We are considering changing from disposable to real nappies but need some convincing - can you help?

[broguemum]

I think we are about to take the plunge and switch to real nappies but I am getting into a bit of a tizz as to whether I and DH will cope with them.

I'm also wondering about what sort to buy, where to buy them, whether to use them at night etc etc. Basically I'd like to know are real nappies easy to use? I don't know anyone over here who uses them you see and have no-one in RL that I can ask for help and so have turned to MN in my hour of need. Advice, views, your experiences welcomed. Thanks in advance.

There are a few MNers who sell nappies (I'm www.bumfluffnappies.com), nappyzone and snugglebum nappies should be on the small business section too.

Real nappies are great I find them much much more reliable at night because you can put in all the absorbency you need.

Very easy to use, so many different ones out there, so you can find a type to suit you.

You are best off talking to a cloth advisor - either in person, or online, again, there are MNers including myself who do it, or various websites offering advice. An advisor can talk you through all the different options, help you work out what best suits YOU so that you make the right choice and don't waste money on nappies you hate.

Feel free to email me bumfluffnappies at gmail dot com

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I have been using them for the first time with my third child. I always wanted to with the first two but somehow never got round to it. I got used to them really quickly, and would def reccommend them.
I had a lollipop adviser I think she was called, come round to my house with tons of nappies to try on ds, who was 8 weeks then. I chose onelife, cloth shaped nappies and wraps and they are much better than disposable at holding in his massive daily poo !

SlugsNSnails - thanks for the info - will drop you a mail.

lennygrrl - I bet you're not as lazy as me - I have an A level in it!! Seriously now, my ds is nearly 3 months old but he's BIG - nearly 8 kilos - and I flinch at the number of nappies we get through. Budget is not a huge issue although I have to convince DH it's the right thing to do and price will be a factor. I'd be able to line dry rather than tumble and was thinking bamboo?? Our water is pretty hard - does this influence choice of fabric?

Thanks for your help.

Thanks chankins - I think I'm being convinced here.

O I had to convince dh too, as it can seem a lot of money to pay in one go, and we get £45 quid off from the council in my area. But now dh loves the fact that if we are totally skint and counting the pennies to do the weekly shop we don't have to take nappies into consideration as well ! I do thank god for them then !

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Do it, do it! They're great. I use bamboozles - very soft and absorbant, take a bit longer to dry, but worth it. Much prefer them to any others I've tried.

You get to feel all smug about yourself, join us!

I used lollipop too. Some of the advisors have hire kits so you can try some different types. Didn't do that myself as I'd borrowed a couple from a friend, but it did change my mind. The nappy I thought I would like is not the one I went for. Now I know more about them I have got a bit addicted and just buy them online. Was good to see them first though.

I use them on 2 boys at the moment. I find them more convenient as I don't have to keep dashing to the shops for nappies when we run out (I don't drive) and far more reliable than disposables. Even my DH agrees. We have a good stock of nappies that allows us to wash every 2/3 days to fill the machine. I tend to do overnight as I put them on a longer wash, with a prewash.

It will probably take you a while to get used the wet feeling of a real nappy in comparison to a disposable AND they do dramatically increase the size of your change bag, but they are strangely addictive (to some, like me ).

If you are unsure what type of nappy to use I recommend buying a few different sorts 2nd hand to trial before committing your finances to one particular brand. I have a selection in my nappy drawer for different needs (e.g. nighttime, daytime, slim fitting, one-size (that fit both boys))

Gah - just lost my last post and it was so poetic too. Grrr.

Anyway, to recap - thanks for all the advice - think I'll be making a purchase soon.

A couple more questions. How often do you run a nappy load through the washing machine? Where do you keep your dirty nappies? In what do you keep them and do they smell? If they do smell how do you address this? Thanks.

I never got round to getting a nappy bin, I put mine in a plastic bag, either inside the washing machine ready for the next load, or in the linin bin - I have never noticed my kitchen smells at all. I do my nappies with any other whites, which is about every other day, sometimes less. Its great if you can dry them on the line outside, as the sunlight bleaches the stains out !

I have two boys in nappies atm. I keep the used nappies in a nappy bucket with a lid and wash every other day. I dry them on a drying rack in the kitchen overnight then finish them off in the tumble dryer in the morning (though if I'm not desperate for them they would air dry themselves by the end of the day). I have old-style tots bots btw. I wash them at 60 and have never had a problem with smell unless I haven't cleaned the poo off sufficiently in the first place!

I kept (just potty trained!) mine in a normal pedal bin, got an all plastic one, in the bathroom. You flush as much poo down the loo as poss (didn't bother when fully bf no need). do a rinse cycle in the machine then add more whites to make up a load and I use soap nuts to help keep them soft as we live in a hard water area.

Bamboo def good in hard water areas.

I'm selling some that are from 18lbs

I would recommend trying some 2nd hand anyway before buying lots new to find out what suits you best IYSWIM

Motherease airflow wraps (poppers) are the most reliable wrap in terms of poo and wee containment.

i've used real nappies with all 3 of my dcs - and I had 2 in nappies at the same time for a while. If budget is an issue, terry squares are fairly cheaP (about £10 for 10 from Mothercare i think), nappy nippas are a godsend compared to nappy pins, and this time round i'm using cotton bottoms wraps and they're working out fine! I also found some shaped nappies on ebay here which i'm finding really good (although I think i may have to sew the velcro back on a couple of them) They wash well, although they do take longer to dry than the terries. (I don't have a drier) I had stuff left from dd and ds1, but think i've probably spent about £35 this time round. If using disposables, I'd maybe spend £5 per week, so will make my money back in 7 weeks or so!

I have nappy buckets in the bathroom, and put the rinsed out nappies in these, soaking them in water if I'm not going to put a load in straight away. I don't find it smells really. Flushable liners are marvellous!

Hope you find nappies that work for you

Thanks again everyone - I am a convert. Hopefully I will upgrade to a practising true believer in the near future.

CarGirl - let me know what you've got - my e-mail is zzKat_Ellis at yahoo dot co dot uk.

Isn't it interesting how one type suits one child and not another - we had a motherease wrap or two, but found that nature babies wraps were much better for ds's shape. I therefore strongly recommend getting a trial pack that has a lot of different types and fittings so you get something that will suit your dc's shape. We got some Tots Bots size 2 when ds was 6mo and they fitted him up to potty training. However, when we started (ds 8wks when we got trial pack) we surprised ourselves by finding that prefolds were great - and they dry slightly quicker than some of the shaped - thought we ended up using shaped when going out, or when we anticipated 'something' happening (!)

Really good thing to do. You get a smug feeling whenever you go to the supermarket and don't fill up the trolley with disposables.

I really don't think you'll regret making the change - cloth really is a good idea. I wish I had used cloth with my DD1 but only started with DD2.

Just wanteds to say with regard to the smells around the house that I use a lidded bin (doesn't have to clamp down just have a lid of some sort) and I get no smell from that whereas with disposables the smell was awful - esp in summer. We had to buy a wheelie bin just to contain the smell. When you move over to cloth and have been using it for a while, if you try a disposable again, you'll find they have a strange smell which they leave on your baby. I just thought it was normal baby smell until DD2 moved to cloth!

Definitely get a few different nappies to try as what suits will be quite a personal thing.

To wash them do a cold rinse first (stops the urine smell setting in), then wash on 40 or 60 with 1/2 amount of detergent and no softener. Take out and dry - as easy as that. I wash every 3-4 days and have 20 nappies in general use. You can just wash them with your normal washing if they aren't too dirty or wet. I find it just as easy as disposables if not easier as I don't have to lug loads of nappies back home with my weekly shop!

To start off you can just use cloth during the day if you are worried about night time absorbancy. Defnitely agree with Motherease Airflow wraps being the best. The nappies do not have to be on as tight as a disposable does so bear that in mind when fitting. Lots of people over-tighten them and end up with red marks on the baby's legs.

Get over to the nappy thread - loads of advice on there

Cor... I could go on for days

Have you thought about wool wraps / covers / longies / shorties. They're FANTASTIC (IMO)! Look them up on the web - you don't have to buy commercial if you know someone who knits (a granny out there?). Or there are lots of WAHMS and a good yahoo group.

My practice nurse asked if I washed the nappies myself, but I told her that the washing machine did it

Have a lidded nappy bucket (contains any smell). Flush what you can. Wash them once a day or every couple of days.

If smell is too much I soak nappies in water with 5 drops of tea tree oil, but usually don't bother

It's all about getting into a routine; anything different can seem harder at first, but after a week or two you don't notice it.

BTW, if you're thinking about bamboo, they can take a really long time to dry - try a lot of different types before committing to a complete system. I use microfibre for everyday and nights and bamboo for going out as they're thinner, but everyone finds different types of nappies work for them!

There's a nappy thread? Where's that??

here is a good thread for you on the nappy topic

They are so easy. I am lazy but don't find them a problem. You can buy disposable liners that save you having to scrape poo off. If they're not pooed on you can wash them and reuse.
I do like BigBadMouse, keep them in a bin dry then rinse cycle before main wash at 40 - 50. I live in a very hard water area and got one of these which seems to help.

I have a question - all this poo flushing and things, does that mean you do your nappy changing in the bathroom? or do you carry the 'loaded' nappy into the bathroom and sort it out? I guess that probably sounds really stupid, but I am pregnant with my first and things like this really puzzle me