A rash of savings: Get the cheapest nappies/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

becky004

jellyhead wrote:

kooshies size 1 and 2, lol! my baby was too big for size 1 at only 14 weeks old, and i thought they'd last until he was 1 - ooops! i bought from ebay so it wasn't too expensive. they have a weight of up to 22lb but my baby didn't weigh 22lb until he was 25 weeks old, he must just be an oddly shaped baby

I never had any problem with them and I had 2 children of vastly differing sizes as the second was premature, they worked very well on both of them although the second was out of size 1 at 10 months as he grew and is still growing at an alarming rate despite his prematurity! I will say the initial outlay did seem high I paid £120 for 20 direct from PHP who supply kooshies, but as they've lasted 2 babies and would definitely last a 3rd they worked out to be fantastic value. I see a lot of reusable nappies in my line of work and IMO I found kooshies to be one of the best. I never had a problem with leakages or putting them on as they are just like a disposable but they are made of cloth.

JULIE

for what its worth... i used disposables for the first few months, alot of my friends were on reusables, i ended up trawling various internet sites and this became so mind boggling with all the different liners, flat, pre fold, and all the different weterproof outers etc that i asked what my friends were using...they said plain ole terries...that weekend i thought sod it. i took myself off into town and bought two packs of towelling nappies (one from boots the other mothercare), a pack of 3 nappy nippas, disposable liners and those bog standard outers.

I looked on net for a boys fold (found one that is really sleek between the legs) and got started. Bog standard outers..dreadful so went on to kittykins and ordered nature babies popper wrap(4 @ 6.99) i got these as littleun has huge thighs, but they do minki or slinki minki for slim and extra slim babes...i didn't get on with the disposable liner so got kittykins fleece liners (2pks 5 for £3 each) as these wick the moisture away from the skin and to go underneath these i got kooshie liners from mothercare theyre shaped to be inserted into the kooshie nappy....and for night time we bought 4 nature babies terry/fleece boosters @ 1.50 each...these are fab (again got from kittykins)

I didn't want to make the mistake of buying all these trial packs as another of my friends has and she ended up spending a small fortune and still never got what she wanted.

As for changing whilst out and about...someone on this thread found it awkward trying to fold a nappy in the changing room (sorry can't remember who) whilst baby on the mat.... i fold mine into shape and take them out ready folded, then place nappy along length of right arm then lift his legs with left then sliding it underneath....bit like a pizza, but now its all second nature and so easy...and it doesn't have to cost a fortune to start up...sorry for waffling but hope a little of this may help x

Baileys_Babe

When ds was new born we used muslin(sp) squares, Origami fold (various folds illustrated on kittykins) as he grew we changed to the kite fold. Next stage was the same fold with a pad either from a face flannel or a muslin square which we still use as well as terry squares kite fold and a few prefolds which we got through freecycle.
We use bambino mio liners (cut in thirds or half when he was small). Flannels as wipes, nappi nippers and wraps by disana(one of the few makes of wraps which can be washed at 90c).
We have been very lucky as everything except liners has been loaned by family and used for many children.
To make life easier we fold all the nappies and place a liner inside so then we are already to change the nappy without any fuss and it makes it alot quicker when preparing for a trip out.

swampytiggaa

I love my terry squares - have tried others [borrowed from friends etc] but don't think they are anywhere near as good as the good old squares

mine have been used on at least 2 children [mine] plus some have been given me by friends..... and i will be using them on number 4 after easter

I use motherease wraps which i tend to get from kittykins - then sell them on when i have finished with them.

really regret using sposies with my eldest - altho I find that there is loads of info on cloth online and very little in real life.........

since using cloth nappies i have progressed onto cloth sanpro and breastpads etc - I also use cloth wipes [flannels!] and hate using anything throw away now.....

Rhiannon_of_Woolamai

I used Motherease one-size nappies, and Motherease Sandy's with my first born with Motherease airflow and rikki wraps (also tried Bambino Mio which were terrible). With my second born, I'm still using disposables as I can't quite face the real ones again yet!!.

My advice would be:
1. Use disposables for the first 6 months - you get loads of free vouchers, baby nappies are pretty cheap (about 10p each), and they tend to do yellow poo all day long, which stains.
2. At 6 months buy approx 10 to 12 of the second size of a 2-size-type nappy e.g. Motherease Sandy's (size 2), with 2 or 3 medium Motherease wraps (I like airflow best). They will fit a 6 month old baby, and it means you have less poppers to dig in as they don't need to adjust so much.
Also buy 2 to 3 large wraps, and 2 extra large wraps (you'll get less leaks with a larger wrap). You'll also need at least 10 rolls of disposable liners (these flush down the loo, and means that you can flush away most of the poo, and not stain your nappies as much).

The things that you need to be aware of with real nappies (that I didn't realise) are:
a. you need to change them more often than disposables, probably twice as much- I get through 6 or 8 real nappies compared to about 4 disposables in a day.
b. the disposable liners that you use with real nappies are expensive (approx 2p each) - compared to an entire disposable nappy which costs 10p to 15p.

So if you're planning to use real nappies purely as a moneysaving scheme - the pennies might not add up e.g. double the nappies used + washing costs + disposable liners + purchase costs. I'm probably still glad that I use real nappies (Motherease are very good), but it's not a great or cost saving as I anticipated.

jellyhead

alternatively, if you're using around ten nappies you can buy around ten washable liners from ebay for around £3.00 cut to shape for you in a bright pattern that doesn't show stains, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-TIGER-FLEECE-NAPPY-LINERS-CLOTH-NAPPIES-DIAPERS_W0QQitemZ7743472044QQcategoryZ26269QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or make your own from a bit of fleece. i bought a roll of disposable liners for almost £5 but the washable fleece ones were much nicer and baby felt much drier.

becky004

most newborns in disposables need to be changed at least 8-10 times a day not 4 as previously mentioned, which is the same as re-usable nappies. My nephew is 2 and in disposables and he is changed at least 6-8 times per day or he'd get sore!

jellyhead

i think rhiannon was talking about older children, but i've seen people on here mention using 4 disposables a day before now. my baby is 6 months old and i'm currently using disposables and couldn't/wouldn't use fewer than 6 a day. there's one dirty nappy per day, i wouldn't leave him in a wet nappy for hours though.

Lillibet_2

I wash the disposable liners if they haven't been poo'ed on, they happily stand up to at least 3 washes. Can't face washing pooey liners though (you're a braver woman than I am Jellyhead:silenced:)

No way can I get away with my 6 month old only being changed only 4 times a day in disposables, he gets changed every time he poos or every 3 hours during the day, which ever comes first, regardles sof wheter he's in a washable or disposable! I do still put him in a disposable overnight too I do find it much easier to use washables now that he's a little bit older.

And sorry to disagree with the previous poster, but diaposables may only cost 10p each but they still cost the earth!!!! (Plus that's still £30 a month I can put to much better use & I like feeling smug:rolleyes::p:D)

Mikki

Hi all!

With my 1st son I used disposables cos I didn't know any better and god I hated them! They are so unreliable and I was forever having to change him (plus do loads of washing) because of exploding poo all up his back! I worked out I must have spent over £1000 on disposable nappies for him!

With my daughter I decided to use cloth nappies (but used disposables for 1st few weeks). I used TotsBots nappies & Motherease wraps and we have never had any leaks. She is now 2 1/2 and almost potty trained and these nappies have lasted well. I spent about £250 all in over the time she's been in nappies.

With my 2nd son I already knew it was going to be cloth nappies, but I didn't want to use any disposables at all (save for the 1st few days), so I bought some muslins to use in the 1st few weeks (the TotsBots would have been too bulky). This worked out at around the same I would have spent on disposables for the 1st few weeks anyway. I loved the muslins so much so that I was then reluctant to go on to using the TotsBots.

Now he is 7 months old and very happy in his TotsBots! I've had to buy a few new ones to replace some of dd's old ones, but most of them were in good enough nick for a second outing!

I prefer the nippa fastening ones as you get a better fit, plus an older baby cannot remove them! However, I've found my partner and babysitters etc prefer the familiar velcro fastening ones. The coloured TotsBots are slimmer than the white ones, plus are cute! I've also recently tried the Bamboozle nappy - same design but made from thinner bamboo cloth, and much more absorbant!

I'd also echo other peoples advice on here to go to The Nappy Lady's website as a first port of call - it really does explain everything you need to know. I've recently discovered https://www.thenaturalbabyresource.co.uk who seem to have the best prices (and free p&p!).

I also use fleece liners because a) they're lovely & soft and act as a stay dry layer, and b)I didn't want to be spending money every month on disposable liners. I've never had a problem getting poo off them either, and as someone else said, just buy a roll of fleece material from John Lewis to cut up to make your own - the exact same as the ones sold by the nappy websites at £1 a liner!

If you want to save even more money, use washable wipes - they can get washed along with the nappies!

I used to soak the nappies in water with white vinegar, but now just dry pail and haven't noticed any difference. I wash every 2nd or 3rd day at 60C with a non-bio powder, then either hang out to dry, or dry them overnight on the radiators during winter.

I've found cloth nappies much easier to use than disposables, plus have saved a fortune (and they're much nicer for baby too!).

HTH!