To ask about reusable nappies?

[sexnotgender]

Looking for recommendations on brands and what to look out for or avoid?

I’m 22 weeks just now so trying to be prepared and spread the cost!

Not sure on brands as use disposable but are you sure your ready for the mess and a lot of hot washes!

Oooh they stink though! I wouldn’t bother, henstoy who wants to carry a poo around with them when you’re out and about? I looked after a little boy who used them, never again!

Haha, this is why I posted in AIBU

I knew I’d get honest answers!

1. They don’t stink as get washed far quicker than emptying one of those long nappy bins!
2. Get a good lidded bucket and net, pop nappy in, put net in washing machine when full.
3. Lovely prints and colours!

I’d suggest going on The Nappy Lady, having a look. Babi Pur sell loads and have a helpful guide too. Maybe consider TotsBots Peenuts, Milovia or Baba and Boo. For a relatively small outlay you can get nappies that last birth to potty.

We use them. I think they're great.
Best brand for us so far is bambino mios.
There are groups on fb where you can buy second hand nappies which work out cheaper. Also there are cloth nappy libraries that you can rent a bundle from before investing.
I didn't use them with a new baby but there are newborn ones you can get.

We put on a nappy wash every 2 days but if I had more it would be every 3. Babies lead to more laundry anyway so it's no big deal.

And if baby needs a nappy change when we're out the wet /dirty one goes on a special bag called a wet bag that zips up so you don't smell the poo!

I also recommend cheeky wipes.

And you can use disposable nappies for out and about if you like. We always have a pack of disposables handy - it doesn't have to be all or nothing

I am also looking at alternatives to disposable nappies as they're so bad for the environment, taking hundreds of years to decompose. There are nappies that are disposable but a lot better for the environment and decompose quicker/easier. I can't remember the name of the brand I was looking at the other day but I believe Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) is one of the owners... ooh found it: kitandkin.com.. not cheap but worth it if you can afford it?

I used washables with both of mine and once you have a system going it's no hardship! I used Little Lamb but it was 15 years ago and there is lots more choice now.
I did use the odd disposable now and again - days out, away from home etc.
I used to love to see the nappies drying on the line!

the fact that we throw away shit stained underwear makes me wonder why people would want their precious newborns/babies in fabric that will still have poo fibers in them. I refuse to believe they will be 100% clean after a hot wash

Bamboo Miosolo are great. Go on like a disposable. Often on offer at larger supermarkets. I do "boost" these with a thin bamboo insert however.

Tots bots do trial kits. You can order both the new born and one size kit for half price using the code WTRIAL.

Little Lambs are very good value for money. I use the bamboo fitted nappies with a wrap at night. They are bomb proof.

Modern reusables don't need hot washes, 40 degrees is fine. Once you're in a washing routine (I wash every second evening; nappies are "dry-pailed" until then) it's as easy as pie.

Find out of you have a local nappy library, and if your council offers an incentive scheme.

We used bum genius flips they last from birth to potty. Really liked them, no drama to wash, re used them with second baby too although slightly less religiously. Then sold the whole lot as a bundle afterwards! Honestly didn't notice a smell, if you use liners you just flush poo down the toilet so you don't usually carry it around with you.

There's a questionnaire on the nappy lady website which will give you a couple of ideas for which is best for you. Try a nappy library but beware of buying second hand. I bought second hand for dc1 and it totally put me off as they were so leaky. Having bought a few cheap little blooms for dc2 I realised the first lot were shot

Our DD is 6 weeks old and we are using the little lambs bamboo reusables. You have an inner and then an outer, both with velcro and are shaped so go on like a disposable nappy. We are finding them great although the bamboo does dry slowly so we have a few of their microfiber ones too which dry superquick as back up. We tried biodegradable disposables but the naty ones were horrid and the kit and kin ones too expensive. As for poo particles I do wonder how any baby survived before disposables or in other parts of the world where they aren't so wasteful/well off

Thank you everyone so far, I had had a quick look at the nappy lady website but had no idea where to start.
Trying to reduce our footprint a little and disposable nappies are so wasteful!

I’d recommend contacting your local nappy library to borrow a trial kit. Most are council funded and some offer discounts if you go on to buy your own. You can then try out several different styles and brands without having to commit to buying anything. Like clothes, different brands suit different babies so it’s worth trying before you buy. My second child is now using the first’s nappies so I’m really starting to reap the financial benefit!

www.uknappynetwork.org/find-a-library.html

• you can only flush poo if you’re near a toilet.
• most of the time and the poo is on the cloth not just the flushable liner
• the older ones reek of ammonia even when a tiny wee is done. They made my eyes sting!
• far bulkier, they make her child walk funny
• not that great for the environment due to the extra hot water, detergent, electricity etc

You don’t carry poo around with you- poo gets flushed down the loo! (As it should no matter what type of nappy you use)

I used them fully with dc1 and 2 and for the first 6 months with dc3.

I found explosive poos were better contained in cloth. Wet nappies needed changing more frequently than disposables.

I didn’t find washing them a hassle but I did find it harder to find clothes that fit over them with dc3 than I did dc1 and 2 (8 year gap).

And if I’m honest I did find a build up of smell after a while. I’ll probably use them some of the time for dc4 but it’s unlikely I’ll use them full time as dp hated them!

We used baba+boo nappies on our boys as babies I loved them they aren't hard work and they work so well. My 4 year old with sn is still in nappies and I so wish I could find some like them to use on him. Plus reusable are far kinder to the skin.

We much prefer cloth on DS. We had to use disposables on holiday and I hated it. The pool leaks out of disposables!! It was up his back and everything I was thrilled to get back to cloth.
Better containment, cheaper, better for the environment and no chemicals in his nappy. What's not to love??
While out, empty the poo in the loo, do the nappy back up, bung it in your waterproof wet bag, when you get home, put it in your lidded bucket to await the wash load.
I wash every other day, which suits the amount of nappies I have and also the fact that my bucket is full by then. A net bag inside the bucket just means that the bag needs to be taken out and just goes in the machine. A cold rinse cycle then a 40 degree cycle gets everything out.
I use a mix of totsbots peenut, Bambino Mio (but am just starting to need to boost it) and little blooms (a cheaper brand).

I would recommend going to your local nappy library for a trial kit once baby arrives. Or, into your nearest cloth nappy shop, as they often give advice and can help you pick a 'system'.
Also the cloth nappy group on Facebook is invaluable for advice.
OP happy to answer any questions you have about them if you can't get to a library as I am also a cloth nappy library volunteer.

The nappy lady questionnaire is helpful as I think a pp mentioned. I have totsbots for my 11 week old long skinnylegged baby, and have found that the easyfit star are meantime not great for poo at the side of her legs (found this out when she had her rotavirus drops 😕 - slightly greeny leak.)
The bamboozle with a wrap works better although both are meant to fit 8lbs and up. She was 9lb at this point. The nappylady advisers say better from 10lb up, but I suspect much depends on baby proportions.

I got some preloved teenyfit (totsbots again) which are better at the moment.
Doing a mix of disposable and reusable until baby chunks up a bit.

We used disposables at the start anyway because midwives and HVs are superkeen on knowing how many wet nappies they have per 24hrs and the wee blue line on disposables made that easier for us. I bought a kit before baby arrived which I wouldn't in all honesty recommend doing because I am now worried that her wee legs will not chunk up enough for that brand - trialling a few different ones when she arrived might have been a better idea. May have been an expensive mistake...

I also agree once you're in a routine the washing doesn't add much to daily workload, but I'm beginning to worry a little bit about drying. In Scotland. In winter.

My brother and SIL use the Best Bottoms system and love it.

My mum used cloth nappies on all of us. I was allergic to disposables (severe diaper rash) so she just started using cloth.

I don't remember our nappies EVER being stained. She washed them on hot with a cold rinse and I think she used bleach. They were always sparkling white.

Mum kept a diaper pail with a lid in the corner of the bathroom. She put some water and bleach in it. Wet nappies went straight in. Poopy ones had the poop rinsed out first in the toilet and then went in. She washed nappies at least every 2 days.

Mind, in those days we didn't have the modern nappies that have a liner. We just had plain pieces of thick cloth. Mum used rubber pants over top - basically resemble a pair of underwear made of plastic with elastic at the waist and legs. Kept any mess contained nicely.

When we went to visit relatives for several days Mum did use disposables.

Second hand are much cheaper.

Get flushable bamboo liners to catch the poo and reduce stains.

We struggled with absorbency at night so ended up with reusables in the day and disposables at night.