Washing PopnGro

[GinaFB]

We were impressed with the Lollipop PopnGro Nappies at the Baby Show in London and so purchased 20 size 1 and 15 size 2 nappies on a "special offer". Firstly is this enough?!

In the pack that we purchased along with a laundry bin etc they sent out a sample size of Baby Scents Eco Laundry Powder however are there any of the highstreet brands that will do just as well or would you recommend a more "natural" product?

I'm thinking in terms of both kindness to baby's bottom and longevity of the nappies!

I use any non-bio and haven't had an issues though know friends who use Ecover on theirs and similarly have no problems either on bums or nappies.

I chose regular powder because I didn't want the cost of 2-3 years of buying special powder or the hassle for that matter. My (somewhat richer ) friend chose Ecover out of environmental concern and ease of buying because you can often find it in a supermarket.

Another friend started using some special nappy wash powder only available online, can't remember what and used that but she switched to dispoables fairly quickly (though doubt that was the reason!!)

Sounds like you have bought enough nappies, I started with 20 in size 1 and it was fine, I have more now but have 2DC in cloth.

Thanks GoingToBonnieDoon I'd rather buy from a supermarket rather than worrying about making a special online order just to cut down on hassle! Its my 1st DC so i figured I'd have enough to worry about!

Should I wash them a few times before I use them? It didn't say on any of the packaging.

With my first I washed them about 3 times before using them (don't bother drying in between) to bring them up to absorbency but when I bought more when I had DD2 I didn't have the time and just started using them and they were fine. If you've got the time I would wash them at least once to get any factory-ness off them, ideally about 3-5 times I think is the recommended amount.

I think you'll like the popngrow, I've used them and think they are a really good all rounder.

Thanks GoingToBonnieDoon we were really impressed with them to be honest. I'd been considering cloth but wasn't totally sold on the idea - but when we were shown the PopnGro they really impressed me! We did look at quite a few other brands too but these seemed like the one of the best to me.

I can't wait to try them out now!!

I'll run them through the washing machine a few times to get them going at the weekend!

THe pop'n'gro pocket nappies are lovely! The reason why pop'n'gro suggest special washing detergents etc is because lots of commercial main stream detergents contain optical brightners, enzymes etc which will eventually be detrimental to your nappies. They also seem to be much harder to completely rinse out, leaving a rsidue behind which affects absorbency. When I sell nappies to someone I tell them to only use 1/3 to 1/2 of the recommended dose, and that powder is much better than gels and liquids. This is because it seems that powders rinse out more efficiently whereas gels and liquids seem to stick to the fibres. (My washing machine repair man last year also said that he recommends powders as gels and liquids stay in the machine and cause problems) I know that Lollipop, who sell Pop'n'gro have done quite alot of research on what is best to use with nappies (and I guess it would apply to all nappies). Another thing that they have found that clogs up the fibres on nappies is the residue left behind after some baby wipes, esp the ones with aloe vera. Not to mention barrier creams! I think Surcare and Ecover are probably the most friendly - mainstream washing powders available.