Reusable nappies

[user1466087382]

Hello,

I'm hoping to give reusable nappies a go when my baby arrives, just wondering if other people out there have tried them and what your experiences are. I'm mostly concerned about washing and drying them in a small flat with no tumble-dryer.

Somethimg I'm more keen to find out about is this nappy service I came across where they provide you with the nappies, pick them up once a week and give you new ones. So no washing them yourself.

Has anyone used this service and if so how did you get on? I'm wondering if it's possible to keep soiled nappies for a whole week until the pick-up day!

Thanks

[Ca55andraMortmain]

We use reusable nappies and have got on well with them. I would say it would be hard to keep up with the drying if you don't have a tumble dryer or garden but if you bought a bigger stash of nappies you would manage. I've never used a nappy service but I would say that if you rinse off the poo from your nappies and then dry pail them you could keep them for a week. Again though you would need enough nappies to last whole week (we have 25 and wash every other day)

[MilkAndFenty]

We use them- they take a bit of getting used to but once you've settled in with them there great!we don't have the pick up service here but I use microfibre nappies which dry really fast- hang them out before you go to bed and there dry by morning. You can't really tumble dry them anyway as they will deteriorate and the waterproof layer can melt. Night nappies are usually bamboo so take longer to dry but if you can keep them drying until bedtime they should be done. I hope this helps!

[trilbydoll]

I don't tumble the nappies but I do have a dehumidifier which speeds up drying.

You also don't have to necessarily go for cloth 100%, I've never used it at night, or long car journeys to name a couple of examples!

[Nan0second]

Cloth nappies here. Lots of types and options which makes it seem more complex than it is.
Find your local nappy library and some other mums using cloth (Facebook groups can be good for this). Don't buy heaps when pregnant as different nappies work best for different babies. However size 1 little lambs which are a two part nappy are a great option and very cheap pre-loved.
www.worcsnas.org.uk
Is a brilliant website for learning the basics (see their faq) but find a library!!

[dontpokethebear]

We use bambino mio prefolds, which are cotton with a separate microfibre layer. They dry pretty quickly on a heated airer/clothes horse. we don't have a tumbler!

[Justtrying]

Had great ideas about using cloth, bought lots prior to dd's birth. They were ok daytime but had to revert to disposables at night to keep her dry. Gave up at 6 weeks as washables plus struggling to breastfeed got too much.

Some of the washables looked lovely and bamboo liners were great but take forever to dry. No tumble drier here.

Personally found tots bots good and bambinos not so good.

Pampers baby dry was our go to night time nappy with Lidl great for daytime. Boots and tesco rubbish.

Still using all my muslins and terriers I bought as cleaning cloths. Dd now 5.5.

[newtothenet]

I second the dehumidifier - it dries them really quickly on a clothes horse.

[bluechameleon]

I lived in a flat for the first year of DS's life. I had microfibre nappies and pockets for daytime as these would dry in a day. Bamboo can take a few days to dry so you'll need several night nappies. If you use pockets you'll want bamboo boosters for those too but just make sure you have plenty and you'll be fine.

[Cocolocos]

I would wait and see what your baby is like before buying them. DD was a very poopy baby (sometimes 10x/day for the first 6 months) and I wasted loads of money on washable nappies that I never used. I couldn't face it with so many poopy nappies!

[TheOddity]

Poo nappies get washed the same as wee ones, so no worries about that

We use and find them pretty easy. It's more washing but only maybe an extra load every other day. Stock in a quick pretty wash on cold, tgen a 40/60 wash with bio powder and youre done. I dry on the balcony but in winter I will buy one of those pants dryers for over the bath!

[TheOddity]

Stick in a quick cold pre wash. Bloody auto correct.

Also try some at nappy library if you can and buy second hand on fb. People even sell new there! I love little lamb pockets even though they are less exciting than some others in patterns! Dry great, very soft and good elastics.

[Poocatcherchampion]

But how expensive to use disposables for all those poos!

We use disposables at night and I hate it if they do an early poo in it. Such a waste!! :)

We wash once a week - no probs. I don't know how many I have - maybe 30 odd.

They are on their 3rd child now and still going strong.

[Nan0second]

It's good if they poo a lot in cloth! All that money and landfill wasted with disposables!
Half joking as a poo-ey nappy is gross either way :)

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Absolutely love our nappies, can't really get my head around spending money on disposables only for them to be pooed on and thrown into landfill for eternity. Odd! There is lots of advice on the Nappies section of MN, but I love clothnaplytree.com, Fill-your-pants give lovely advice too, and definitely fill out the questionnaire on the nappy lady website - I went to her house for a fitting and advice session once DS was born.
To start with I bought one-size nappies only, one of each brand I fancied, and decided from there which worked best for DS. So we did use disposables in the very beginning, and I must admit we currently use a disposable overnight. They make our bin rank though and I can't imagine using them full time, and we still put poo down the loo - loads of people who use disposables don't do that, I don't want to imagine what their bins are like!

[NotCitrus]

Do you have a balcony or anywhere to dry them? The only people I know who couldn't manage with reusable were ones who couldn't dry them easily - but if you can get lots of preloved cheap nappies that wouldn't be such an issue. All in ones and wraps can't be tumble dried but inserts can be (though given how often you wash, best to only do that when they are nearly dry but not quite).

I just flushed poo down the toilet and stored all nappies in a lidded bucket until had two buckets to wash.

[spacefrog35]

I actually prefer pooh in cloth nappies as I've never (touch wood) had a cloth nappy leak pooh. With disposables we've had pooh in her armpits so many times I've lost count!

Have a look at the nappy lady website, she has a questionnaire you can fill in and she will suggest nappies, no obligation. Also totally agree with waiting till baby is here and trying different types. Some councils have trial kits, worth seeing if yours does, you have to book them a little way in advance.

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

I'd definitely recommend the Kangacare wet bags instead of a bucket, so much simpler! Just chuck the whole thing in the wash and they're pretty too :)