to ditch cloth nappies now DS is 21 mths?

[starkadder]

We've used cloth since he was born (apart from disposables at night and when on holiday). Always worked really well and I have been very happy.

The thing is - now he's 21 mths - cloth nappies (unless I really bulk them out - we use pocket nappies) are soaked through in 3-4 hrs. One disposable can last all day, unless there's a poo of course - but he's really a one poo a day boy these days.

So, cloth nappies are now a LOT more trouble than disposables - it means changing him 4 times as often, plus washing, hanging to dry, putting away etc etc all the cloth nappies. Not sure if the washing of 4 or 5 nappies a day is that much more eco friendly than the use of 1 disposable either. PLUS clothes he's grown out of wearing cloth still fit him in the disposables.

BUT am I being unreasonable on two counts -

1. is it unreasonable to only change a disposable after a poo or should I change it every few hours anyway?? My reasoning has been that he wears one for 12 hours overnight anyway, so what's the difference? He's never had nappy rash.

2. Is it unreasonable to give up on cloth nappies now - should I see them through till we attempt potty training (at some point in the next year)?

Genuinely seeking honest answers..thanks in advance..

I had a daughter who only pooed once a day and I only used to change her when she pooed my ds however pooes 3 times a day so he goes through loads of nappies

as for the reusable question I have always used disposable so can't answer I'm afraid

ps i am going to post this in "nappies" as well. Not sure of MN protocol but hope that's OK.

pps thanks susiey

I think it might be worth giving him the opportunity to use the potty now. Not potty train him, but give him a go - and nothing lost if it doesn't work out.
I did this with my DD and she was out of the nappies very quickly.
I think because the reusables were bulky, she was glad to see the back of them.

I'm shocked you would only change him once a day, surely he still urinates in it plus it will smell.
Piss in your knickers a little and see how long you like it for.

Sorry but I too am shocked about the once a day change. I change my toddler every few hours (disposables) as I dislike him being in a wet/soiled nappy. Anything else would be too ghastly for both of us.

one nappy a day is not good even for a disposible one. i know they have 1 nappy over night but when asleep and not eating/drinking its not going to be full as compared to 3 meals a day, drinks, any snacks.. and all in the one nappy. but yanbu to give up cloth ones at this point if its easier for you, if you find it more convenient to use disposibles i would definitely go for it, you have already done alot for environment using them 21 months its really long! but dont leave him 1 nappy all day, at the least change him midday if he is not a heavy nappy wetter

Is he aware of the sensation of being wet and dry? If so, I would start getting him to used to using the potty before the bath or another time during the day, especially as it doesn't sound like he wees much during the day.

YABU to think that a 21 month old child can go all day in a disposable nappies. You could probably get away with 4-5 hours so you'd still need 4 a day (1 at night and 3 during the day).

Personal choice whether disposable or cloth but I suspect would be easier to toilet train from cloth as in disposables they don't know they are wet.

All day in one disposable nappy , even when dd has not pooed, after a few hours the disposable gets soaked through and clothes and all. Mine loves drinks so thats probably why. Also leaving them in one nappy all day can give them nappy rash and urine is acidic and it seeps through to the skin if in one nappy for a long time. Of course if the nappy is dry or fairly dry you dont change it, fine, but if its bulking than yes you must.

would you leave him in cloth all day?one nappy i mean?its the same.ds2 was a heavy wetter.i just changed him more or padded him out more.i found as he got bigger i had to change make of nappies as the ones he was in didnt hold much for long.could you try this if you usually stick to one make?

cloth nappies dont make potty training easier.trust me
but no its not unreasonable to give up on cloth.theres no rules to say you cant switch!

OK, so pretty much everyone is agreed that all day in one disposable is a nono! In my defence, I'd like to add here that I've never done this on purpose ..! He's in cloth at home but over Christmas we were travelling all over the place and using disposables - including a few all day in the car/plane type situations - and realised at the end of the day that we had not changed him since breakfast time..!

A few people on the nappies board also pointed out that it might be easier to potty train from cloth (as he can feel when it's wet more easily) so maybe that's the next step.

Thanks everyone.

oh cheesesarnie just saw your post. I think I am a bit too lazy to do potty training now anyway tbh but might get a potty so it's around and he can get used to it. One cloth nappy all day - I'd have to pad it so much, he'd look like one of those toys you push which can never fall over.

YABU

I think a change every 3-4 hours with a washable is fine and to leave him in one wet nappy all day is mean.

I think that some toddlers wet more than others, mine drinks for England so obviously i have to change her every few hours and she has no bladder control really hence not potty training until she is a few months older at 3 years. I tried twice and failed so will just hpoe that she makes the association when she needs to go.

I changed my dd4's cloth nappy every 3-4 hours but even if she were in disposables I'd still change her within that time frame. Sitting in a pocket of stale piss filled gel crystals cannot be comfy for anyone.

Yanbu wanting to give up cloth after all you have prevented 21 months worths of disposables going to landfill, however yabu if it is only so you don't have to change him as often, a nappy change takes 5 minutes and is an essential need that needs to be met.

My Dd is 23 months old and I have also taken the step from reusables to disposables.
The reusable nappies I am using for Dd were Ds nappies so have seen a far bit of use especially as he didn't potty train until 3.5 years old and was a lightweight boy so still fitted in the same nappies for ages. They are getting threadbare and have not much absorbancy left so having to change every 1-2 hours. She is showing alot of interest in the potty and has done a couple of wees in it.
I tend to change Dd every 3/4 hours in disposables would never leave her all day in one nappy.

My daughter is two and a half,and not quite ready for potty training. She only uses 2/3 nappies in a 24 hour period. I was the same as you actually... used cloth up until she was about 20 months, then switched to disposables for various (good) reasons.
No point changing nappies if they're not wet/smelly. That's just wasteful.

thanks thesecondcoming and mrsmellowdrummer - I was really getting some fairly harsh comments (on the other thread I posted in "nappies" on this same subject) about not changing the disposable often enough.

I think I phrased original post badly - I haven't made a habit of not changing his nappy all day in disposables - but it is true that it needs changing much less often than in cloth. I don't actually think every 3-4 hrs is necessary in disposables if no poo (although 12 hrs is maybe pushing it - that said, no-one gets up in the night to change their baby's nappy, do they?? so what's the difference??)

I should imagine his fluid intake overnight is only a tiny percentage of what his entire fluid intake is during the day so he won't need to wee as much overnight.

Just posted this on my other identical thread. Thanks secondcoming

I have very little experience with disposable nappies in the day time and that's WHY I was asking...! For what it's worth, I was also a bit "ew" about leaving it for 12 hrs in the day but then thought - is there a logical reason for that? Since I leave him in the same nappy overnight - what's the difference? And to those who said that since he doesn't drink in the night, he pees less - actually, weirdly, this doesn't seem to be the case. For my DS at least, the morning nappy is very bulgy and gel filled, whereas a disposable nappy at lunch time still seems pretty dry and thin. Disposable nappy after a full day is pretty bulgy but not much more than the night time one. So, I'm still left thinking - if it is so disgusting to leave one nappy all day - do some of you wake your children up to change their night time nappies? And if not, why not?

FWIW, I do think that changing a nappy every single time your child pees is excessive and pretty wasteful.

Anyway, I'm interested in everyone's opinions and thank you all for your advice.

My plan from here is to use disposables in the morning, check it at nap time and if not too "bulgy", leave till after nap and then use cloth in the afternoon (when we tend to be at home so it's easier to deal with changing them etc. Also afternoons I am at work and DH is on child duty, haha ).

Thanks again.