Terry nappies-am i mad?

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Hi ladies,
Just hoping for some advice. I'm expecting my first baby in June and planning to use reusable nappies.

Like others, I've been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of choice out there but after a lot of thought am seriously considering just using old fashioned terry nappies. My mum and sister have made no secret of the fact that they think I am utterly bonkers for even considering this. Mum keeps predicting that they will leak everywhere and cause awful nappy rash (in a voice of doom)...

Cost and drying fast is an issue for us and I didn't want to buy lots of sizes, so terries seemed to tick all the boxes.

I guess I just wanted some advice/ reassurance from someone that has used terries . Will they be ok to use from newborn? Will baby's bum be humongous? Will leaking be a massive issue? Am I just making loads of extra work for myself?

Ooo and which wraps would you recommend to go with them?

Thanks all, sorry that's so long, I really appreciate any advice you can give me!

I was overwhelmed, like you, and chose terries. Did not regret it for a moment, they dried quickly, and could be folded in different ways to suit DD at different ages. We bought a few shaped and pocket nappies as she got older but carried on using the terries as well, especially at night because they were the most absorbent.

I mostly used big pull on elasticated leg pants to cover them, but I can't remember where they came from, they weren't plasticy, were made of similar stuff to the wrap ones we had (Motherease, they were good, but more prone to leaks than the big pant ones).

I used fleece liners.

The only thing I'd do differently a second time around is get some of the smaller size 40x40 terries - the standard ones are 60x60 - for the first couple of months. I used muslins for the first couple of months, and though they were effective, they needed changing very frequently!

You can't rule out nappy rash, but you can't with disposables either.

And by the way, my DD is 4, so this was just a few years ago, not back in the seventies, or anything

I had some lovely small bamboo terries when DS was little, and you can then use them as boosters later on.

I'd give it a go but buy secondhand if you can, I gave up after 6 months but only because it was winter and I lived in a small flat with no tumble dryer or radiators!

www.usednappies.co.uk is great for buying second hand nappies.

I used washables - not terries - and loved them. Most I got second hand from ebay/usednappies.

You are not mad! I posted something v similar when expecting my first (also a June baby!) and my terries are going strong on DC no 2 :o

I actually find I have more leaks if I use disposables and both of mine were/are VERY heavy wetters! I use mother ease wraps and have experimented with different folds that I found on the nappy lady website until I found one I liked. Very little nappy rash here either - DD probably had it a handful of times in her entire 2.5 years in nappies and usually only when teething or ill. DS (8mo) has it at the mo but he is teething so I know its def not the nappies causing it.

No tumble drier here so can verify the quick drying nature of them. Can really recommend a ceiling mounted airer (ours was £14.99 from ikae) which I can hang the terries on there at tea-time and they are dry by morning even in winter without heating on overnight.

I probably have about 24 terries in total - 18 normal cotton ones and 6 thicker bamboo ones which I use at night.

One piece of advice I was given for my first was to use disposables for the first couple of weeks - this means you have a bit of time to get over the shell-shock of having a small person to look after and physically recover yourself a bit too before you start needing to worry about washing nappies. It also means that the grim meconium poos are dealt with too :) I think I may not have lasted so long with washables if I hadn't done this. Did the same with DC2 but only for the first week.

Terries with a motherease or naturebabies wrap worked really well. I used a mixture of newborn terries and diddy diapers with dd as a newborn. A newborn will get through ten nappies a day for the first 6 to 8 weeks. I suggest you buy some fleece material and make your own fleece liners. The fleece liners work well as washable wipes.

The key to avoiding nappy rash is good hygiene. Disposible wipes have harsh chemicals which can cause nappy rash in newborns. I used the fleece wipes with warm water and a terry nappy to dry dd. You only need nappy creams like metaliun or sudocream if the baby gets nappy rash despite your best efforts. Bare bottom time helps with nappy rash as its the ammnia form the urine which burns baby's skin.

Thank you, thank you ladies! It's great to hear some positive stories, I was starting to doubt myself but I think I will go for it and give them a try.

Good tips about getting some smaller sized squares, and using disposables for the first week or so while we acclimatise to having the baby at home. Plus I hadn't really thought about fleece liners, I guess they would be better than the disposable liners? Thanks for that idea too...

Are the bamboo nappies better for night time? I had seen them online but wasn't sure what the difference was.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply, I feel really reassured and mych happier :)

Bamboo is more absorbent, I think...? Only ever had cotton myself, though.

Definitely use fleece to line. You don't have to buy them ready made, either, just get a fleece blanket or old fleece coat and cut out rectangles.

I second the disposables-for-the-first-week tip.

Another tip: wash them with SMALL amounts of detergent, so you don't get detergent build up.

Bamboo takes longer to dry although it is soft and very absorbant.

I think cotton terries are best for a newborn. Newborns aren't heavy wetters, but they do poo about ten times a day. Cotton terries dry faster and are cheaper.

I use reusables but not terries. I would second fleece liners rather than disposable ones. Ok, they need to be, erm, emptied as the poo gets more solid, but they leave a nice dry layer next to the baby's skin. I really didn't like soggy tissue stuff against that delicate area personally.

I used terry squares as I have no tumble dryer and so wanted something quick drying. Used motherease wraps on top, and I did use disposable liners, once past the liquid poo stage.

I used disposables for first 4-6 weeks both times, and disposables at night as both mine woke a hell of a lot for a long time and I couldn't handle night-time nappy issues as well as sleep deprivation.

I really liked the way I could fold the squares in different ways to get a good fit. My children are completely different shapes, one v stocky and one super skinny, and the few shaped nappies I had didn't suit both of them.

Oh, and terry square on a newborn does look hilariously large to start with

Definately use muslins in the first few weeks, terries can be very bulky on a new born (though they don't seem to mind). Muslins with a nappy nippa and Mothease airflow wrap give a very slim profile. The bat fold is good for newborns and kite fold for older ones. Always tuck the leg cuff under as this gives very good poo containment. Muslins can be boosted with terry/bamboo pads for overnight.

I wouldn't bother with any liners in the newborn liquid poo stage - they don't catch the liquid stuff. Your washing machine will be more than able to cope with all the newborn poo (use some Napisan in the wash). Once they are a bit more solid then paper liners are good and fleece ones are great when they are at the 'roll off' stage post weaning.

The liners don't catch anything, but fleece liners do help to keep the baby drier.

I used terries & a motherease (iirc - it was nearly 9 years ago!) wrap with my daughter along with nappy nip pas, not pins until she was about 4 months old then I found they seemed to come undone as she started to wriggle more. I switched to fuzzi buns then. Also found terries were a good cheap option as they grow out of the small reusables very quickly. She looked adorable in them and they were easy to dry on the line - helped that we had an exceptionally long hot spring & summer in 2003.

Wow, loads more replies! Thanks all, lots to think about! I've just spent a while on the nappylady website researching folds etc :)

if I start off with muslins, will I need smaller wraps to go over them, as they aren't as bulky as the terries? Or if I get the small motherease airflow will these be ok?

I'm loving looking at all the nappies, wraps and accessories on the web can't wait to get some so I can practice my folds!

If you can stick to terries it's good but be warned: your DP might not be as enamoured of them as you are. My DP pointblank refused to use them - it was beyond him to learn to fold and clip them apparently - so we always had (eco) disposables at home and we both got lazy...

If and when we have another I think I'm going to use eco disposables and try to compost them...

Terry squares are great. I've used them on my 2 and they are washed and awaiting number 3 to arrive. Yes your baby will have a huge bum but that is part of the cuteness . You can use muslins as nappies at first as they are slimmer. you can also buy terries in a range of sizes so if you really want to then you can get smaller ones. They are a great money saver and I don't find them too much work, I have plenty of nappies so it is only really an extra wash or 2 a week. I even have a few nappies from when I was a baby and some from when my mum was a baby so over 50 years old! Recycling at its best.

I use Motherease wraps, they are not the cheapest but are the best. My newborn size ones are the velco ones which avoid newborn poo exposions leaking out and then I have airflow in the bigger sizes. I've got various terries, I think on the whole my Bright Bots are the best. They are big enough to last until potty training but not so thick that they are daft on a smaller baby. Little Ewe are very thick but are pretty good on a toddler and for nights. I have a couple of bamboo ones, not that keen really.

Dh uses them fine, it isn't an issue.

We used Terries with nappy nippas and airflow wraps from birth to potty training and were very happy with them. DS only had nappy rash occasionally, and it was in fact more likely to happen when we were at my Grandmas and using disposables for a week.

The motherease wraps do come in different sizes. On the bright side you don't need to buy loads of each size as you can give them a quick wipe inside and reuse again on the same day - and they do dry very quickly.

My Dh had a mental block about folding them as well so I just folded them all up ready for use as soon as they came off the line/dryer, so he just had to take a ready folded one from the stack when he needed one. Even he couldn't pretend to be too dim to use a nappy nipper!

Interesting thread. Im in the same place as you op, got my terries in and a pil of muslins to start. Oh and i have been practising folds - he's tight so happy to go with this choice. Few useful tips on here, so thanks. We've got 2 packs reusables in for the hospital and maybe the first day but then we are just going for it! Just waiting for the actual baby to arrive now, only a couple of weeks!

Lots of good advice on here already. Just wanted to add that you should check your local area for offers. My council offer a pack of 5 different types of nappies (new!) for £12 or a three week trial of a full kit (mix of second hand ones) for the same price.

Will definitely check for local offers, thar sounds like a good deal.

DP is pretty up for reusables although a bit confused by the folds. I like the idea of having piles of nappies prefolded and ready to go so he can just get stuck in, think that would save time all round anyway.

Thanks again for all the lovely, helpful advice on this thread :)

Our council do a £50 cash back scheme for anyone buying reusables so def worth checking! Not used terries so can't comment there I'm afraid.

well if you're mad, OP, so am I because I was also overwhelmed by the selection and just went for terries. Here's hoping it will all work out OK, it was pleasingly cheap if nothing else

I've come back to this forum after a brief spell with only night nappies to deal with but now number 5 - ds3 - is here, it's back to three in nappies though ds2 & dd2 are both slowly beginning to have the odd dry nights. We've used Terries for all of them and for the last nearly 8 years have always had at least two in nappies if you count night time ones. (They've all taken after DH and been a bit later than some to start producing the hormone necessary for dry nights!) For quite a lot of that time we have had three in nappies and I dread to think how much we would have spent on disposables. Anyway the purpose of this is to say that Terries are easy, cheap and quick to dry. One day, so I am told, they come in handy to clean floors, cars, windows and the like, though I suspect ours will not have much life left in them by then. When we've had children in daytime nappies, I have always folded them (the nappies, not the children) when I take them off the line (or occasionally out of the dryer) so that they are ready to put on. It's a great help when they get to to the wriggling and running away stage. I've always used plastic pants, much to the horror of many on this group, I suspect, but have had very few leaks (even with 6 year olds overnight) or pooh-explosions over the years. I do recommend buying the most expensive and thickest nappies you can find and later getting some overnight or toddler ones.