reuseable nappies...help please!

vicstick86

Hiya... im expecting my first baby in a few months and intend to use washable nappies maybe not in the first few weeks but as soon as I get a handle on being a sleep deprived new mum.
I was just wondering if anyone has any first hand knowledge, as been trying to do research online, but there is a lot if companies and different types and its confusing my already messy baby brain. Thanks

tunnel

My wife had all intentions of doing exactly the same as yourself, but getting up in the night..often..soon put paid to that idea and has stuck to disposable ones ever since.

Good luck:)

cerce123

Hi

I used to be an adviser for the Nappy Lady website and I used cloth nappies on both of my children. I believe the site is still going and offers a free advice service (I'm no longer on the books as an adviser, but used to work there - full disclosure!).

I used the Motherease nappies on my kids. They are an adjustable fine terry cloth and fasten with poppers. The front is folded over when your child is small to shrink them down. You then put a waterproof cover over the top, again my preference was for the Motherease ones. I also used separate disposable liners which go inside the nappy. These should be flushable.

I'd suggest using disposables for the first few weeks as you'll be very busy getting your sleep/feeding routine established, plus babies grow very quickly in the first few months so you'll go through a couple of sizes. I also found cloth nappies that were available at the time (ten years ago) didn't really work so well once my children were toddlers, so I switched to pull-ups as they fit better. In between, cloth nappies work perfectly well.

Washing - you'll be needing to wash every couple of days. You'll need a lidded bucket to store nappies in between washes. Where will this be stored? How do you plan to dry them? I tumble dried mine, but if you don't have a drier, you'll need good airing space, or consider a fast-drying system using flat terry squares.

Childcare - if your baby is going to nursery or childminder, they may prefer to use disposables. This doesn't mean you can't use cotton nappies at home, but if you go for a cloth nappy that comes in sizes (like Tots Bots), just get the smaller size set to begin with until you know how things stand with childcare.

Cotton nappies do tend to be a little bulkier than disposables, but I didn't particularly find this a problem. Just like with disposables, you may want to try one or two types of nappy before buying a full set, as they all fit slightly differently.

Basically, I'd suggest doing a bit of research and perhaps getting one or two types of cotton nappy to try out after your baby arrives. If you like them, you can get a full set.

Also, if you are looking at cloth for eco reasons, there are some good biodegradable ones. I think I used the "Bambo" range a few times (but they are pricey).

Sorry for the long post - I used to do a 10 page document for people on this!

Good luck!

Bella56

Hi Vic,
We used a mixture of disposables and cloth for our 2. We used Motherease wraps over bamboozle (and other brands I've forgotten) cloth nappies. Bamboo nappies are great as they are much less bulky, so they don't make your baby look like it is laying on a phonebook when it is lazing on the floor! We started using cloth at around 5 months, and still used disposables at night as that was alot easier. We also used fleece inserts to catch poo, to make it easier to toss into the toilet, and that way we could wash the nappies in with the normal washing, after a day's soak in the nappy bucket.
Hope it all goes well for you and your new baby.