Washable Nappies

babyboysmommy

I'm so glad I started this thread, the advice & information has been amazing! A friend told me yesterday to expect a parcel in the post soon as she has sent me nappies & wraps she no longer needs. I've just ordered a pack of 12 junior joy terry squares. I plan on buying 24 squares in total & any accept any freebies I can get so I don't have to wash as often. I've also been given nappy nippers & mother ease wraps

I know many seem to fall in love with the real nappies, I can see the appeal but for us it is 100% about saving money so I am only buying what I 'need' & avoiding those things I'd like. I have the washable wipes & am now looking at washable breast pads, the nappy lady sells some that look good but at £10 for 6 pairs they don't come cheap so I'm still thinking about it.

This is our last child so I've not had to consider being able to use what we buy again. I know the terry squares will be used well beyond their nappy days for other things.

SwipernoSwiping

Glad to know you've taken the plunge. Practice on a teddy or a doll before putting them on baby(Not a cat like one of my customers did once!!!:eek:)
http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/public/articledetails.aspx?id=140 plenty of fold options here, and failing that check out youtube for video howtos.

Make sure you give them a couple of washes to get them to maximum absorbancy. (no need to dry inbetween)

When it comes to washing dirty nappies. Invest in a nappy bucket - something with a sealable lid and possibly some meshes too if you don't want to be handling nappies more.
You can leave dirty nappies in the bucket dry, or put water in the bucket ( wet soak) don't add anything else but water possibly a drop of tea-tree oil. Using water helps to reduce the need for stripping later. (I'll come back to that)
Some does and dont for washing:

Don't add vanish or Nappisan, both of these will help to rot your nappies, and also clog the material up so they are not as absorbant.
Don't use conditioner, turns whites grey any time of the day, clogs up the material and attracts dirt!
Don't tumble dry your wraps - they will leak. they don't take long to dry outside even on a grey day.
Don't (pretty please don't ) run 2 and 3 extra rinses before washing, there is absolutely no need for this at all. It's just wasting water and burning up electricity. If you want to rinse off the poo and yuk wet soak in the bucket!
Do add a teaspoon of Bio D Nappy Soak if you want to the powder drawer.
Do use LESS washing powder - manufacturers have us use too much at the best of times. A tablespoon of powder is all you need.
No need for anything else. If using liquid wash detergent, split the bottle if you can water it down to 1-in-4 at least.
Do use fleece liners ( wash em) or paper liners (these you can flush if you have post victorian plumbing) when you get to weaning age, or shake your nappy over the loo.

Hardwater areas (Limescale in your kettle is a good sign of this) you can as a teaspoon of soda crystals to the wash powder will do wonders. Or use a capful of white vinegar in the conditioner draw. This will soften your nappies a little if your line drying.

Hope this all helps - good luck!!:beer:

gizmodo_2

babyboysmommy wrote: »

I know many seem to fall in love with the real nappies, I can see the appeal but for us it is 100% about saving money so I am only buying what I 'need' & avoiding those things I'd like. I have the washable wipes & am now looking at washable breast pads, the nappy lady sells some that look good but at £10 for 6 pairs they don't come cheap so I'm still thinking about it.

DD was born nearly 2 weeks ago now and I've nearly used a whole box of disposable breast pads. I did buy them on offer though, so £2.99, but I'm thinking about buying reusables, but there's no way of knowing how long I'll need them for to know if it be MSE or not.

I'm patiently waiting for DD to grow so she can wear her cloth nappies (bought 3 different ones so far). But at the moment even the size 1 disposables are big.

@shelliehollie - it's interesting that you advise to buy a mix of nappies. I was having this dilemma as to whether to buy one style or a mix. I am getting a trial pack from the council in a few weeks which supposedly has a mix of nappies to test out. The 3 I bought myself are bumgenius 4, smartipants and flip (all one size). So hopefully I'll have a good range of nappies to test. I did want the convenience of the one size nappies...

DigForVictory

While I'm all for real nappies, I am also all for the proper support using them. I was So Proud when I did up my first nappy, then looked at youngling's face. In so far as a baby can have clear expressions, I saw "I'm being Very Reasonable About This". I blinked a bit & realised why. His head & feet were four inches lower than his backside. So I undid it all & retreated back to a Huggie & the little face was Very Clear that this was preferred. :rotfl:

Don't take my dreadful example or utter cowardice to heart - many cloth using mums were entirely successful & yet more impressively raising cloth competent siblings! :beer:

Get all the council help they can afford & yes, Nappy nippas are a godsend!

Also, nappies do not Have To Be White. Go for coloured squares for high days, holidays & baby clinics!

Fleece liners - are limited really only by your imagination. Leave beloved fleeces alone, but any offcuts with fun designs just help. One mum went to Abakhan & so got chunks of pretty much *every* child related fleece, as well as Land Rover & John Deere. :beer:

Do not let what other parents think slow you down! (Actually as a rule to a happy household, that one isn't too bad. I have "It Works For Us" as a personal motto...) :T

SwipernoSwiping

gizmodo wrote: »

... it's interesting that you advise to buy a mix of nappies. I was having this dilemma as to whether to buy one style or a mix. I am getting a trial pack from the council in a few weeks which supposedly has a mix of nappies to test out. The 3 I bought myself are bumgenius 4, smartipants and flip (all one size). So hopefully I'll have a good range of nappies to test. I did want the convenience of the one size nappies...

THe advantage of buying a mix is you won't end up regretting spending XXX on abc brand because thats all you bought -make sense?
If there's a couple you think you might get along with buy one or two and see how you go.
The council trials can be fantastic - they are even better if they come with instructions. Many mums find them confusing without a guide - how to wash how to fasten etc.
If you need any help let me know.

DigForVictory.. I was worried too when I used a totsbots original on my first daughter. Her bum surely wasn't supposed to be higher than her head! Still it never bothered her, it didn't stop her rolling walking or generally getting into mischief either.
With my second - no joke - she would not sleep in a sposie. I don't know why but she has always kicked off when I have been forced to use sposies. (Broken washing machine)
Support is key to getting cloth right, having someone to ask when you're stuck - its why I ended up doing all the things I did - there was no one to turn to in my area.

Disposable Breast Pads:
Asda -cheap and decent. They have them at £1.50 a box I think if you buy two at once.
Reuseable breast pads - Bamboo ones I found best, softer against sensitive nips but I got mine from Little Green Earthlets - they do not have any "waterproofing" on them. If you forget to change them you still end up with big soggy patches;)

babyboysmommy

I am ridiculously excited to have received a big bag of washable nappies in the post this morning from a friend. She sent me a selection of different types including some terry squares, prefolds, birth to potty, wraps, nappy nippers. DS has been busy putting them on his teddy's LOL Very thankful for what she sent & for the money it will save us. Added to the terry squares I've ordered I'm hoping we will end up with enough to only wash every other day.

It has made me realise I need to think about storage, they take up more room than disposables. I also wont be using the tumble dryer so think I'll need to invest in another clothes airer for when I have to dry indoors, any recommendations?

Nicki

This thread has just inspired me to buy some new washables for DS. We did use them for the first 10 months or so, but when he grew out of his size 1's somehow I didn't get round to buying the next size up, and he's been in disposables for the last 6 months. I am fed up with our kitchen bin stinking all week though (we aren't allowed in our area to put bins outside until collection day).

So I've ordered a dozen teddies from the nappy lady and a couple of bumbles which hopefully will see him easily through to potty training, and just waiting for them to arrive now! The teddies are lovely by the way for anyone who hasn't come across them, so soft and fluffy no matter how you dry them, and almost dry when they come out of the washing machine. I am really smitten by them!

thorsoak

Funny that this thread should show up just now! I'm clearing out my "airing cupboard" and getting rid of all the old "might be useful used stuff". In addition to the old pillow slips and raggy dog towels, I have come across 12 Harrington terry nappies 24" square! All are pretty threadbare now - but they were used for 4 babies ..... and the youngest is now 35!!! They were latterly used for mopping up cloths, puppy wiping cloths etc etc etc - and yet are still recognisable!

They were usually dropped in a bucket of napisan, given a 10 minute boil wash (in twin tub for nos 1 & 2 babies) then just hot wash in automatic for nos 3 & 4 - and line dried outside. In frosty weather they might come in frozen stiff - but when they thawed and dried they would be extra soft.

Never any nappy rash, either!

do_it_today!

brilliant thread - Im really enjoying the tips and experiences :jump:

sveika

Another useful tip here: never buy too many washable nappies before the baby is born. We've learned our lesson the hard way - have bought a whole set of very pretty birty to potty luxury minkee nappies only to find that our little one is allergic to them! An absolute waste of money! So my honest advice is, only rent or buy a few to try out before you do the bulk buy!