Real Nappies (Merged Discussion Thread)

jessanna · 10 May 2006 at 8:25PM

An average baby uses between 5000 and 6000 nappies by the time it's potty trained. This amounts to around £700 worth of disposables. By using real nappies you can prevent this huge number of disposable nappies entering our landfill sites. Real nappies (including laundry costs) will cost up to around £450 - a huge saving - and you can use them again other siblings!

I'd recommend getting advice on finding the right brand. Going for the wrong brands can lead to unnecessary leaks and reduced absorbency. Get advice online from https://www.thenappylady.co.uk or https://www.lizziesrealnappies.org.uk or find a local nappy advisor from https://www.realnappycampaign.com/nappyfinder. The nappyfinder site will also provide details of incentive schemes offered by local councils, including free trials and cashback.

woollyjumper · 10 May 2006 at 9:54PM

Norfolk County Council give £30 as an incentive .. been using for six months since the birth of Charlotte .. and very happy with how they work - none of fiddly folding or safety pins. just press studs or grippers. Definately recommend - saves the pennies and the environment.

suzplustwo · 11 May 2006 at 10:50AM

We used real nappies for a while with our twins. The other benefit is that if you buy your own nappies and wraps, there is a really good resale market. Brand like Tots Bots go like hot cakes, even used ones! (washed, of course...) so you can recoup some of your initial outlay too. Or buy them second hand and save money too. Sites like https://www.ukparents.co.uk have a real nappy buy-sell board, see also the https://www.nappylady.co.uk website.
Nothing to beat rows of freshly washed terries blowing on the line on a sunny day - warms your heart!

Queenie · 11 May 2006 at 2:21PM

I used terry nappies on all 5 of my children (my eldest children were all born within 3yrs of one another). I still have some in the linen cupboard - others were recycled as cleaning clothes or used as sick cloths.

I looked into our local council scheme and yes, they offer and incentive, but I was disgusted at how much cloth nappies are selling for these days! Even 11yrs ago the cost wasn't quite so prohibitive!

You can buy quality white 100% bath sheets from places such as TK Maxx for a fraction of the price, cut them down, add some binding and it's ... hey! Cloth nappies!!! Why companies are cashing in on something so basic is beyond my understanding - it's actually having a reverse effect if people are put off the initial outlay, no matter how many council incentives there are

MATH · 11 May 2006 at 6:01PM

I used terry nappies for the three MATHLETTS. IMO terry squares are much more flexible and cost effective than shaped nappies. The benefit of terry sqaures is that they will take your child from birth to 3/4years just by changing the way you fold them. Changing the fold also makes allowances for girls/boys/front sleeper/back sleepers etc and you can double them up at night for long sleepers. Because they are laundered as a single layer they dry much faster than shaped nappies and can also be used as sick cloths and cleaning cloths when no longer needed. The nappy pins can seem a bit scary at first but althougth I often stabbed my own fingers I never punctured a child even doing nappy changes in the middle of the night, half asleep and in the dark. LOL

jessanna · 11 May 2006 at 9:08PM

Yes, terry squares are a lot cheaper but, in my experience they do leak more than shaped nappies, especially on newborns. Shapes nappies are elasticated around the legs and the waist and I found that, when used with a good wrap, they didn't leak once. Yes, I repeat, my 3 year old daughter has been in them from birth and they haven't leaked once!!

For those wanting to give terry squares a go however, I would definately recommend using a 'nappi nippa' in place of the nappy pins - they're so much safer and so much easier to use.

Aurora_emma · 11 May 2006 at 10:34PM

or use your terry nappies to stuff all in nappies like fuzzi bunz or the WAHM alternatives (like minki)

Aurora_emma · 11 May 2006 at 10:37PM

forgot to mention....

https://www.netmums.com has local nearly new boards where there are often loads of nappies for sale. (as well as lots of cloth nappy info under the environment section. )

https://www.comparenappies.co.uk gives lots of data about studies that have been carried out comparing the environmental aspects of disposable and cloth nappies. It does what it says on the bottle

fannyadams · 12 May 2006 at 7:11AM

I have bambinomio nappies and outers for both DSs. I like to think they toilet trained earlier coz they could feel when they were wet rather than the uberfast wicking of the landfill nappies.
I shop around for the cheapest biodegradable liners and flushable wipes (https://www.thebabycatalogue.com) - no sense using flushable (biodegradable) liners if your gonna use landfill wipes. Sorry but *can't* get my head round using flannels to clean their bums, so I use biodegradable wipes.

krishna · 12 May 2006 at 9:16PM

We used terry squares on our twins. In addition to being cheaper and more flexible (compared with shaped nappies), they make great cloths for other household uses. We use some for bath mats. Also they dry more quickly on the line AND can be stuck in a dryer in emergencies.

We bought small squares for when they were newborns (they were only about 5lb at birth). Never had much of a leak problem. Depends on the waterproof outers you use I guess.

Mind you, kids now 4 and still need nappies at night, but can't find anything to fit them, so we have had to resort to disposables

If anyone knows of a reusable alternative we'd love to know.

Yategirl · 12 May 2006 at 9:47PM

Krishna - look at http://www.nappiesbyminki.wahmall.co.uk/traderplus/

I have nappies from this seller for my 3/4 year old and am thinking of buying 2-3 of these nappies now he is 4+...

Real Nappies (Merged Discussion Thread)

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