To think cloth nappies are hard work

[Mummyof287]

So I'm privileged to be benefiting from a months free cloth nappy trial from a local organisation.
It's only day one, so early days and would like to give them a good go.

All started well this morning, the nice lady dropped them off, then i spent awhile getting to grips with them and watched the video about how to use them.
Felt the pocket ones would be preferable, so popped one on DD and was pleasantly surprised by how much comfier they looked than disposables, and loved the colourful designs too.

Went out to the shops though, and part way through took 8mo baby out of her carseat to find that poo had leaked all out the top at the front and was all over her dress, in her tummy button etc (which i get can happen with diposables at times also) but the nappy itself was absolutely covered too (the thin disposable liner I had put in was all crumpled up inside the pooey nappy!)

I spent some time with her on the grass area in the retail park carpark trying to sort it all out, and now am panicking I won't be able to remove the poo stains from the blooming nappy (it's currently in a cold water soak in an old bowl ready to go in the washing machine....obviously don't want to use chemicals on it.

I thought I had fitted it right, and that the liners would catch most of the poo so it didn't end up in the washing machine, but maybe I used them wrong? I also thought that the padded removable parts would just need to be washed after being weed on, meaning I wouldn't have to wash the whole nappy, but doesn't seem to be the case? If so it would never be affordable for me as I'd get through loads before wash day.She has only just started eating a fair bit of solid food, and is still breastfed alot, so her poos aren't particularly well formed yet.

Am I missing something/not using them correctly, or are they actually rather a faff and that's the price to pay for a healthier, environmentally friendly product?

Think you either just need practice or got a bit unlucky! I never had a reusable nappy leak poo in 18 months of using them. They tend to be better elasticated, particularly the back, Disposables though ... Poonami central. None of our nappies are stained either.

We used all in ones mainly, the odd pocket nappy, but mostly all in ones that just got chucked in a wet bag and the bag into the washing machine when full.

It's a steep learning curve! They need to be fitted properly (which is a bit of a knack) and have to be changed a lot more than disposables. Have they not told you how to wash them? I haven't had a single one stain yet so don't worry too much. They just take a bit of getting used to, stick with it for a little bit before you decide :)

We didn't have a set wash day though, we just put washes on when we had a bunch of nappies ready to be washed and then hung them out. Probably every 2-3 days we would do a nappy wash. Sunlight gets rid of any stains that do cling on!

Cloth nappies are more work than disposable but worth it imho.
I don’t think you did anything wrong per se, I think it was just bad luck your baby had a poo-nami the same day you started using them.
(Yes you do have to change them after every wee or poo.)

Harder work, maybe just a little, but not much, and you're likely to be able to potty train before 2yrs.

I used reusable nappies on both my babies. Apart from the odd accident (also possible with disposables) they were really good. I got into a routine of soaking them in a bucket (just cold water and vinegar which removed the stains, and acted as a natural antiseptic) and then wash as normal in the washing machine. I brought one lot of nappies which lasted for two babies (and then passed on to someone else). They are worth it, saves loads of money and much better for the environment. Don't give up just yet, it's worth perseverance. And yes you probably do have to change a bit more frequently than with disposables. Good luck

They are and do glad I gave up on them. Mn hate me for that. Small house the drying was awful. I lasted less than a week, husband who so keen lost interest first

It's been 19 years since I used them, they were just beginning popular again.
Persevere, like a pp said, they are potty trained so much quicker 2 years) than my ds1 (disposables 3 years) if you have an outside line, so much the better.
I did wait until he was 6 months old though, even I'm not sure I could have done the early months.....

In some ways, but if you use disposables you throw an average of 4500 in landfill which is pretty horrendous. Also, as a PP said, they potty train earlier - I think our girl was ready at 18 months. In my experience (and this is well known in the cloth nappy world) poo explosions are MUCH rarer in cloth. Maybe it wasn't fitting right or you were just unlucky. with all the poo explosions you get in disposables you have a fair amount of extra washing anyway!

My advice is - for washing instructions, the Nappy Lady blog gives clear and simple instructions. Use paper liners (we used bambinex) if you don't want to deal with poo. Yes drying in sunshine does work to bleach them again. We rinsed with sanitiser before washing in with all our other clothes/bibs etc. Boosters are your friend (we didn't change after EVERY wee, only every few hours or when it was noticeably wet).

Next time I'm going to try muslins/ terry nappies. Last time we loved our Motherease.

It gets easier with time, as you get more used to it and the baby gets older too.

oh and get a dehumidifier, some use it in combination with a heated drying rack. And don't be intimidated by photos people post of beautifully arranged nappy areas!

Oh and don't soak them, that's bad for the nappies. You can 'dry pail' which is just putting them in a bucket/bin without water and rinse within a day or 2. We used a mesh bag in a small ikea bin, so you can pick them up and dump them all in the washing machine at once.

Persevere, they can take a little while to get used to but I found them great and really not a big faff compared to when I used disposables with my first.
The fluffy washable liners I found to be so much better than the ‘disposable’ ones. Once their pop is solid it’s easy to tip down the loo, but before then just hold in the loo and a flush tends to sort it. Also worth following a few nappy on Facebook etc for tips.

We stuck them out for four weeks, a nightmare the entire time, so pleased we got rid of them, no more carrying poo covered nappies in the nappy bag.

Once you get used to them, it’s so much better. I would suggest joining clean cloth nappies on Facebook for advice

Disposable liners are rubbish. I found fleece blanket cut up to shape of the nappy was better liner (I used VITMOSSA throw from ikea).

Then with fleece liner you can flick off any solid then either wrap up or at home I rinsed it off in toilet with jug water then chucked it in nappy bucket next to toilet.

I used an old 2 part system with cloth nappy with snaps then mother ease airflow cover. Those covers could contain 99% of explosions.

Hanging nappies in sun reduces staining.

Well done for trying them out! It's worth sticking with them a little longer before deciding, most people I know (us included) really love them once you get the hang of it but it is a learning curve and not for everyone.

Don't worry about staining. In 18 months of cloth nappies I've never had a stain that wouldn't shift. If it doesn't come out in the wash, hang the nappy to dry outside in the sun and the stain will vanish, I promise.

I'm not sure what washing instructions you've been given, if any. People's approaches seem to vary massively. If you check out Clean Cloth Nappies on Facebook, their advice is pretty much the gold standard of nappy washing. Even if you don't follow all of it, it's a good crash course in laundry science.

Pocket nappies do need washing after every use. The advantage is that the inner can be hung to dry separately and the whole lot dries a lot faster than an all-in-one. So in that sense it's cheaper as you'll need fewer to see you between washes. If you want a more affordable system, terries and wraps are the way to go. The wraps can be reused between changes and terries dry fast.

If you decide it's not for you, there's no shame at all. Parenting is hard enough without adding to the load. But there's loads to love about cloth nappies so do consider giving it another couple of days if you fancy it. Good luck!

Pocket nappies you need to wash whole thing as they are all in one. So need enough nappies for whole day until you wash and some brands you can't tumble dry.

Two part which is cloth nappy with waterproof cover - you only usually need one cover a day as only the cloth gets dirty. I preffered as I could wash and tumble the cloth part and just dry the covers on on airer. I used mother ease one size meos with airflow covers. Even better if you can get used as they are more absorbent.

We did 4-6 weeks and realised how amazing disposables were....

I SO wanted to stick with them for environmental reasons but it really was too much work for us. Also I saw the worst nappy rash in several nappy evangelists who wouldnt even use disposables until it cleared up because it becomes very tribal/part of identity. You really do have to be on it with every wee with real nappies.

I'm on my 2nd baby using cloth. I much, much prefer cloth.
Disposables are more convenient to some extent but I really resented buying them over and over and over again. I would rather put a wash on than lug out a bag of rubbish filled with pooey nappies any day. My first baby was toilet trained by 2.
www.cleanclothnappies.com has loads of very good information.on cloth and washing properly. There are lots of different styles of nappies and it takes some trial and error to figure out what works best for you and baby. Also a dehumidifier is a game changer with getting stuff dry.

Definitely a learning curve to see what works for you but I did 3 consecutive years of cloth nappies for 2 children (with overlap where both were in cloth) and not a single poo leak from either. Rare time we used disposables, poo always went up the back

I have been having the same dilemma OP!

My little is 4 mo and I have been lent a load from a friend who will be needing them back soon and I'm deciding whether to invest in some myself.

For me, my two minds look like:

Pros : environment
Financial (although expensive initially)
Supposed easier to potty train after

Cons: bulky, like cardboard (not sure if all like this or because they are third (?) hand)
Get throigh many more in a day
Not absorbent
More washes
More to lug about when out (inc pooy ones n cloth wipes)
Makes her very sore when she hasn't been before
Would need a wet bag also

I have only used for the odd day when I'm not going out. I'm too worried to use them out!

Which are the best brands?

They are more work, but you do send so much less to landfill.

I would say it doesn't have to be all or nothing - we would use disposables when going out all day, or when staying at someone else's house, or when really behind on laundry.

The nappies themselves do take getting used to. You'll get a feel for how to put them on.

I thought they were a marvellous idea but they didn't come with a free aya.

YABU to write them off after one poonami.

We used terries and plastic pants for eldest, but youngest was slimmer and pocket nappies stuffed with the terries worked better for her. We also had the pocket nappy inserts, Bummis wraps and even a couple of wool soakers. Oh, and for both of them we used cheap flannels as boosters to catch the wee and distribute it to the nappy.

The great thing about pocket nappies rather than all in ones is the way you can add layers to increase absorbency as the baby gets older, or for overnight. They are so versatile.

I second dry pailing. We had two nappy buckets as once they were both full it was a full washer load. I also always did a quick cold rinse in the washer before a 60 degree wash. Line dried when weather permitted, radiator airers when it didn't. And the pocket nappies themselves were so quick to dry hung over the shower rail.

I used the old fashioned Terry toweling nappies for all three of my babies 15-20 years ago. I don't see what all the fuss is about!