of my children. I used terry square but have tried a couple of shaped nappies but think squares are best for the following reasons.

1. Change the fold as the child grows and they will fit newborn - 3yrs. No buying the next size up.

2. Much quicker to dry than thick shaped nappies.

3. Changing the fold can give extra padding at night or to adjust boy/girl or sleeping on back/front.

4. Can be used for other things once the children are toilet trained.

I used the chinese triple fold from birth - 3mnths and then the kite until they were 18mnths and toilet trained. At night I used the oblong fold with the extra padding at the front for boys and at the back for girlie.

If you are thinking of using terry's I would advise using old fashioned nappy pins. I tried other systems but IMO they are not as good. I also used disposable liners and waterproof pants. I did'nt seperate my wet from soil. The whole lot went into a carrier lined nappy bucket with lid which was decanted to the garage daily. When I had enough for a full load they were pre-washed followed by a 90 c cotton wash. Rarely did I need to use bleach of napisan. the only time my children had nappy rash was when on holiday and I used disposables. All three kidz were dry in the day by 18mnths. My youngest is now four and if I'm honest I quite miss seeing all theose white nappies blowing on the line. Sad arn't I?

ravenlooney

MATH wrote:

I did'nt seperate my wet from soil. The whole lot went into a carrier lined nappy bucket with lid which was decanted to the garage daily. When I had enough for a full load they were pre-washed followed by a 90 c cotton wash. Rarely did I need to use bleach of napisan. the only time my children had nappy rash was when on holiday and I used disposables. All three kidz were dry in the day by 18mnths. My youngest is now four and if I'm honest I quite miss seeing all theose white nappies blowing on the line. Sad arn't I?

No, its not sad missing the nappies, I love seeing mine hung outside :-))
I kinda do the same wash as you with a lined bucket and I use a dash of vinegar in the water to stop stains from setting. I use a 60 c wash which cleans well and never use bleach. The sunshine when drying outside gets them white enough (and you cant see stains if there are any once the wrap is on anyway!!) I only ever get rash when using disposables too (note - I am NOT trying to start a real vs disposables debate here!) but I think thats just down to bubs being used to cotton as my elder 2 has disposables and no rashes!

bylromarha

I use Bambino Mio...bought enough to last from newborn to potty when I was pregnant and instantly regreted it when I started using them. My baby and Bambino is not a good mix due to much "wicking" (wetness spreading form nappy to clothing) due to the design of the seams. However, my friend uses Bambino and doesn't have the same probs I do. So the advice to try lots of second hand ones before investing is very wise!

Another friend uses motherease all in ones and she is very pleased with those, another friend cotton bottoms and they're okay, though not great.

Try these sites to get you started on the hunt...

http://www.ukparents.co.uk/ (buy/sell section in Forums)

https://www.eco-babes.o.uk

https://www.beamingbaby.com

https://www.earthlets.co.uk

https://www.nappyhappy.com

Just remember what works for one baby may not work for yours so try a few out before investing.

As a final note, our council runs nappicinno mornings (horrid visions of cappacinnos not made from coffee but another brown substance) (pls excue spelling!). These mornings have a real nappy expert come and talk and give away free samples. The nappy experts will also come to your house to talk to you about different brands. our council also offers cashback if you prove you've spent over £50 on reusables. So go have a look on the county council website...you may be pleasantly surprised!

one-non-blonde

I used Kooshies which were shaped like a disposable, fastened with velcro and had a waterproof outer. The also had an integral adjustable liner which you folded to suit a boy or girl. Out and about I'd use disposables though to save carting soggy ones around!

You can usually buy washable nappies in singles on Ebay so you could get a selection and see which one suits you best. Also, when considering the cost it's worth bearing in mind that these nappies have a high re-sale value. I sold all mine on Ebay last year for about £4 each so you can recoup quite a lot of the initial outlay.

jellyhead

wow, thanks for all the replies :-) i've read lots of times about mums liking to see a line full of nappies blowing in the breeze. it does sound nice, and i've got a tumble dryer for bad weather.

i had already ordered a trial nappy from the lamb website, will see what it's like. the mothercare catalogue has trial bambino packs too, around £10 for a single nappy set. i'm looking on ebay for a single kooshies nappy too, to see what it's like and will hunt down the other brands too. second hand will be fine, i've read that washing gets rid of all the germs. i'll probably use disposables for a couple of weeks until i know which brand of washables i want. i remember terry nappies well from my baby brother (he was a fighter, it took a few of us to change his nappies lol!), they never leaked as the fit was very snug around the legs but the waterproof pants gave him eczema, i suppose pants are more breathable now.

i'll do lots of reading of all the websites that have been mentioned, thanks a lot! i've still got around 20 weeks to think about it all but just wanted to get all the info straight in my head.

toozie_2

My daughters are 14 and 15. My Mother in law bought me the Terrys nappies when the eldest was born, after the second was out of the still pure white nappies, I sold the lot in a car boot sale! Bare in mind 12 years ago Terrys were more popular.

I did use disposals if we were travelling long distances, or on holiday, but inverabily they did get nappy rash then.

Good luck!

Lillibet_2

I've bought 20 2nd hand shaped terry toweling ones from ebay for when our bundle of joy arrrives in august, they are mothercare and supposed to be birth-to-potty but they look very small to me? I will be suprised of they still fit at 2 years old (although we have tried them on quite a large teddy bear & we were suprised but maybe that's because it was a squashy teddy???) My Mum is busy sewing strips of velcro onto them to make fastening easier. If I need to supplement these I will buy toweling squares I think? I don't have a tumble dryer & think that single layer toweling will be easier to dry as well as the inital outlay being much less.