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!

What a shame that people are so negative about cloth nappies . I read somewhere that if Henry 8th was in disposable nappies they would still be sat in landfill as they take so long to break down. Disgusting when you think how many nappies we use every day. I used half cloth and half disposable with my daughter, even though I wasn’t a huge fan of cloth. I found bambino mio the best. Check with your local council as ours did a scheme where they let us borrow a trial kit for a month which included lots of different types so it was good to find out which we liked best before spending lots of money out.

I used Bambino Mio and they were great. I have no idea what people are going on about re the 'ammonia' smell - never had that problem. I passed mine on to my sister and she used them with her two, so they can turn out very cheap, even with buying the odd replacement for discoloured ones.

You use liners, so solids into the loo, then cloth nappy in to soak, and when the bucket is full, wash them. Hanging them in the sun helps keep them white. They have velcroed covers that have lovely patterns on them, they look so cute! It can take a while to get the best fold pattern for your baby, but once that's done it's a doddle.

I did use disposables if we were travelling a long distance just for easiness. But I wasn't very keen on having all those chemicals in disposables next to baby's bum either, as well as environmental concerns.

I used to advise on them and sell them. Both my kids wore them and I'm a firm fan. Some of the posts on here are unfair and misleading at best so I'm going to try to dispel some of the myths.

Firstly, babies are in the first size for a relatively short time. I used to advise to get a mixture of styles and types to see what worked well for you, your baby and your lifestyle in that first size. Personally I loved terry squares on a newborn as they contained everything (unlike disposables) and dried quickly on the line. I had some shaped nappies, some more like the Bambino Mio, but I wasn't a huge fan of those, pocket nappies which were fantastic overnight and all-in-ones. Each had advantages and downsides. That is why I would recommend speaking to an advisor or local nappy library.

You don't need to hot wash them. A rinse if they are really bad then a normal 40 degree wash is fine. Don't use fabric conditioner as it coats the fibres and makes them less absorbent. Instead use white vinegar in the rinse cycle. Ideally, line drying is best as sunlight bleaches out any stains. However, if you have a tumble drier and can afford the costs, lots of people find it very convenient. I coped with 2 in nappies and no tumble drier, just like my mum did.

As far as the comment about "walking funny" from someone upthread is concerned, I'm afraid s/he needs to do more research. Babies with clicky hips are actually told to use a cloth nappy as it keeps their legs better apart and allows the hip to take the correct shape, similar to when my dad had a hip replacement and the nurses had a wedge cushion between his knees for the first few days/nights to keep his legs in the correct place and allow the joint to align. Babies just learning to walk have a cushioned landing when they sit down suddenly on their squishy cloth bum compared with a disposable, especially on hard floors.

I loved them, my DH was keen and the girls themselves became adept terry folders at around 5 or 6 for demonstrations. However, they generate a bit more work; the amount of which is up to you. I found when starting out to do one cloth then one disposable. I would congratulate myself for every cloth nappy I managed as it was one fewer going to landfill and that encouraged me to use more of them. Finally, I can look both girls in the eye and say that we contributed very little to the waste mountain and they are most welcome to use their old nappies on their own children as they are still here and in great condition.

I used totsbots easyfit during the day and little lamb 2 partners at night.

Back elastic means up the back poo wasn't really a thing.

@Nomad86 no liners should be flushed! Just so you know. It's very misleading that brands are still marketing liners are flushable when they shouldn't be

I love cloth nappies and hate disposables. Disposables smell horrible (especially pampers) and cloth don't smell at all. Cloth nappies are also a better defence against poonamis. Do the nappy lady questionnaire and she will tell you what to get. You can even specify a budget. I use terry squares or totsbots bamboozle stretches with a motherease airflow wrap (motherease rikki wraps for newborn). I use fleece liners and a bamboo booster at night. I also use washable wipes. They are so much better than baby wipes! You only need 1 or 2 for a serious poo instead of 6 baby wipes. By using washable wipes, the savings will pay for all of your washable nappies.

Definitely fill in the Nappy Lady’s questionaire and then head to her two Facebook groups for any advice you want, there are some really knowledgeable people on there. She also does hire kits if you want to give them a go.
We use a mixture of bumgenius v5s and bamboozles.
Nappies shouldn’t smell, you strip wash them if necessary. We have cloth bumed two and they have never smelled with occasional strip wash.
There are so many misconceptions about cloth nappies but generally those of who use them think they are great.

I'd get a trial to see if you like them first.

We got a trial, and it turns out I hated them with a passion. Carrying smelly poo stained cloth round (yes you can zip it, flush some of it etc, but you are still transporting poop) turned my stomach.

They are bulky both on the baby (who hated them) and and to carry round. Friends who use reusables nappy bag for going out if much larger than my baby bag in general. I often just use my little handbag for going out - you can't do that with cloth.

I found they needed to be changed more frequently, and we're rubbish at containing poo.

I very much doubt they are more comfortable for baby tbh. Would you rather wear modern sanitary towel, or a bunch of scraps which are 5 times as thick? My baby cried with them because they restricted her movement so much.

And then the washing... Either leaving nappies lying round for ages or daily laundry. Yes babies generate more laundry, but if you haven't got a sticky baby etc, it will be pretty limited (day outfit, night outfit, a muslin), so the nappies added a lot of laundry.

Some people find them great, and good on them, but a lot of people don't like them. I wouldn't spend much on them until you are sure which camp you'll fall into.

Found cloth fit my scrawny snake hipped DD far better than disposables so less washing of slings/car seat covers and clothes which was helpful. When she started walking they weren't so good as the added movement meant the massive overlaps moved and allowed leaks - never got beyond the 3rd tightest poppers... in hindsight should have got size 1s rather than birth to potty but didn't predict her frame size due to a lack of honesty about my own build (narrow frame carrying junk in trunk) given DH is narrow!

DD wouldn't tolerate the slightest hint of a wee in a disposable but would sleep through in cloth which was preferable.

Brands definitely vary so agree with hire kits being the most sensible option - Tots Bots leaked on DD for no apparent reason - fit looked ok in theory but never worked- little lambs, Miosolos (from Aldi....) and a cheap WAHM brand worked best for us.

Clothes wise cloth was fine for scrawny legged/snake hipped child but I found vest extenders very useful in whatever type of nappy because she quickly learned to wriggle shoulders out of any vest that was remotely too wide so I could keep her in sizes that were right for her width when she needed more length.

Cloth with poppers definitely less easy for child to remove - which became a plus at a certain point too! Had a few naked baby poo everywhere incidents with disposables and vests that were marginally too loose!

How would cloth nappies work with loose/mucus/blood allergy poo?
I've seen people say flush the solids into the loo but my first DC didn't have a solid poo until after 2 years old. Also could have up to ten bad nappies a day depending which stage of diagnosis we were at.

Is it do able /still worth it?

I highly recommend getting a few different ones second hand before you decide which ones suit your baby best.

Motherease air wraps with poppers are the most reliable ever! Generally 2 part systems give a better fit. Hemp or bamboo are more absorbent so slimmer fitting. Nippa fittings again more secure and better fit.

Hiding anything that isn't solid is washed out very effectively by your washing machine!

And in fact if you're going through 10 nappies a day, I'd say cloth nappies will probably do wonders for your bank balance and for his poor bottom. You can put fleece in there so it's soft, and a cover over all so anything liquid won't escape.

I'd defo get a trial. I would love to love cloth nappies but am returning my trial pack to the nappy library (ds is 6mo). So many leaks, just when you're about to leave the house :s Aldi disposables are much more reliable in my opinion and very cost effective. Also I was told to wash on 60 - I have nothing else I need to wash at 60 so a bit of a waste of washing. Plus they take forever to dry. A real shame. Glad they seem to work well for others though - my baby is very long and skinny, maybe that's part of the problem re leaks.

www.thenappylady.co.uk/advice-questionnaire.html

Here is the nappy lady questionnaire

Long and skinny def calls for a 2 part system with a nappy nippa and air flow. You should get virtually zero leaks if they are a good fit.

We used cloth. The absolute easiest to use we’re fuzzibunz. My daughter is 9 though so I don’t know if they are even still made.

I find it funny that someone found cloth smelly. I couldn’t stand the stench from disposable diapers. Some sort of chemical reaction I think. Never noticed any smell at all from cloth. Just dump the poop in the toilet which technically people should be doing with disposables anyway.

Much better for dairy intolerant DD - much better containment- most poo up the back incidents were when we were away from home in disposables. We had a phase of going through 10-15 nappies a day which was my big push into cloth!

We went disposable at about 15 months as we got the dairy intolerance sussed and she started doing fewer big wees so only needs 3-4 nappies per 24h rather than 15 - so the washing got less frequent. Plus fit issues mentioned earlier. Passed nappies onto a friend and still going strong at 18m plus - will get them back once she's finished as unlikely to fit before 3m - planning to get some newborn nappies this time around and reusable wipes set.

We use them. I think they're great. If you want to ask sometime more specific go for it.

I had various cloth nappies for DS, i liked bum genius the best and they did until potty training.

We used them for three children (including twins).

If I could go back in time I would have bought a muxture of little lamb bamboos and microfibre (not all in ones) With blueberry wraps. They have lasted well and rarely leaked. Bum genius are good too. We didn’t use disposable liners, instead we used fluffy inlays from little lamb.

I’m so glad we used them as I hated the thought of so much landfill. We didn’t anticipate twins so ended up buying more to add to our collection from ds.

I also think it helped potty training as all were done by 2.

The washing is ok never tumble dry as you can damage them. We had those round hangers you clip underwear too. Microfibre dry quick but bamboo is more absorbent.

Hiding my DH plumbed in one of those spray hose things to the loo. I just hold the corner of the fleece liner and spray the poo off into the loo. It comes off easily.

Cloth nappies are way better for preventing nappy rash as well as being better for the planet.

Probably the wrong time of year to say this but the sight of a line of immaculately white nappies flapping in the breeze is incredibly satisfying.

this might be of interest
www.fill-your-pants.com/councilnappyincentives.html