Reusable nappies or disposable - partner says he won't use reusable

[dec20]

Hi everyone

I've been looking into reusable nappies and would really like to try these. My fiance is really hesitant about using these and he has no logical reason. It's really frustrating me.

Has anyone used reusable nappies and find they've been ok or do you prefer disposable? Also any recommendations?

Thank you

Reusables are amazing, 24 prefolds plus wraps in 4 sizes (4 in each size) did 2 children then sold on for more than original price.

It's hard to use washable ones for newborns. They're tiny and get through a lot of nappies. If you're using them, I'd say about two months in is ideal to start. (I did have a friend who used muslins and a wrap for newborns).

Positives of washables - you never run out, big cute tushies, padding when they fall, less nappy rash, fewer leaks, not having revolting piles of poopy plastic around.

Obviously you've got to wash them. Which takes time.

We used washable fleece liners that help protect from nappy rash. Poo just drops off most of the time, or you hold liner against where water comes out of the toilet and it blasts the poo off. Not as gross as you'd imagine!

I think that both partners really have to be on board to use them. More work, more handling of bodily fluids and the fact that the vast majority of people do disposables- it should be completely obvious why he objects.

My advice would be wait, often reusables aren’t a good fit on tiny newborns anyway, plus the early days are tough going and when you’ve both got a handle on babycare and the amount of pee and poop you’ll be handling (it’s remarkable how quickly you get desensitised to it 🤣) I’d broach the conversation again and see if he’d consider trying them at home, still using disposables for outings.

The "eco" brands are just greenwashing. Still terrible for the environment and unless you have acres of land to dig and bury each nappy individually, not compostable. They are not going to decompose quickly in landfill no matter what they're made from.

@llamajohn

Actually, with disposables I normally empty the contents into the toilet before disposing of the nappy. But once the nappy is in the bin it can be gross if it likes because nobody needs to interact with it any more. I find it hard to get excited about the grossness of the contents of land fill. So yes, is the short answer.

The gross bit is (1) you have no choice but to deal with it fully if it's a messy one and (2) we had to have a bucket of (obviously not very clean) water permanently sitting in the bathroom that the nappies went into after we had cleaned them by flushing in the toilet.

It was a while ago and they may have got easier, I don't know! Also teenagers probably get more freaked out by these things than older people. Still, it left a strong prejudice.

Washing machines actually cope quite badly with even quite small amounts of poo. Learned this the hard way the first time DS had norovirus.

I didn't claim eco brands would either compost or be significantly better for the environment? I was responding to posters who said that Pampers etc were plasticy/smelt chemical.

It is valid to consider women's time as well as money and the environment.

A lot of choices come down to who's prepared to put in time and effort. I have rarely seen a man be blamed for the "wrong" nappy choice!

No need to soak them now, they are dry pailed once the poo is removed (very easy especially if using a liner).

I've enjoyed using them, they look super cute and I've liked having a lower environmental impact. But I do completely understand people who don't want to especially as the workload does usually land on the mothers!
We used from about 10lb with baby 1 but from birth with baby 2. It's also not all or nothing, just one nappy a day will make a difference.

11 years ago we used reusables - didn't actually find it that hard. Shaped cloth nappies fastened with velcro. Flushable liners which you take out with any solid stuff in. A bucket with a draw string bag so you pull out the whole bag and shove it in the wash - so you don't have to touch the dirty nappies again. Wash with the baby clothes, 90% of which have wee, poo or sick on anyway! We used a wet bag for one or two changes when we were out a short time, and occasionally used disposables for a long car journey so you didn't get heaps of dirty nappies in a hot car!

We used cloth nappies. They were fantastic. We used a company who would deliver a set of nappies, waterproof covers and nappy liners every week and pick up the dirty ones so we never washed them ourselves. The liner kept the poo away (majority of the time) from the nappy itself. Dirty nappies would be stored in a screw topped mini bin type thing with air fresheners slotted into the inside of the lid. The company we used were brilliant.

I didn't get on with reusable nappies at all. DS was very small and they leaked really badly and gave him dreadful nappy rash however often I changed him. I stuck with them for weeks because they'd been passed on to me and I wanted to be eco-friendly, but my lovely mum-in-law came to stay for a few days and sent DH straight to the shop for disposables, 'for a few days', and we never went back. I passed them on to a friend who had twins a few years later so they didn't go to waste, but they just weren't for me.

Love cloth nappies. I'm on my third baby and still using cloth nappies. A lot of them have been used on all three children. My newborn ones have also been used by my niece and will be borrowed again by any future babies in the family.

You don't have to be all or nothing. With the birth of each baby I've only done as much as I could cope with and slowly built up.

I've had two children in full time cloth nappies for 16 months and then again for four months. But I also always have emergency disposables at home, in the car and in my bag. If we go away we use disposables. If we're having a period where we're having a really tough time (such as all the kids are ill) we take a break from it.

Husband was very much against it when I first floated the idea. He is a bigger fan of them than me these days. Especially with each baby we've had the cost savings have been more and more. He's always keen to save money 🤣

I don't have much to add, we used disposables for much of my daughter's first year as I just didn't have it in me to get sorted with washables, but in the end we did and they were great, we used them till she potty trained. Mostly Bambino Mio all-in-ones and Tots Bots. We still used disposables at night and at nursery, but I took the line that every time we used a washable one it was a bonus. I second a few PPs who said definitely use washable wipes, they were soooo much better at cleaning up poo, and Cheeky Wipes kits make it really easy. My final point is this photo... I rest my case!

I used washable and had three in them at once. It was easy and no big deal. My kids have grown up to be very environmentally aware so I'm pleased I can tell them I did this.

I know there are arguments for all the extra electricity and water for washing them but I think better than leaving piles of plastic that will be here for ever.

Love your photo @cadentiasidera !

That's why you use biodegradable liners..

I used reusable for DD.
Don't recommend them.
A lot of hard work for little return. Planets already fucked.

My dh was like this. I just did more nappy changes than him and used cloth and when he did it he used disposable. Not perfect but we still saved loads of waste.

Bambino mio birth to potty worked great for our youngest.

Little lamb was good for our eldest but you have to buy different sizes so preferred bambino mio overall.

Mummy of 4 uk has some great videos on cloth nappies. And when you are done with them you can sell on vinted or donate to the nappy lady.

Don't listen to your husbands negativity and persevere with your plan. He is just unsure because it's not 'the norm'. I loved using cloth nappies and it wasn't even difficult. It was rewarding and a joy.

(Note we used disposable overnight with youngest).

Persil non bio powder is your friend and so is a tots bots nappy bucket. Good luck x

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP7SPoJ1ortvhmP1NydevAiSqOMfBuv0K&si=-e4STTbHhdUJY4hU

I found some reusable nappies that advertise themselves as from birth to potty training can be misleading. One particular brand felt tight on my baby from about 12 months of age and was very uncomfortable. The bbc podcast linked above calculated the cost savings on the basis that they reusable last until potty training and in my experience they don't.

Also some fabrics and velcro don't last and when I've borrowed nappies from the nappy library they were so well used some had shrunk it put me off.

My son has severe eczema. I've tried motherease sandy's which are good but if you don't spot wees early enough the nappy gets damp and my son ends up with nappy rash.

Disposables seem more comfortable because they absorb moisture better but I do worry about the chemicals that must be in them.

I can see both sides of the argument.

To be honest if you want your other half to change nappies it'll be easier to accept the disposables otherwise you'll have a lot of work when you could be enjoying your new baby.