Best brand of cloth nappies?

[MummyAbroad]

I am contemplating cloth nappies for DC2 and just starting to realise how much I have to learn! DC1 was disposable all the way, so I really am starting from scratch.

What is the best brand of cloth nappies for a newborn? What bits and bobs to I need to get myself a "starter kit"?

thanks

If you contact your local council, they may give you a starter kit for free!

Otherwise you need:
a bucket with a tight fitting lid
3 wraps in each of the sizes (these don't need to be washed every time, just allowed to dry between uses)
For the actual nappies you need to decide if you want to get a onesize nappy which will be used for the whole life of your baby, or if you want to have a couple of different sizes more like disposables.

I used motherease one size, which were great from about 3 months up, but a bit big on my very skinny newborns.

I also had a variety of other washables - I really liked fluffles (2 sizes) but I think they are no longer sold.

Anything made from bamboo takes ages to dry (over a day sometimes, depending on the weather). I had different brands in size one and two, but the same problem.

I would also recommend poppers, as they seem to hold together better than velcro or the ones you use nappy nippers with. I feel this especially strongly with the wraps.

You will also need liners. Flushable IMO are the only way to go (who wants to scrape poo off?) but you can wash them a few times before they wear out- you are advised not to do this in case it clogs your machine, but I've never come accross anyone who has had a problem with that. For older babys I like the one life ones, but for breastfed poo you will need something a bit thicker try ultraliners (300 saw me through dd2).

Hope that helps - also www.thenappylady.co.uk sell everything and give advice.

oh thank you! thats great advice!

I wish I still lived in England so I could take advantage of the local council offer, I dont think they would post me a kit to Costa Rica!

we used bumgenius - easy and simple, with no wraps etc. worth a look at the website. All you need is the nappy itself which has a pocket in and a microfibre 'pad' which fits in the pocket(the nappies come with the pad). We dry pail them so just take pad out of pocket and keep them both in a nappy bin (or cheap kitchen pedal bin!) if they're just wee'd on. Rinse out the homemade fleece blanket nappy liner if they are pooey and continue as above!

Yup, have a look at pocket nappies/all-in-ones. I started out seven years ago on two-parters - nappies with wraps like losingallmarbles describes, including Motherease one-size which are my least favourite nappy EVER (ugly, ill-fiting, DS1 leaked through them in a VERY short space of time).

DS3 has a shocking selection of nappies, mostly pockets and all-in-ones. TotsBots Easyfits are good. They are from birth (or at least small baby) to potty but they also make a Teenyfit with is an incredibly cut version for new babies. Bumgeniusare good too but they use too much microfibre for inserts/boosters- I find my V3s benefit from extra booting with bamboo or hemp instead of the second microfibre booster. Ittis are lovely and fluffy and trim. And there are loads of wonderful small nappy companies run by WAHMs.

For a really lovely website that breaks it down very nicely and sells a lovely selection of fluff, take a look at Cheeks and Cherries. Twinkle has been there for yonks and really knows nappies. And [[http://www.babybots.co.uk/ Babybots is great too.

And a zippered wetbag like an XL Monkeyfoot is much nicer than a nappy bucket.

Babybots

Yep Bumgenius, TotsBots, Smartipants. All good brands and easy to use / reliable and well made.

With a newborn you may find some of these a little big at first. TotsBots do a teenyfit which is perfect for little bundles, and has good resale value - otherwise a few good wraps and muslin cloths or prefolds will see you through the first few weeks until baby grows a little.

Second the comment on wetbag instead of a bucket if space is an issue. I have both which works great. Monkeyfoot bags are just lovely, but there are cheaper out there. A smaller wetbag is good for out and about too.

Newborn poo is usually water soluble, certainly if you breast feed so you may get away without needing liners until weaning depending on how you plan / are able to feed. After that I would recommend fleece too. I'm pretty much oblivious to poo nowadays so rinsing in the flush is no issue and fleece helps baby stay dryer and is more comfortable.

You may also want to get some essential oil such as lavender, tea tree or bergamot to keep nappy bucket or bag fresh and sweeter smelling

Rumparooz I

Flips, Smartipants and Tots Bots Stretch (for nights) for us.
Would recommend getting a starter pack though of some different ones to try, that way you can really see which one works best for you. Fill your pants do really good starter kits www.fill-your-pants.com/nappy-trial-packs.html