need advice on reusable nappies.

[rozalie]

hi. i was just wondering how many nappies and wraps wouls I need for my newborn?

where can i get really cheap washable liners and wipes to go with the nappies? Are these any good or am i better off using disposable wipes and liners?

please give me any advise!
thanks

[eidsvold]

if you do a search - lots of advice on reusable wipes and liners. Most of us use fleece liners. I bought two and just used them as a template to cut my own from a metre of fleece. Have more than I need now.

some people buy cheap flannels( washers) as wipes, cotton wool and warm water is fine for new borns.

so if you have the time - just do a quick search on mumsnet - archived threads and current threads.

hope that helps.

[bensmum3]

Hi,
For my wipes I bought a good quality towel from a charity shop, hot washed it, then cut it into squares for wipes, I've sewn around the edges to help keep the shape, and use these with warm water.
liners, I bought a meter of fleece and cut rectangles to fit my nappies, I can send you one to copy if you like.
As for nappies it depends if you have washing/drying facilities, newborns need changing quite often, I used prefolds because they are cheaper and dry quickly,
probably need about 3 wraps, 1 on, 1 in wash and 1 dying, you dont need to wash these after every change, but I always let mine air between changes,
hope that helps,

[humphrey]

I cut up a baby brushed cotton blanket up for my wipes and just zigzagged around the edges. I use a small spray bottle that I fill with water and take that out so if not near a tap have got water to wet the wipes with if you do a search you will find threads which tell you what other people use to wet the wipes, like baby oil, camomile tea etc I think some people put them in the mixture and keep in a plastic container so ready like disposable wipes when out. I find water has worked just as well and I have been using this from the start and my dd is now 21 months old. The wipes are alot less money than buying diposables wipes and if you are using cloth nappies you just stick them in with that wash so as long as you have a big supply it is no more hassle. I also have a drawstring makeup bag that I take out which cost 99p from Wilkinsons to put the nappy and wipes in when dirty as the ones on most nappy websites are quite expensive and it saves on buying those smelly nappy bags. You can get the empty spray bottles from Boots.

[rozalie]

Thanks for the helpful advice. I definatly want to use washable stuff wherever I can. It all sounds like a brilliant way to save afew pounds.

I will definatly get myself abit of fleece and have a go!

[eidsvold]

rozalie - in mothercare - from memory ( over 2 yrs ago) they had zippered plastic square bags - kind of like a big pencil case that you could put the wet nappy and such in. I bought a couple of them - can get plain ones or ones with patterns on. THat is an alternative to the drawstring bag that humphrey uses.

[bensmum3]

rozalie, I put the fleece liner in the post this morning, so it should be with you soon, hope it helps you need 100% polyester fleece.

[99redballoons]

I have nothing more to add as you've had such good advice from the girls!

I only moved to reusable nappies when my ds was 9mo and I wish I'd done it sooner. Hoping to use the same ones on baby no.2 due in the autumn.

One problem I hit in the early days was using too much detergent in the wash. It built up over a couple of weeks and started to give my ds nappy rash from hell. The advice I got from MN and thenappylady was to put half my normal amount of liquid in and half-whole tbsp of soda crystals in the wash. This was our winning combination and no rash since (over a year now). Plus every week they go through one wash with nothing, no detergent, to remove any buildup that may be on it's way. HTH

Did I say I had no advice... can't stop talking about cotton once you're into it!