OS nappies

oystercatcher

I used terry squares for my boys now 19, 18 and 16 most people used disposables even then but I found the terrys were much more effective and saved me loads of money. I had 24 and used to wash them every third day , with two of them in nappies at once so I don't think the laundry cost that much. I worked it all out back then and there were significant savings. You don't need much soap powder as it can build up if you're not careful.

You'll get loads of advice on what new nappies and wraps to buy and you could spend an absolute fortune. Best to experiment slowly.

However to try and use what you have already, maybe you could try a different fold, there's one called the chinese fold with a big thick bit in the middle, look it up on google. OR make a booster out of a cheap flannel or an old towel cut into pieces. I don't think the modern terries are as thick as the ones we had in 'the good old days' . Just fold the flannel into three to make a pad and place in the nappy so it will be in the place that gets wettest !!

The other thing could be that the plastic pants are the wrong size. make sure there aren't any gapes around the legs as the wee (or worse ) will soon find it's way out !
I can remember buying for emergencies some very cheap plastic pants which were basically a flat sheet shaped which tied at the sides. I'm sure I've seen this pattern on the internet somewhere if you search, they are really easy to make out of a bin liner or carrier bag. It wasn't brilliant but with care it worked and it may work as an extra either over or under the plastic pants that you have to help prevent leaks.

I hope those ideas keep you going for a bit and then maybe you can save a bit and gradually experiment with the new shaped nappies that the young mums rave about! They do look lovely with their bright colours but personally I loved my terry squares!

Good luck

Oystercatcher

mambury

Hello,

I've used washables on both of my kids (one still in them now!). A few hints and tips!!

- make sure ALL of the nappy is inside of the wrap as the miosture can wick out
- invest in good quality wraps like motherease or imse vimse. THey may be a bit more expensive to start with but will, with care, easily last two or even three babies, sometimes even more!
- NEVER use fabric conditioner on nappies as it coats the fabric and reduces the absorbancy.
- add a booster pad, could be already bought or even homemade, at the front of the nappy as boys wet more at the front!
- experiment!
- avoid Kushies, In my opinion they don;t seem to work as well as other types of nappies.

I use onelife nappies (copy of motherease birth to potty) for both of mine and apart from the odd leak (but you get them with disp. anyway) I have had no real troubles.

SpoonyOh

Cor, it took me a while to relocate this!
Thanks to everyone who's responded. The only problem I have with experimenting is that no-one lets you try anything for free. Even the incentive scheme for Birmingham is rubbish (the nappy library requires a £50 deposit, plus £10 one-off charge), and the cashback is £30, which doesn't even cover a goodly quantity.
I keep telling myself that at least I'm using biodegradables which are the lesser of the evils, but even sourcing some of the reusable products is difficult (and pricey!).
As for the cost of washing, I've got an Indesit machine which is eco-friendly. Energy efficient (A rated), uses half the water, spins fantastically (1400rpm) and requires liquid rather than powder, which leaves very little residue. It does a 60 degree wash in fifty minutes and the clothes come out almost dry.
Anyway, I'll have a look at this Chinese fold - I must be doing something wrong because the baba's nappies look like knickerbockers.

skintchick

So I bought Totsbots nappies and have finally at 13 weeks begun to use them. I use the paper liners but her poo goes straight through (she is BF) and intot he nappy and if I just wash them I know this will set it in.

I do not have time to hand wash each one first, scrubbing with soap, which is what I have to do with any poo on clothes to get it out, so I wondered if there is something I can use to soak them in first that will remove the poo before washing?

If not, it is back to Pampers for me cos life is too short for scrubbing nappies, and the environment can go hang!

I'm cross cos they were sold as 'the liner will catch all the poo' and were supposed to be easy and we spent £250 on the set and now the more I use the less money I can sell them on for.

Alternatively, can anyone suggest decent liners the poo won;t go through?

MrsBartolozzi

I am sure there's a thread about this, I'll have a look,
but I believe Napisan will help with this. I didn't know about it when my sons were small and I used disposables - but I did throw away a few vests which stayed that yellow korma colour after every attempt to make them white again.

Sunlight helps to bleach cottons white again, but of course there's not much of that around at the moment .

Found this thread:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=154978&highlight=nappy+stains

narabanekeater

Have you washed the nappies on a long wash to deff say it wont come up and if so what washing powder are you using?
Im just asking as I posted about washables about 6 weeks ago, was ready to give up but now im getting the hang of them

dawn_rose

hiya both mine had washables i had fleece liners which were just strips of white fleece really easy to make and no sewing involved i use to put them on then a paper liner on top of that. i use to dry pail, the do a prewash, then a normal wash with non bio and white vinegar. shove em the line to bleach em naturally. i found the pre wash really helped to loosen it all. if your nappies have elastic in them they dont recommend soaking them. i used motherease so i didnt soak mine. hth good luck if you can crack it itll save you a fortune and it gets easier when they start solid foods.

dawn_rose

p.s. if you have to chuck a few fleece liners its much cheaper than chucking a nappy that cost you a tenner each.

DianaMattos

We use Little Lamb nappies which are cotton with fleece liners. We used their paper liners cut in half and a year on all the nappies are still sparkly white. You can buy the paper liners from the LL website: http://www.littlelamb.co.uk/itemdetl.php/itemprcd/Paper-Nappy-Liners They are only a fiver for 200, and they last ages and ages!

Hope this helps.

kate83

Hi,
Unfortunately it's just one of those things with breastfed babies, the poo is that runny that not a lot will catch it.
I found that washables did stop it going all up babies back a lot better than disposables.
It will get a lot better when weaning comes along and the poo gets more solid.
Fleece liners are good but I never used them before weaning so don't know what they're like at catching it all.
If you want to try, just get a cheap fleece blanket or a meter from a fabric shop, chop up into nappy sized rectangles (it doesn't fray) - also works as a washable wipe.

Washing machines are that good nowadays that you don't have to get rid of it all anyway, just chuck it in the washer, put it on a rinse cycle or a prewash first and most should come out before the main wash anyway.
I've been doing this for nearly 2 years now and not had any problems, just make sure you do a proper service wash once a month. (90oC wash with full dose of bio powder and nothing in)
Check out clothnappytree for washable nappy questions, they're really helpful on there.

Kate x