How many reusable nappies for starters?

[Mummyome]

I’m thinking of using the reusable cloth/popper style nappies this time around but I haven’t a clue how many I would need to buy? I dont want to risk running out or having thin leaking nappies, can any experienced reusable nappy users have any advice for me? Eg. How many should I buy? What liners are best & how many do I need per nappy? What type of powder/detergent do I wash them with? What else do I need? How often should I wash them? Etc.. HELP!!!

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MNHQ

Visit the nappy lady website- tons of info on there. I would say don't buy loads in advance as they all fit differently so not all will work with your baby, unless you're doing a Terry cloth type.

Thank you, I’ll check out ‘the nappy lady’, oh no I’m deinately not doing the Terry nappy thing, I’m not that skilled!! The waterproof colourful fabric ones with the poppers & inserts you can flush down the loo type thats the ones I was thinking of. Thanks for the advice, I was thinking of buying one of those large start up bundles but maybe I should just buy a couple of different brands to start with? Could you recommend which brand is the best/less likely to have design leaks etc..?

Get a large bundle second-hand ('preloved') off a FB group or website. Ones with a separate wrap are most adjustable for tiny babies and generally bombproof but don't look as cool so are often given away free (eg Motherease). Most ones with inserts that just go on like a disposable fit best from 10 lb upwards, so for value for money concentrate on that size.
I had around 25 nappies from 10 lb to 3 years, and could put around 17 in the wash at once (usually about a dozen plus some clothes etc). At the beginning, once meconium was gone, had 4 tiny Smartnappies and used Motherease which seemed enormous but worked a treat.

Disposable liners aren't flushable! You need to bin them unless you want your drains jetting.
Bambino mio all in ones worked well for me in the day. If you need extra absorbancy later on, add a little lamb bamboo booster. They sell them in Aldi some times as part of the baby event.
I love little lambs. They're bulkier, but they last for ages. A bamboo little lamb with a booster does my almost 2 year old all night.
I would recommend going to a cloth nappy library and hiring a kit. There are so many different types, you need to know what works for you and your baby. For example, mine has skinny thighs and some tend to gape. That way you will know what works for you before you buy.

Be wary of the nappy lady- i found the recommendation was the same for a huge group of my friends who all tried it, so not sure how independent/reliable it is.

I’d buy one or two of several brands and styles. All in ones, stuffables, wraps, even a pack of terries (cheap and can be used for years as cloths). Don’t go mad.

Try them all the first few weeks, use disposables if you don’t get them washed or whatever. You’ll soon find you develop a preference for one or the other type, then you can stock up.

Nappy lady recommended tots bots and motherease for me. I hated them but had fortunately only bought two. They didn’t fit, took ages to dry, leaked and rubbed.

Switched to terries and nature babies. Loved the stuffables but for cost stuck to terries and wraps with the stuffies for out and about.

I had 20 per child, and Inboughz the ones that fitted all sizes so just needed different outers

Thé nappy lady was my guru

I used terry nappies and they’re honestly pretty simple, especially with a nappy nippa or snappi instead of the old safety pins.

We were then given an entire set of nappy covers with inserts. They’re slightly quicker than terries but not quite as poonami proof.

We got through 20+ a day very early on!

I never really bothered with the liners, but agree with a PP that they shouldn’t be flushed.

I also recommend getting reusable wipes and a mini spray bottle for water. Also, remember to get buckets and a bag for the dirties!

The Nappy Lady is good at explaining the different choices, but it’s definitely worth looking out for 2nd hand ones, eg at NCT sales.

Newborns need at least 15 nappies, preferably 20. They just need changing so many times in the early days, if you had less than 15 nappies I’m not sure you’d make it through some days! They’re obviously changed less the older they get but it’s always good to have more nappies so you don’t have to wash as often.

I wash ours every other day but have enough to probably go three or four days without washing. I used the prefold and wrap system with newborns because their legs are too skinny for the all in one style nappies to snugly fit. You can buy the ‘teenyfit’ tots bots for newborns but I always found them wasteful (they’re just not in them for very long). I have used the same prefolds for all four of my DC and I use them as nappy boosters when they get older.

Switch to all in one style nappies from around 6-8 weeks when they start to get chunkier. I agree with the nappy lady for advice.

Another here that would definitely recommend picking some up second hand, at least until you know which you like best. Just like disposables, some brands fit different babies better, and the issue with reusables is obviously the initial outlay is costly, so you don’t really want to commit to that outlay till you know it’s working for you

Thank you, your a wealth of information. What is the Facebook group called? Is it safe to buy off there do you think? I’m not too sure if I would buy second hand ones, they would need to be totally sterilised from a clean smoke free home..how did you get on with the used ones you purchased where they decent enough? I guess better for the environment if they can be re-loved ha!

Have you got a nappy library near you? Some nappy libraries operate a postal loan service, see the red pins on the map www.uknappynetwork.org/find-a-library.html

To buy nappies, you could try preloved nappy groups on Facebook which are admined by Nappy Librarians:
– Pre-loved Cloth nappies and accessories www.facebook.com/groups/256920634329397/
– cloth bum mums (cbm) sales (uk)
www.facebook.com/groups/CBMSales/
If you have your own nappies but want help and support:
– UK Cloth Nappy Libraries Nappy Natter
www.facebook.com/groups/197471257685221/
– Team Mills Blog, a place where a Nappy Librarian shares her knowledge and experience in an easily accessible way.
teammillsblog.wordpress.com

Wow, ‘cloth nappy library’ that hires out kits! OMG what a fab idea! I will look into that! & thanks for the Aldi baby event ‘little lamb bamboo nappy recommendation! I’d never think to check Aldi for re-useables! Thank you 😀

What does it mean ‘with the seperate wrap or ‘stuffies’ ..is that like a Terry towering wrap cloth - then put the waterproof popper nappy on over the top of it? Puzzled...I must have missed that when I was looking at disposable nappies?

Did you find they stunk out your washing machine? What if they have a ‘messy nappy’ ...do u have to wash that one seperately? Or are there Any flushable liners out there on the market or ones that break down in landfill?

I like all in ones (Bambino mios) but these are quite cheap and need boosting with an extra pad. I Iike the triple layered Little Lamb bamboo boosters. Theses nappies are microfibre which release microplastics when washed so looking back I would have bought cotton or bamboo all ones.

I also have motherease one size nappies with a waterproof wrap which are actually bombproof with a booster!

Bamboozle stretchies or bamboo sandies at night with a couple of boosters and a motherease airflow wrap over the top lasts 12 hours at least.

You'll find a preference for different styles of nappies, I bought some new and some second hand and didn't have any problems.

I couldn't get on with cloth nappies on a newborn, she kept leaking and I couldn't get the fit right until about 3 months old. She's a heavy wetter as well so I've had to buy lots of boosters. I definitely agree with others saying try a few out first. You'll also need a wetbag for dirties or lidded nappy bin with a mesh laundry bag inside so you can pop it all in the washing machine.

Cloth wipes are amazing! I love the nappy lady ones, even when I can't be bothered with cloth nappies and use disposables I would never go back to wet wipes! Cloth wipes are so much better at getting babies clean and so much softer on their skin. I take a few out wet in a little cheeky wipes bag and put the dirties in with her dirty nappies, clothes and bibs in a medium sized wetbag during the day.

Google your local council plus reusable nappies, there may be a local ‘nappy lady’ that you can meet and chat to. Some also hire out kits or offer money off nappies. There is so much information online about it that it can be overwhelming and counterproductive. I nearly gave up before I started due to all the conflicting info! But my local nappy lady was great and helped me work out what would work for my baby.

I think by separate wrap and stuffies, it's a cover/ wrap and a pocket. A cover can be re-used a few times before needing washing. It's not absorbent and to be used with a pad folded flat, a flat nappy fastened around baby or a fitted nappy. The absorbent nappy is changed every change and the cover can last 3-5 nappy changes. A pocket nappy, is a waterproof wrap, where there is a pocket to add absorbency. Such as a pad folded flat, or insert(s). I'd be cautious of some of the cheaper inserts as they have a micro fibre core, which cause compression leaks and don't hold much anyway. Cheaper pockets, like the ones from the seller YellowBloom on eBay are fine, but the inserts are awful so don't buy them, I'd recommend Little Lamb. With a pocket nappy, the entire thing is changed every nappy change.

And no, washing machine doesn't smell and poo nappies don't need to be washed separately. But when poo is solid, you'll need to flush it down the toilet. (You're actually meant to do the same with disposables!). But don't buy flushable liners as they aren't actually flushable.

Thank you all for all the great advice & tips, my head is spinning with it all but at liest now I have an idea of the good brands & the different types of reusables & where to go to find out more info etc..I feel quite inspired by you all. When I had my last child 17 years ago I didn’t know of anyone who used re-useables let alone where to buy them from etc.. I used Huggies disposables the whole way through & felt quite bad about just how big a contribution that was making to landfill over the 2 & a half years she was in them. I vowed if I ever had another baby I would make every effort to make environmentally friendly choices. Thankfully it seems like now there’s a real wave of people who are really caring for the environment, so it sounds like it’s going to be much easier to be more environmentally friendly this time round. What a great bunch of people 👍

Not sure if it's been clearly said here but your local council may offer you a grant. I got £40 through mine.

Loads of good Facebook groups for advice - search cloth nappies. It does seem complicated but honestly you won't look back once you find something that works (also look at cloth wipes! They are a game changer). You will stop being confused literally the first time after you use them.

I recommend not going too crazy - buy / hire a few and see what works. Don't buy 30 of the same type only to discover they don't work for you. Also try not to get swayed by pretty prints - most important thing is fit and functionality! Pretty prints are a bonus.

Lots of people seem to buy Bambino Mios and get leaks at some point (particularly at toddler stage) so I wouldn't go too crazy about those. I use Little Lambs which are very reliable and not too expensive and you can pair them with wraps from other brands if you want pretty wraps. Totsbots Bamboozle nappies for overnight are also good and I have heard good things about Baba and Boo nappies.

I recommend using reusable fleecy liners, they are much nicer than disposables and wash very well. Disposables are just a bit nasty in my opinion whereas the reusables are lovely and super soft for the baby's bum.

Finally - don't buy a nappy bucket for storage. I find wetbags are much better at containing smells and you can put them in the wash too, saving you the job of cleaning a stinky bucket separately.

Regarding second hand nappies, I bought almost all of mine used and never had any issues. You can ask for pictures etc. To check for staining but they are easily sterelised by washing at 60 with an antibacterial washing powder like miofresh or napisan (which you would use for washing used nappies anyway).

@Mummyome

What is your AIBU?

Rainingallday what does AIBU stand for? I’m new to mumsnet!

Beanbag7 thanks for the washing tips - 60degree washes & napisan/miofresh! I will need to look out for that! What wash setting is best ? A gym clothes wash? A whites wash?

agree, 20 minimum. I had loads because my stock built up over various children. Some sites let you test a range to see what you like the best.

Cloth wipes brilliant - I still use some of mine for face flannels (and actually I think I used Ikea flannels too for wipes).

Fleece liners rather than disposable ones.

Get a bucket for the bathroom, put a net bag in it for the nappies and chuck them in the washing machine.

My H hated them - hated rinsing out the poo - and moaned incessently.

Thelette thanks for all that info..I need to remember the brands....‘little lambs’, ‘totsbots bamboozle’ & ‘baba & boo’ x