advice for reuseable nappies

[Peanut2011]

Hi I'm gonna be a 1st time mum in May & want to start looking into everything I will need to buy. I really want to use reuseable nappies but with so many on the market now could really do with some reccomendations on the best brands. Also where is the best place to buy & how many will I need?
Thanks in advance, K x

Go on the cloth boards, there are some out there just for cloth nappies, and buy a few of several different kinds 2nd hand - this means they will be inexpensive and gives you the opportunity what suits you and your baby best.

I would go with something very reliable to start off with, a 2 part fitted system such as tot bots nappies with motherease air flow wraps.

Nippa fastening napies give a better fit than velcro/applix too.

What CarGirl said.

Also go and have a look at here - a fab site full of really helpful cloth nappy users who'll guide you through everything.

To start I used easy peasy bimbles with motherease rikki or airflow wrap on top (size small). I only had a couple of the popper ones but did really like them but you get a more adjustable fit with the nippa ones. Now I found these really reliable and not too bulky on a small baby but they do only do up to about 3 months depending on how big your baby is. I then used pocket nappies either wonderoos or bumgenius both of these are technically birth to potty so you buy your lot and don´t need to buy more, I LOVED them.

You could go straight for the birth to potty but they may be bulky on a newborn, would be the cheapest option, it really depends on your budget and what is important to you. I got all the bimbles second hand so they didn´t cost much.

I think the minimum they tend to recommend is about 16 nappies (plus about 4 wraps if using a two part system) and you´d manage with this but if you can afford more get more!

HTH and congrats!

I personally rate Babybeehinds. They are one size nappies which means that you can use them from birth until your bubs is potty trained. Mother ease wraps fit over them very well. I've used them with both of my children and they've been great.

Congratulations!

I use good old-fashioned terry squares and I love them. They never leak because I can fold them to suit DS, they are cheap, they dry really fast and you don't need different sizes. I have about 40 and I only need to wash twice a week. I use a mix of disposable and fleece liners, and mostly Motherease rikki and airflow wraps. You do have to buy different sizes in the wraps but I mostly get them secondhand. Terrynappies.co.uk has a lot of info and I have found their service to be very good.

oh and just to say tots bots are so widely recommended but i really did not like them at all, found them bulky and took ages to dry. I also know a few friends who got them through trial schemes and were really put off using nappies by them. You really do have to try a few different kinds to see what works for you and cargirl is right, if you are happy to use second hand at least to figure out what you like its a great way to do it.

Diddy diapers are another popular one, i have to say I was a bit meh about them, thought they were ok but didn´t rock my world but my sister loved them. Also swaddlebees. SO SO cute but really not that great in practice.

My personal favourites where easy peasy bumbles which I managed to use from birth as I had large babies and some bamboo nippa nappies that keep changing name - bambeanos currently I think.

WOW girls, thanks for getting back to me so quickly, K x

Would really recommend the nappy lady (google it). You fil in a questionnaire about your requirements and other stuff eg drying facilities and someone gets back to you with a recommendation of what would best suit you. There is no obligation to buy from them either.

Highly recommend starting off with disposables, actually, til you know about your baby, what kind of delivery you've had, how much time and energy you've got, etc.

I had all intentions of using washables and they're still washed and folded under the cot (she's now 15 months). I had no idea I'd have to do so much washing, and they leaked, unfortunately, so I was changing her outfit every time. And the nappy bucket was a pain, we live in a small place so there never seemed to be somewhere convenient for it. Sorry, I know you're looking for positive input, but it's just a cautionary tale. I had an unplanned C section, so disposables was as much as my tiny brain could manage then.

My advice is not to go overboard and spend £100 on them like I did before I had the baby. I now regret it utterly! Try one or two out after you've given birth.

DS3 has been in cloth since birth - i also had dd in cloth then too - it's entirely doable.

What i would suggest is that you use a good staple like tots bots or little lambs bamboo, and use a nappy nippa - the modern equivalent to the nappy pin - that way you can fit the nappy to the baby, rather than a onesize nappy which may gape at the legs ect. Then you can either use a wool cover or a PUL cover, and you're away - it's that simple.

I keep my nappy bucket - a £3.99 lidded jobby from wilkinsons - by the backdoor, and i do a nappy wash once every three days, and it's incredibly easy. In fact, it's no harder than having a child in sposies, only that instead of putting them in the bin, i put them in a bucket and wash them.

missmehlia - you could recoup some of your money by selling your cloth stash. If they are brand new then you could probably get 70% of what you paid for them if they are a popular nappy x

I'm in the same position and am not sure what's needed. I want to use terry towelling nappies and have been looking at the Naturesbabies website. They sell 3 sizes of terry, 40cm, 50cm and 60cm and recommend starting off with the smallest and progressing to the larger as DC grows. However, how many should I start with, bearing in mind there will be several nappy changes a day, particularly in the early weeks. They also recommend using traditional nappy pins and plastic pants if you are on a tight budget, which I am, rather than those new fangled nappi-nippas and "wraps", which I think are very expensive. You can buy a pack of I think three plastic pants from Boots and they seem good quality. Any advice would be appreciated.

Queenbebe not used terries or nippas but the big difference between the wraps and plastic pants is that the wraps breathe and the old fashioned plastic pants tend to sweat instead, however we all survived sweaty bums! You can get some real bargains on cloth nappy tree if you don't mind second hand.

Hevster my sister-in-law says the key is to change the nappies regularly. Apparently, you don't have to change the plastic pants everytime unless they're soiled, but hopefully there should'nt be any ill effects with sweaty bums.

Hi Queenbebe. I am a terry nappy evangelist, I really think they are the best. I think mine are 50cm and I used them from newborn sized. They were a bit bulky but DS didn't mind!

I think it is definitely worth getting Nappy Nippas, they are fab especially if you are a bit cack handed like me. I bought six but I have only ever used maybe two in a year. In fact if you PM me your address I will send you one if you like.

My terries are well and truly second hand- in fact they are the ones my husband wore as a baby. If you don't mind second hand it is a great way to save money. You could also check if your local council offers any incentive- mine gives 40% of your costs back if you send the receipts. I did this with some fleece liners and wraps I bought new.

I bet the plastic pants are fine. But I do like the soft wraps on my son, and he has just gone up a size. I got all my new wraps from usednappies.co.uk and nappysite.co.uk, six in total from various sellers for about £12 the lot. I recommend trying secondhand if cost is an issue.

Most reusables are very expensive I think. Terries are great!