Washable Nappies

[Girly]

Thought I'd start a new thread as the other was getting a bit long!

Now where were we?

More info from UKP about my problem. They have also recommended an Ellas House Bumhugger or a stuffie (a WAHM nappy, a bit like a tots but totally fleece lined with a pocket to put a booster in). I particularly like the look of the Ellas House but will have to wait until we have some money, nevermind that will give me plenty of time to think about it!

Girly - if you're our there!

Just wondered how you got on with your bigger fleece liners, I would mail you but my ever so tidy husband has had a clearout of the e-mail address book and deleted all my stuff, great eh?

I have managed to come by an Ellas House Bumhugger on UKP buy and sell so I am hoping this will solve our problems, as ever mind you he hasn't had a night wakening since, not that I'm complaining though!

It has occured to me that you could make these bigger fleece liners and sew them onto a couple of Tots for night-time but that all seems a bit too much hard work for me.

Will post after I have tried the Bumhugger!

I have just bought (ordered) a Minki (fleece stuffable) as I saw them at the RNW coffee morning last week, went about saying 'Oh these are gorgeous!' until this lady said 'Thanks! I make them!'. So I'm going to try it our for nightime, will keep you posted!

Oh nice Susanmt, I'm always eyeing them up, would be interested to know what you think of them.

Am back!

Been away for Easter, Demented, the fleece liners work fine, would you like a couple?you just need to pull them up at the front so they cover over the waist bit. IFYSWIM!

I also have a Minki, and its fab! swapped them with Michaela for a Kissaluv, It is a blue denim one with pockets on the bum and cream fleece inner and its lovely, used it last night for over night and no leaks! Not having much luck with my nappysaurus wraps, they just do not seem to fit ds properly, will have to find an alternative, may sell them on ukp and buy another minki!

What do washable nappies cost?

and how many do you realistically need to have for one baby?
Is your washing machine always on?
Thanks

Jasper - I have 16 nappies and with my 20 months old I wash every 3 days and sometimes 4 days as she controls her baldder quite well... it was more often when she was younger. It costs me £192 for 16 nappies, 16 fleece liners, 4 wraps, 1 bucket, 2 boosters and 1 mesh.

I wash on a short cycle (35 minutes) at 40 degrees (60 when she was younger)... and I do tumble dry them.... so that's not 100% economical/ecological... but I like them fluffy

Girly, it's really good of you to offer, I don't want to put you to any hassle. I think I would be best to see how I get on with the Bumhugger first (could do with an extra couple of nappies anyway so it's a good excuse ) but it's good to know the larger liners are doing the trick. Your Minki sounds gorgeous, I didn't know she swaped them for things (hmmmmm), I assume that was on UKP B&S, will keep looking out you never know. What do you stuff your Minki with then? This was one of the things that put me off as I didn't want to have to buy terries or prefolds just to stuff a night nappy.

Jasper we changed to cloth when DS2 was 8 months. I initially spent about £100, this bought me 10 Tots Bots, three fleece liners (then bought some fleece myself and cut up some liners, much cheaper), two Air rikka wraps and two night time boosters. I have since added one Nappysaurus fleece wrap (for nights but not essential £9), two more Tots (bought on UKP £12, they were brand new), one Bumhugger (also not essential £5 on UKP) and another Nappysaurus (£7.50 not essential either, oh dear must be getting addicted). I dry pail in my old sangenic machine and generally stick on a load every night (being quite new to cloth I like to err on the side of caution), although I am hoping that with the addition of one more nappy and perhaps another Air rikka we could go for every second night, I do not have a tumble dryer and haven't found it to be any hassle at all. If someone had only told me when I had DS1 that cloth was so easy I would have done it there and then, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The big thing that swung it for me in the end was finding out that there was a good market for secondhand nappies and wraps and I realised that if cloth didn't work out for us I wouldn't lose that much money on them by selling them on, also even if I love them (which I do) when we are done (DH says no baby no3, sniff ) I can sell them on again.

Anyway sorry for the ramble just wanted you to know how great and easy they were. All the best!

Also Jasper, you'll be able to use them for baby number 4 !!!

OK I'll shut up and go to my bed now.

Thanks everyone for the info.
Demented are you in cahoots with mears??

I think this extended breastfeeding has done something to my brain. 6 months ago I would never have considered cloth nappies.(I've left it a bit late really)

I tried terries a couple of times but they got so slopping wet in no time at all.

Disposables are just so beautifully absorbent.
However I understand that modern shaped clothies are a different beast and also very absorbent - is this right ? How do they compare absorbency wise to disposables?

I'm feeling very virtuous now as I am going to be able to use my cloth nappies again for No3 - see, it can happen demented!
I reckon I have probably spent maybe £200 - £250 on cloth nappies but I am a bit of an addict really. But when you look at the price of disposables ..... I put both of mine into cloth as soon as we got home from hospital and never looked back.
Off to polish my halo!

Jasper, we have 18 nappies for dd (5mo) which is plenty: six terries (about £10) and 12 muslins (about £15). I need to replace the muslins now as they get a bit too wet, so I'm going to get some bigger terry squares (£3 each). I've also got some very old terries for using as booster pads (I spent my pregnancy hemming them so I'm determined to use them somehow ). To start with, we just spent £2.60 on six pairs of plastic pants, but have since bought four wraps (£5-£9). So our initial outlay was about £30 to get us started, but we've added to it since....

I do a nappy wash roughly every three days, and tumble dry them because they come out nicely and I'm too lazy to hang them out on airers (not very green, I know).

Jasper, if its absorbency you want, then try TotsBots! They are easily absorbent enough to last over night, cost about £7 each (but you do need a wrap)and last for ages!

I doubt if we should really try to compare absorbency in cloth nappies and disposables, because they're like apples and oranges.... I'm sure that a disposable nappy could hold more wee than a cloth one, but.... the super-absorbent gel that's required to make it do so takes 500 years to decompose in the landfill..yeuch! Plus, the trees chopped down to make the paper bit, and the petroleum producys in the plasticky bit, and the packaging, and the petrol you use when carrying them to and from the supermarket...I could go on...

Yes, washing cloth nappies does use water, soap, electricity, etc, but it really isn't a hassle at all, and like susanmt I do feel rather vituous

Would you like to borrow a couple of Tots Bots to try? I think your baby is about the same age as dd, so a size 2 should fit!

susanmt, so you gave in to the lure of Minkis! They are gorgeous, aren't they! Michaela has since made me 2 more, so the girls have matching ones, 1 on and 1 in the wash, and they wear them at night. She's also made a small one for my friend at work who's 1st baby is due very soon.
In fact my girls are in the "rogues gallery" on Michaela's site!

I agree that if you are a disposable user, it shocks you to see the quantity of wee on a terry - but as has been said - it's because there's only cloth soacking it up, and there are varying degrees of absorbancy. I think you can guage the amount of wee much better though - which is very good when they are ill. People are generally wary also because they are so much bulkier and you hear silly things about it affecting walking and such (my sisters HV can you believe!). However, remember that if you were born before 1980 you were definately a terry baby and I'm sure we're not all bandy legged!

I remember because my sister was born in 1980, and my mum had a stack of terrys he never used because she "discovered" disposables and was amazed. However, she was also amazed at the new types of cloth nappies.

I am also looking for new cloths now, and want to know if anyone else has a DD with not particularly chubby legs, but a little bloaty tum. I need good containment around the legs, but am after a stuffable sort. Where can I look at the ellas and the minkis?

I am using moltex sposies and nature nappy biodegradable nappy bags (a good compromise IMO) but really HATE HATE HATE ikky stinky nappys around, and filling my bin (esp. after a bank hols when the bin men don't come for a week... )

cerys - which ones are yours?
Michaela is great - I hadn't met her before last week but she already knew my husband who was involved in the antenatal care for her 3rd child while he was a junior doc - in fact he came home from the hospital the day he first sa her (and older child) and said 'I want a baby' as her wee boy was sooooo cute. And I LOVED her minkis - I have ordered a leopard print one, with matching stinki minki and some of her gorgeous cleansing spray. OOOOOhhh cant wait to get it now, it will be another week!

they are the two girls on the bed in matching Winnie the Pooh nappies. They also have pink gingham with lilac fleece.

I can't believe Michaela has all those children and a grandchild - from her photo she looks much too young!

Who is this Michaela person??
also a question about wraps _ I use velcro ones at the mo but have heard lots about the popper ones - are they as fiddly as they sound to me? Do you have to do the poppers up every time or sort of set them to fit your baby and then wash them like that?
and why are cloth nappies so addictive??

Love washables too - I use Sandys and kissaluvs - how do you use stuffables?? Loved the look of the minkis but am slightly confused, do you change the outer every time - how do you use them, love the idea of the patterns and the versatility - you don't need a wrap obviously?? Sorry, dim but hope someone can enlighten me.

morocco,

Michaela makes and sells Minki nappies, which are rather lovely All-in-Ones

her website is here

popper wraps aren't all that fiddly, you do the poppers up each time. They're great for babies who can undo velcro, and they have the added advantage of not snagging in your other washing.

Rioja

Minkis are All-in One, they have a layer of PUL (polyurethane laminate) under the outer fabric, so you don't need a wrap.

Stuffables have an inner layer of fleece, and an outer waterproof layer, and an opening on the back waist seam between the two so you can "stuff" the nappy with watever you want to add absorbency. People use tery squares, muslins, microtex, hemp, anything.

HTH

Jasper -I am a Tots Bots fan... and it's Scottish! We never have any leaks of any kind... and believe me DD can poo!

I use terry squares to stuff the AIO's with, they are very quick to dry, but more expensive. I have various stuffables but my faves are Fuzzi's and Minki's. They are also easy for others to change.

Oh I feel another spend coming on!!!

Demented, I do not think Michalea usually does swaps, she wanted to have various types of nappies for her visits to clinics etc, so thats why we did a swap.