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

caroleiw

When I started I bought some kissaluvs and modern baby from a nappy agent. The kissaluvs were ok but modern baby I didn't like. A friend told be about the ukparents website (buy/sell nappies forum) and I then had a bit of a frenzy buying different makes and styles. Each has their own pros & cons and I tended to use several makes during the day. Now my son is mostly wearing Motherease nappy (birth to potty) and wrap which i used from a few weeks old till now (14 months) and for about 6 months had him and a toddler in the same nappies with different size wraps. For some reason it was almost easier having more to wash?? I've managed very well without a tumble drier aswell. The nappies can get a bit stiff as I live in a very hard water area so i put white vinegar in the final rinse. Always much better to get them out in the sunshine.

Where do you live. There may be someone on here or ukparents quite near to you who can show you what they use. I would definitely recommend a browse on the ukparents forums: http://www.ukparents.co.uk/ForumsASP/MessageIndex.asp?forumID=60
and http://www.ukparents.co.uk/ForumsASP/MessageIndex.asp?forumID=51

Good luck with whatever you choose.

kidtechnical

jellyhead wrote:

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!

LOL, I used terry squares, ones my mum had in her loft left over from my little brother, they were around 18 yrs old! I loved them, only had to buy liners & plastic pants (in different sizes). The good thing about them is that one size fits all, you just have to fold them differently to suit botty size! I also used Nappi Nippas, greatest invention! I had less leaks with my terries than I had when using disposables. I never bothered with napisan or anything as I washed them every 2 days at 60 degrees. I'm about to pass mines on to my sister, so they're robust, any that did get a bit worn out looking got cut up as sink cloths! Have to admit that I've given them up now i'm busy & stressed potty training DS1, so use Nature Boy & Girl disposables (supposed to be more biodegradable) on DS2 now instead. Good luck with whichever ones you try

s@sha

I've just been reading this thread with interest and wonder if any of you could advise on whether you think washable nappies are as easy to put on/take off baby as disposables?

I'm only 11 weeks pregnant at the moment, so I've got plenty of time to think about what I want to use, but there are so many types of washables!

I don't really like the idea of using disposables for environmental reasons, but my problem is that I was born with only one hand, so I'm concerned that washables may be too fiddly for me. It's mainly how easily & quickly they fasten that I'm thinking about. I know I definitely wouldn't be able to manage terry squares that need to be folded & pinned, but all the other types look possible. I know everyone is rubbish at nappy-changing at first, and I've had (limited) experience of changing neices & nephews nappies in the past. I don't think my attempts were any worse than any other non-parent, but they were all disposables...I've no idea how easy the washables are to use.

Any advice on how easy you all found them would be great, especially if anyone has used both disposables and washables so can say which they found easiest.

jellyhead

hi, sorry i can't help, have never used washables before. i'd imagine that the all in one kind are similar to disposables though.

i've ordered a lovely nappy from somebody on ebay called ann1361. she has auctions for her nappies (she makes them) but also has a website and will take orders. i saw an auction for a gorgeous nappy with embroidered bunnies and she's taken an order from me for a small size. it's a wrap type with liner, something like that, looks gorgeous anyway, will report back when i receive it :-)

Sarahsaver

I used terries and the nappi nippas that have been mentioned before. They are great. I bought my terries from Index (!!!) this was only in 1997. They were better than the mothercare ones. Used them on Daughter, then sons 1 and 2, then sold them on ebay for almost as much as I paid for them originally. Kept them clean by soaking in a solution of white vinegar, and 60 degree washes. Im not some kind of earth mother or anything but I had honestly never imagined using anything else. Why spend £10 a week (or more) on something you throw away?

flea72

modern washable nappies are shaped and fitted just like disposables, so they are just as easy to use

as for terry squares, you dont have to do fancy folds and mess around with pins - i just rolled mine into a sausage shape (techie name, 'pad folding' lol) and put that in the waterproof wrap

i have used disposables on my kids too, and the only difference between those and washable ones is, that i tended to find disposables leaked more often - i think it was their tight fit, that mean if the baby did an explosive poo (quite common espec if breast fed), then the poo just shot out the legs or up the back - im not saying that washable ones are leak proof, but for them it tends to just be wetness around the legs, not escaping poos

one other thing i have noticed too, is that disposables really smell when wet, they have a strong plastic/chemical smell (really strange to describe) whereas, cloth ones, dont tend to stink so much

i would def recommned visiting the ukparents website - they have a very active cloth nappy crowd - and usually someone is more than willing to visist you, with their nappy collection, so you can see what is involved, and ask any questions you want - sometimes you get better info from a keen user, rather than someone who is involved financially in the nappy business

there are also lots of cloth nappy groups that meet up in most regions, so maybe popping along to one of those might be an option

hth

jb84344

s&#64 wrote: »

I've just been reading this thread with interest and wonder if any of you could advise on whether you think washable nappies are as easy to put on/take off baby as disposables?

I'm only 11 weeks pregnant at the moment, so I've got plenty of time to think about what I want to use, but there are so many types of washables!

I don't really like the idea of using disposables for environmental reasons, but my problem is that I was born with only one hand, so I'm concerned that washables may be too fiddly for me. It's mainly how easily & quickly they fasten that I'm thinking about. I know I definitely wouldn't be able to manage terry squares that need to be folded & pinned, but all the other types look possible. I know everyone is rubbish at nappy-changing at first, and I've had (limited) experience of changing neices & nephews nappies in the past. I don't think my attempts were any worse than any other non-parent, but they were all disposables...I've no idea how easy the washables are to use.

Any advice on how easy you all found them would be great, especially if anyone has used both disposables and washables so can say which they found easiest.

Hi [email="S@sha"]S@sha[/email] - I highly reccommend Tots Bots - although everyone has their own preference - you do them up like disposables only with velcro instead of sticky plastic (or whatever it is on disposables). The only extra thing to worry about then is the wrap (I use poppered Motherease ones) but you can get Velcro fastening wraps also. When babies are slightly older they can undo these themselves, but they can with disposables too...

HTH
JB

s@sha

Thanks very much for the advice. I think (assuming all goes well-still early days!) I might do as the OP is doing & get a few different trial washable nappies so I can see what I think. When Baby arrives I can use disposables to start & then switch to the most suitable washable one at a later date.

rebecca2610

hi i've used washable nappies on my daughter she's now 16mths old. i used prefolds at first which i hated, then i discovered real nappies such as motherease, these are great. a good website is https://www.kittykins.co.uk cheap and free delivery. also ebay is good as you can find some bargains on there.