to be fed up with washable nappies.....

[MunchMummy]

Its been 3.5 years of constant nappy washing and I'm fed up. Youngest (girl) is coming up to 20 months so will probably be potty trained this summer (hopefully), but that just seems forever away and in the meantime I've surrounded by stacks of not so fluffy anymore nappies.

Would it be so unreasonable to just ditch them (they don't seem to hold that much wee anymore after this long) for disposables?

I'd feel really bad if I did because we have nappies (even useless worn out ones), so why spend more money, but I'm oh so fed up with them around the house.

A mumsnet poll please on what I should do.

YANBU. You've done your bit. Stick her in Pampers for a few months and give yourself a break.

And stop beating yourself up. This one decision will not single-handedly cause all the iceburgs to melt and the polar bears to die.

Many thanks. I don't do washable because of the whole 'saving the planet' thing, its just I don't like seeing them all stacking up in the bin, just seems like such a waste.

I'm not really an earth mother.

Plus I have a husband who is really really keen on them, but he's not the one who washes them all or has to change DD2s clothes because they've leaked on the school run because they don't hold that much any more.

One for disposables, anyone else.....

I suppose, as a cloth user, I would feel that it's a shame to have come this far and then switch over but I have to say, at one stage, ds4 was merrily peeing his way through our bumgenius stash and nursery were complaining. It turned out that
A/ Bumgenius are crap and the elastics and applix go in no time at all
B/ He needed 2 inserts, rather than one.
Have now ditched bumgenius for coolababy which are very cheap and colourful and poppered rather than applixed and we are back on track.
Ds4 is 20 months and there is no way he will be trained this summer unless we were accidentally given the wrong baby at the hospital as the others were all over 3 when they were trained.

But if you do decide to go to dispies, don't beat yourself up and if you stay with cloth, let dh do the odd load!

Yanbu.

You have made a bloody good effort!

I ditched them after a few months.

Early toilet training (if possible) is the most environmentally friendly option. Not that I did that either...

YANBU I swapped to dispies after nearly 2 years because i was just knackered from working and tryignt o keep up with the nappies

but, which nappies are you using? I ask because mine began to leak and it was because dd needed the next size up in covers.

i was there with ds1... all his nappies wore out well before he was potty trained and he was so big they were tight and restricting his movements too.... i pretty much switched to sposies.... pullups made potty training far easier tbh.

i have ds2 in washables now (mostly bought new as all the old ones were ruined) but am alot more relaxed about using sposies when the washing mounts up... and at night as he's dripping halfway through the night in cloth.

do what ever makes your day a little more managable and don't feel bad

I understand that feeling as I had 3 in washables for a while. What I think you should do is buy my ones I have for sale. I have threads in nappies for sale.

Do what you are happy with.

why not do half and half?

i have 2 in nappies atm, and over the winter with no tumble drier it was getting ridiculous, so a couple of times I ended up buying disposables just to catch up with the washing but the whole time I was using them I hated it! it meant more emptying the bin, more expense, they really stink after you're used to cloth, noone of ds's trousers would stay up.... i couldn't wait to go back to cloth lol

but, i do have a spare pack. we sometimes use them when out. and when i get sick of washing i stick them in them for a couple fo days.

could you work out how many you actuyally need. then sell all the ones you can, and buy just a few new ones that will be better?
i have found that the ones that suited ds2 really don't suit ds3 and the ones from ds1 that would have been fine on him I had sold cos they didn't fit ds2 lol
(well done if kept up with that btw! lol)

i have found a few makes that I am really happy with, so I sold a lot of my old stash and bought a few new ones for ds2 and ds3 and I'm much happier using htem now

btw, i can't imagine that they would hold less wee now... they might need stripping though? sometimes a build-up of detergent on them can make them less absorbant.
I have quite a few motherease ones that are on their third baby and still going strong

I'd suggest you do a bit of both and see how it goes.... DC3 is 10 months and I'd say he is in washables (motherease one size) about 70% of the time, but sometimes I just can't face it...... My washing machine never stops ever and it all gets a bit much for me. With DC2, although she was in washables 100% of the time initially, I pretty much completely swapped to pull ups from about 20 months - partly due to convenience as she was incredibly uncooperative about nappy changes at that stage so yanking on a pull up made my life much easier and partly to help potty training along the way. At around 20 months I started doing regular sitting on the potty (when she got up, after lunch, after naps before bath) this is just such a hassle with washables - so much easier with pull ups! I then potty trained her properly at about 22 months.

My vote is switch to disposables. I think you answered your own question really. You're fed up. Life can be hard enough without doing things you don't really have to.

Thanks everyone.

We use LittleLamb cotton ones - they cost £200 4 years ago for a complete birth to potty set. Thats about 40 nappies + wraps.

Our DD2 is a little chunky monkey and although only 19 months is probably the size of a 2 yr old at least. Infact she's grown out of some of her 2-3yr skirts already and has been in a size 5 disposable (for nights) since she was 6 months old!! What a chubber!!

I think I will do the half and half. Maybe keep the washables for home and disposables when we're out and about. We have no tumble drier either and never want one.

Her sister potty trained in a day at 26 months, and DD2 tells us now at 19 months when she's done a poo, so hopefully by the time she's 26 months we'll give it a go and she'll train in a day as well.

Many thanks everyone - its nice to know other people out there feel the same.

I know what you mean about being tired of it. I've been doing cloth for two years, and currently have two in nappies so LOADS of washing until DS1 is toilet trained.

You could switch if you want, no guilt, but will you just get fed up with disposables? If you use disposables on holiday, when you get home are you relieved to be back in cloth or disappointed?

Another thought is to work out what you'll spend on disposables between now and summer, and use it to get yourself some new and better cloth nappies. If you've had the same ones for 3 years there will have been loads of improvements in absorbency, containment, etc. so have a look what's out there

Have you thought about terries ? They take up hardly any room as they fold down so small and dry incredibly quickly. They're dead cheap (6 for a tenner)

YANBU

I went back to disposables.

Buy eco ones if you're concerned.

i have the opposite problem munchmummy, my dd is still in her 2-3 clothes and she was 4 in the autumn send me your dd's stuff and I'll send you all the massively too big stuff she was sent for xmas!

but I agree definatly use some disposables to lighten your load, she wont be much longer in them anyway.

YANBU - its hard enough with two - give yourself a break if it is causing you stress and problems.

Go get some Huggies. You can still use the washables too.

Slight aside: I appreciate that disposables are expensive and add hideously to landfill but t'other day I overheard someone discussing how her baby wore "real" nappies and it irked me greatly.

Just a quick update.

This morning my DD2s nappy had sogged completely through in less than 45 minutes. Tights and dress sogged, the lot.

All this just before heading out of the door on the school run. eek. Not impressed.

So heavy hearted I think I am going to have to resign them to the bin (they are quite threadbare in places) and go the disposable route. I can't be changing nappies every 30 minutes or wonder whether we can survive the school run every morning without major leakage.

Many thanks everyone for all your help.

Before my DGD was born we all went shopping and bought 3 dozen nappies and lots of terry things to go over the top.

I was so excited. Bought back memories of soft fluffy nappies blowing in the breeze.

DD went back to Uni when DGD was 6 weeks old so she wouldn't have to forfeit a semester. Uni close by and lectures and tutorials were worked around babies feed times. Also lots of holidays.

DD's DH had 4 weeks holiday when she started back Uni and I had 6 weeks long service from my work after his 4 weeks.

By this time DGD was just over 3 months old.

Where is this going? Yes I remember!.

After changing baby for the first time. Putting on soft cuddly nappy and fleecy thing over the top. So beautiful. Next thing a whole change of clothes.

Two days later, phoned DD and politely asked where the disposable nappies were that she was given at the hospital.

Started to remember all the nappy buckets etc without the rose coloured glasses.

Also realise why my two were toilet trained so early. Couldn't wait to get rid of the horrible wet nappies.

DD still put small nappy liners inside the disposable. Would never dream of putting a soiled nappy in the garbage bin.

When my long service leave finished, my best friend looked after DGD. She said to send the cloth nappies as that was all she had had with her two.

Two weeks later she was also using the disposables.

Also found that most baby clothes don't allow as much room in the bum area as they used to.