when can you start using washable nappies? Are there good newborn brands?

[titferbrains]

Planned to use washable nappies DD. next baby due sept. Am likely to need a csec. will be getting help in first 6 weeks.

Seems it would be sensible to start with disposables as they fit reasonably snugly and then move on to washables once baby is 8 or 9 lb. Having seen my NB niece recently, I have clearly forgotten how tiny newborns are! even an nb nappy was difficult to get on properly!

Want to order a starter pack in the next few days. We have a tumble drier and I wash at least one load a day.

DD's poos were very explosive so want to make sure that whatever I get for baby is very secure. Or as secure as poss anyway!

We used disposables for the first few weeks until DD was big enough for reusables. Since then we've been using Close Parent Dream Dri nappies which I can't rate highly enough. They are made of micro-fibre so dry very quickly, without needing to be tumble dried. We can put them in the wash in the evening, hang them to dry in the utility room overnight and they're ready to use in the morning. That means we need fewer of them, which saves money.

I used my BumGenius V4s from about three weeks.

Before that I used Nature baby care Eco nappies, which are biodegradable and only leaked once during a particularly violent poosplosion!

nocake what sort of weight was yr baby when she started with re-usables?

Did you try any other brands or did you just get a starter back from Close Parent?

Is microfibre ok on newborn bottoms? No likelihood of irritation?? Lots of people talk about using bamboo fibre nappies - just thought natural fibres might be best at the beginning...

I used them during the day after an EMCS when DS2 was about a week old, I liked WeeNotions and Small Fuzzibunz, he weighed 7lb 4oz. I found Bumgenius huge for a couple more weeks.

I used them during the day after an EMCS when DS2 was about a week old, I liked WeeNotions and Small Fuzzibunz, he weighed 7lb 4oz. I found Bumgenius huge for a couple more weeks.

I used reusables from birth last time (bambino mios) I don't know what I was doing wrong, but they leaked everywhere, was planning on using nature baby for the first few weeks with my number 2.

I think she was about 8lbs when we started using them. We didn't bother trying any other nappies because we'd had good recommendations of the Close Parent Dream Dri and we don't have space to have nappies hanging to dry for days so needed something quick drying.

Microfibre is fine on newborn bottoms. It's very soft and not at all irritating. We use a disposable liner anyway.

We bought a pack of 10 nappies and then acquired 2 more. We still use disposables overnight (for convenience) so 12 nappies is plenty.

Best newborn nappy IMO is a folded muslin with nappy nippa and small Motherease airflow wrap. Cheap, easy to wash, quick to dry, surprisingly good at containment (lots of different folds to try for different shape babies), slim fitting, can be boosted with any old absorbent pad AND once they have grown too big for them you can still use the muslins for a multitude of other uses - including boosting bigger size nappies.

Result!

We use Close Parent ones too, but the bamboo ones. DD was 6lb something when we started. They aren't too bulky really, our only problem is getting them to close tight enough around her skinny little thighs - still a bit of a problem at 6 weeks old.

If I had the cash, I would get a load of small size Itti Bitti nappies for this newborn stage, sadly for DD2 we can't afford it so she is having to put up with her sister's slightly stained hand me down Pop-ins.

I had a few itti bitti small size and some tots bots teenyfit, but ds was nearly too big for them when he was born

Purveyor, have read about using a muslin as a nappy, do you have any good links for info about this? I just remember DD's horrendous down the leg poos and can't imagine I'd be efficient enough at tying them into a muslin... Will google nappy nippa and the wrap. I find John Lewis muslins the softest, are these fine to use as nappies? I assume best to use one colour for bums and another for face/sick etc.

I know my DH will have no patience with any nappy that doesn't work well (and need to keep him on board with changing them!!) so will look at itti bitti nappies.

DD was 6lb 3 oz and this one looks to be same sort of size, DD was never ever podgy hence my concerns about getting a good fit initially. Also can imagine getting easily frustrated if they don't work well at the beginning. So wonder if better to wait till baby has grown a bit before investing in teeny ones.

If you use a muslin as a nappy are regular sized ones big enough? And does the cover have to completely cover all of the muslin?

And will it be absorbent enough over night?

I have second hand Tots Bots Bamboozles size 1 with Motherease wraps for my DD2 (5mo), but she had thin legs and was coming up to 3 months before even the small wraps fitted so buying them new would not have been economical. If I was buying new I would probably just get Bumgenius or Fuzzibunz Medium which my 2yo is in.

DD1 was quite big though and fitted small wraps from 4 weeks.

There are lots of different nappy folds, which suit different shape babies. Here are some ideas:

I like the , the tucking in of the legs gives excellent containment

for when they get a bit bigger Also the is very neat

It might look a bit complicated, but you become an expert in no time and can fling them together with one hand whilst holding a wriggly baby! Even my DP managed them after watching a few. The absolute cheapness of them won him over mostly though! The ME airflow popper wrap has the best containment IME.

You can get tiny terry cloths for the newborn stage and small prefolds too - I still use them now for cleaning windows and the car lol.

I'm very envious, the one thing I miss about having a baby are the cloth nappies! I still haven't parted with the ones I paid a lot of money for despite not wanting any more DCs!

You can get tiny terry cloths for the newborn stage and small prefolds too - I still use them now for cleaning windows and the car lol.

I'm very envious, the one thing I miss about having a baby are the cloth nappies! I still haven't parted with the ones I paid a lot of money for despite not wanting any more DCs!

LaWeasel, yes regular muslins are fine, but you can double them up if you need extra absorbency. Or use some other booster pads e.g. bamboo or cotton tucked into the folded nappy. You can even use folded micro fiber cleaning cloths (as long as they are tucked into the nappy and don't touch the skin), they make very cheap and thirsty boosters!

Excellent thanks very much, I think, although I'm not sure that the problem we had with the mio's with DD was that the inner nappies were too thick so everything just leaked out the leg holes...

The bat fold looks great though - I have nappy nippers/boosters etc from my emergency no clean nappies terry stash so will definately give it a go.

I used washables from getting home from the hospital with my two and used Diddy Diapers by Nature Babies, with a wrap over the top. They were excellent and they fit from birth (7lbs) to about 5-6 months old. I've passed them on to friends with their newborns and they have loved them too.

When we did use disposables though, we like Pampers New Baby best, they seemed to hold in the poo best.

Can someone link to some small terry cloths and to some small pre-folds? I need to see what you are all talking about!

I am only thinking of standard muslins that everyone has. Just want to be clear what the terry cloths are.

We had a few Mothercare SmartNappies, with cloth inserts but also a pack of disposable inserts rather like sanitary towels that went in the washable nappy.
We used those from around day 5, and started using Bumgenius and some terry rectangles that you fold in 3 lengthways into a wrap.

By 3 weeks - around 11 lb - most size 1 reusables fit well and I mainly used Motherease.

This time round I'll use more washables from early on as I won't be having to learn how all the bits work at the same time as having my first baby!

Babykind do lots of different flat nappies. Terry cloths are your standard old-fashioned nappy like our mothers used (well, if you are my generation that is), they are excellent nappies. However terry fabric - just like your towels, is a bit thick when folded for a newborn, so muslins are better. You use them both in the same way. As some have mentioned you can get smaller terry squares, so they would probably fit newborns better, but I only ever used muslins, and they are something you will probably have already!

yet more silly questions.

Do you always have to do a nappy wash that's separate to all other clothing and muslins etc? Because at the beginning they poo A LOT don't they? so you throw away liner thing and then ??rinse muslins?? and then wash on their own? AT what temp? do you put anything extra in to get them clean? or just liquid and softener?

bat fold looks very good.

do you always need a wrap?