hub2dee's first ever cloth nappy day

[hub2dee]

Well, not for me, but for munchkin: After so much chit chat, and procrastination, I've put a cloth nappy on dd !!!!!

I'm using a selection of nappies Gski lent us... (thanks BTW X)

First off:

10AM: Motherease Sandy's in a Rikki Xsm wrap....

Lovely and soft, nicer than dispie paper stuff... decent fit.

Noon - bugger. Went for a walk in the pram and sprung a leak. I didn't tuck the nappy 100% into the wrap at the back. Darn darn darn. Change of clothes. Also sheet in daycot.

OK, now she's in a TotsBots size1 with a Motherease Airflow Small.
Lovely and soft. Goes on easily. Aplix is easier than poppers for my big fingers.

The nappy had a sewn in booster thingy, with an additional fleecy material (ie. a sewn in booster plus sewn in liner...).. I've tried to do a vaguely sensible fold, but not sure I've done what best for containment for a girl...

Let's hope this one doesn't leak cos she's off shopping with dw in a baby bjorn, and the wrap was a tiny bit loose....

I think I need nappy lessons to make this work, LOL.

Hi Hub
So you have started.......well done.
I have to say that due to my dd1's body shape I found that the only wraps that worked for us without wicking were the Motherease airflow. Also I have discovered this time round with dd2 that the back of the nappy gets wet first due to her being on her back for most of the day. I realise that this is blindingly obvious but was not something I had managed to compute in my brain until I started with a newborn in nappies (dd1 was 3-4 months before I started and therefore upright for more of the day), so just make doubly sure this part of the nappy is tucked in...as you have discovered lol. Once I found a combination that worked for us we never had a leak unless I or DH had done something wrong.
Don't go giving up on us after all that research you have done . How big is your delicious dd now?
Keep us posted and good luck.

The airflow are definately a big bottom look as they are baggy but I think this is why they never leak for us. I love dd's big bottom. I used a few disposables at night with dd2 and guess what? They leaked! Wee all out the back. I put her in a kissaluv over night and she slept for 6 hours straight rather than the two to three hours she had managed before. Coincidence I am sure but I like to think that dd2 likes her cloth nappies lol.

Thanks for the posts, Coop... I'd agree the back gets sodden first cos of the naps... What seems strange though is that the most important thing is for the liquid to be dispersed throughout all the nappy... these things need a wicking liner integrated between the cotton etc. which acts to move the fluid from where it is most concentrated to the extremes of the nappy IYSWIM... there is no point 90% of it being bone dry and 10% hyper sodden...

Obviously designed by women.

PMSL.

hub2dee, we just folded the booster in half at this age- it spreads the wee around more effectively, IMO. Also, make sure the waist and legs are snug, otherwise when baby is lying on her back or side, the wee can run off the liner and straight out of the nappy. We used Bumpy wraps ove rour Tots, got the occasional leak of wee, but NOTHING like the leaks you get with disps.

hi hub... how on earth do you make this stuff so complicated?
i never fold the booster in my tots... never had a leak!
i do find that if there is too much stuff there, or if it is a bit tight on th crotch due to too much padding/tight wrap/tight clothes then leaks can occur... presumably the rpessure of bum on nappy meaning it all flows off instead of getting soaked up?

also, you will find that they do need changing more frequently than a disposable. which i am sure you already know!

do you have any pocket nappies? fuzzi bunz are fab!

LOL, starlover... moi ?

hmmmm... hadn't really factored in tightness as a variable. suppose it's important, yes... hmmm...

Not 100% sure what other nappies we have... but will do a full trial with eco-babes so will get to try a few other types.

We haven't really ever had leaks with dispies... a few poos up the back (not often), but it's very rare we get wee leaking IME. Maybe cos we're in such small nappies perhaps (size 1 sub 5 kilos) ?

when ds was little i actually used plain old terry squares as i could get a better fit with them,.
and used a LITEWRAP which i can only find on twinkleontheweb
but they are the best wrap i have ever used! they never ever leaked. they have a popper on the leg as well as velcro for added containment!

airflow wraps are essential part of the nappy process IMO. rarely have a leak with them (except when i havent check to make sure all the nappy is enclosed)

I find the Popolini wraps very good over both Tots and prefolds, rarely had a leak. By the way if you go for all-in-ones, STAY AWAY FROM KOOSHIES!! They are the slowest-drying, worst-wearing things I have ever come across! Have had mine about 3 months and there are holes in the outer cover. I have just ordered a Rumpster from that site which looks like a lovely all-in-one but no-one else on MN has used it, so I'll let you know how I get on with it. (Sorry Maisiemog, couldn't resist, they were on sale LOL, pedicure will have to wait!)

Popolino wraps are very similar to the Motherease but a bit cheaper but IMHO not quite as nice or well wearing. DD1 and 2 get marks from them but not from Motherease. I am with Misdee, motherease airflow are the best. Bombproof!!!!

How is it going today Hub?

Hi Hub2Dee,

How are things going? I have been offline for so long I am really out of touch - since Megan started feeding I've rediscovered life further than 2 feet away from the pump, so I've been making up for lost time! How are you all getting on with Camille's feeding now? Has she cracked it?

I've been using Totsbots with Motherease wraps for about 6 weeks now, and she has never leaked in them at all. I have one fleecy stuffable nappy, but it just doesn't work as well - I put Megan in it overnight a couple of times and both times she woke up soaked through, so I've given up on that. I don't bother folding the booster in the Totsbots, I just tuck the end underneath the elastic at the back and flatten the rest towards the front. It means that you have about an inch at the front doubled over, then single layer booster the rest of the way back. The one thing I have found though is that Megan is a real wriggler, and if I am not careful she gets a 'builders bum' effect at the back, so I have to make sure that the nappy is high enough at the back. The other thing is that, as lots of people have said, all of the nappy has to be inside the wrap.

Do you use the nappies with Aplix, or do you use a nappi nippa? I have the nappy nippa ones, which are great as you can tighten them around the waist and upwards through the crotch, so they get a really good fit.

Also, Megan gets a clean wrap every morning, and I rinse the dirty one out in the sink and hang it up to dry. If she soils the wrap she gets a clean one straight away but that very rarely happens because the Totsbots are so good at containing the mess. Whenever I do a nappy wash or a clothes wash in non-bio, any wraps that aren't in use get a machine wash.

Let us know how you are getting on!
Jen

Thanks, starlover. Will have a look at a Litewrap.

So, a big thumbs up for ME wraps, hey...

Coop - the cloth nappies was a one day trial. I'll probably sign up for a proper trial when dd is a wee bit bigger and see how we get on for maybe a week or so.

Hi Jennywren, glad life with Megan is going well ! dw is still expressing, we're bottlefeeding EBM / formula. We just tried a tots Aplix. Will be interesting to see how a nappy nippa improves / alters the fit.

charleypops (chit chat continued from another thread) - I think the big difference really is that the dispies 'hide' the wee - sucking it into the magic chemical gel, so the nappy feels a bit damp but not soaking IYSWIM. A reusable nappy (maybe depending on the design) feels MUCH wetter from the wee - at least in my very limited experience of the few I tried. I wonder what baby prefers ? Certainly they may potty train earlier as they get an understanding of urination > wet > discomfort, but I wonder if a dispie (aside from being made of that slightly odd paper) actually feels more comfortable for baby as it keeps them feeling drier for longer IYSWIM.

(don't doubt for a moment the lovely soft cotton is more comfortable; I guess I'm pondering when they're wet...)

Oh dear - am I opening a can of worms here ????

you should find that with a fleece liner they feel almost dry anyway.
ds doesn't seem to care if he is in cloth or not!

re the aplix... i think i prefer the nippa version insomuch as you don't have that stiff band of aplix round the front, which can sometimes seem qutie hard.
not so much at your dd's age, but certainly when they are sitting up more... the aplix band seems to dig in a bit. ditto wraps too... i always use popper ones as ds is much more comfortable in them

litewrap is here

after me saying i hate aplix! but i only had these in small size so only used them when ds was very small

LOL, starlover, they do seem to have a rather large sea of aplix !!! But the review / write up was very positive.

Thanks.

when you buy wraps check they have leg gussets.
very important for a nice snug fit round the legs and thus, anti-leakage!

I did actually try a handful a few weeks ago when we first got Pod home and guess what?! - I was thinking exactly the same thing - about the washables feeling wet. Also I found they were much too big and bulky for him at them time and he seemed to be lying at an angle, his head being lower than his bum iykwim. I did cut out some fleece liners to use inside them but I didn't get round to using them as I felt the weather was too hot at the time for all those layers. They are winking at me though (and making me feel guilty) from under a thin veil of dust up on the top shelf......

Did you get the Britax First Class Si car seat in the end? or did you go for the Creatis?

Pod suddenly hates his Matrix

LOL, there's plenty of time to try out your washables again, cp... do it when you feel the time is right... plenty of other stuff to worry about in the interim !

Hmmm... surprised Pod is rejecting the Matrix ! In the end I had 1 hour to buy a car seat and get my arse down the hossie ! Bought a Maxi Cosi Cabrio. Seems OK. Nice integrated sunhood. Rocks. Does Pod not like the Matrix even when it is in the 'up' (ie. not reclined flat) position ?

BTW - in lockets' washables thread (near top of Nappies topic) motherinferior made same point re: wetness... have a peak !

I haven't actually tried the "up" positions yet He was squawking so much today (with real tears!) all the way back from a fabulous proper off road 2 hour dog walk with his wonderful MBT that I just wanted to chuck it out of the window and drive over it!

Suppose I should dig out the instructions and try repositioning it before I spend more of poor dp's money....

Glad you like your car seat - bit of a risk that, just having an hour to choose one!!

yeah... proper emergency

... doesn't society understand the need for infinite procrastination and endless pontification ?

Any chance he had wind / reflux making him peed off ?

I think your seat is very easy to adjust into a more vertical position. Maybe he's just getting bored of the headlining in your car and wants to look at mamma's face, or the rear parcel shelf, or whatever ?

BTW, the fuzzi bunz don't feel wet at all even when the insert is soaked, lovely and comfy for baby!

Thanks, chippie. Will deffo try.