so confused by the millions of reusable nappies out there please advise me!

[umboo]

Hi

Am still deciding whether to use terries or get a shaped reusable- I think we're going to buy a few samples and see which one works best on guinea pig 23mo ds before dc2 arrives in a couple of months :)

Ive had a look at a few different reusables and there are so many out there I'm just lost! I've read the mumsnet reviews which are helpful, but haven't left me any closer to a decision...

I think having researched it I'm looking for:
-poppers round the waist (have heard that velcro can wear out more quickly)
-good price
-something that is birth to potty to save on cost
-stretchy material round the waist for added comfort

I don't mind if the inserts have to be put in or are attached (or am I missing a major convenience here?)

I really like the Little Lambs double gusset feature for extra protection, and they have good prices, but they are not birth to potty- unless their medium is good for that? Also they don't seem to have stretchy material round the waist-or is it just that I can't make it out on the website?

O wise MNers, please advise me!

Many thanks

Try the real nappy campaign website as there are advisers locally. Here in Plymouth they offer a month's trial pack with lots of different kinds of reusables so you can see which you prefer.
We went for the shaped all in one birth to potty bum genius 4. they come in Velcro or poppers and lots of different colours too. DS has been in them since 12 weeks old and he's 13 months now. They have worked a treat for us.
HTH

www.thenappylady.co.uk/index.asp

Great free advice service.

We use the bumgenius flip (cheaper than the all in ones!). It comes in poppers, is birth to potty and you just change the insert and reuse the waterproof cover unless its dirty, not bad prices either.

I like little lambs but it has a very low rise. My LO is a bit of a chunk and they give him a builders bum!

I use bumgenius v3s. They have Velcro and have seen DS1 through 2 years and now I'm using them on DS2. I prefer Velcro cos you can get a better fit whereas with poppers I think you just have to go with the best fit you can get, which isn't the same iyswim.

If I was buying new now, I'd be investigating TotsBots Easyfit V3!

Also, check out this offer. Wish they'd had this when I was starting my cloth adventure... :)

My FAVE are tots bots easyfits. I also quite like bumgenius too...
I bought all birth to potty aswell but I must say that I wasn't able to use them on dd effectively until she was almost 6 months as they were far too big and didn't fit right at all so got leaks even on smallest setting.
No complaints now though at 8 months
If you want to start from the beginning I'd go with sized nappies (tots bots teeny fit I think are the newborn ones) and then size small in bumgenius, itti bitti this should keep you going until dc2 has a bigger bum for the b2p ones.
You can buy pre loved ones cheaper, ESP if you're only going to use for a while. And spend cash on your ones for keeps. I'd only buy one of each style to start with to see what you like.
But be careful- its addictive

It's always worth seeing if the Nappy Lady or Lollipop have a rep near you - I found myself totally phased by reading about them online but knew exactly which ones I wanted when given a selection of them to look at in the 'flesh'. It really helped me to decide which system I wanted.

We used Eeenie Weenies Irish supplier but sells to UK which used to be sold through Lollipop. They have a cotton cover with waterproof pocket which can be filled with washable fleece liners or compostable disposables (which we used on trips). Means you only need to change the covers when messy & so need less than you need liners. We have used them for two daughters & were very happy with them.

Great idea for a thread, have been pondering this too for when DC2 arrives in the summer, but was overwhelmed by the sheer amount and types.

twinkleinmyeye thats a FANTASTIC deal! Ive put in an order, they should arrive on monday ready for road testing:) how do you keep the velcro from going scruffy or bobbly? I agree the better fit wd be more useful, just dont want them to get unusable v quickly

thanks for everyone's replies. I think now ive arranged a trial of a few types it'll be easier to see which ones work for us :)

I've tried loads and have to say that nature babies wraps are great - we're using them with terries I made by cutting ikea towels in two and hemming them and liners made from an ikea fleece blanket. All very cheap.

Bum genious are good but pricey. I didn't like little lambs as they nipped her around the waist. One size nappies tend to be too big on newborns.

Is there a nappucino near you where you can have a coffe and chat about reusables? We have one (Nottingham) and it'd great for ideas and advice. Your Nappy Lady will know.

I loved Little Lambs. Soft, quick drying... found velcro better for me because it was more adjustable than the poppers.

Been watching this thread with interest. That offer linked by Twinkleinmyeye looks great. I've gone ahead and ordered that. Really excited now!

DS is nearly 1 year. We tried cloth nappies when he was about a month (he was born early so too small at first) and didn't really get on. I dread to think how much money we've spent on disposables and how much landfill we've created in the meantime.. In hindsight I think our problem was a combination of very runny poos and maybe not pre-washing the nappies enough? How many times should you wash a new nappy before it has good absorbency?

And I'm a bit confused about the description of for example Smartipants 'No more touching yucky inserts'. Does that mean you don't even need to use a liner in them? You just put them in the bucket/wash poo and all??

Here in Leicestershire the council have a lady employed to encourage people into reusable nappies, and she has loan kits (one each of a huge variety of options) so you have time to figure out what suits you. I found it really helpful and eventually went for velcro rather than poppers - they always seemed to be awkward to use for us. Look out for something like this.

there is a council scheme here too, and they hold nappucinos, only i couldn't make the last meeting on yesterday, and the next one is in july when i won't be in a fit state to make it! also they didn't mention loans on the website. which is a shame because really that's the most helpful. i'd been saying to dh that there should be a nappy hire group just like there is with sling hires! its a great idea and i hope they spread :)

If you can find a contact number, contact the person direct, explain your situation and ask what they can do for you. They have a vested interest in being persuasive helpful.

In your situation I'd go for the motherease one size with the stay dry lining, in combo with a motherese airflow wrap. The motherease nappies are not the most exciting to look at, but they are BTP and boy do they last. They are really good value and an excellent workhorse nappy.

Sadly, when I was buying all mine I was suckered into the world of loveliness that is all the millions of different types of cloth nappies, so I have far too many and a huge variety of types. Just hoping I can recoup some of the cost when DC4 is done with them all. I reckon it's still been cheaper than disposables. If I could go back I'd buy plainer nappies (like the MEOS) and splash out on custom wraps like these which are just as effective as the stalwart motherease airflow.

Have fun

umboo, I don't really do anything in particular to the Velcro, except periodically picking out any bits of fluff that get stuck! as long as you make sure the laundry tabs are fastened so they don't get stuck together in the wash you should be fine...

Glad the link helped! Enjoy your fluffiness!! :)

Poppers do last better than velcro but IMO they don't adjust to your baby's shape quite as well.
I would suggest getting a mixture of nappies to see what works for you. I think Tots Bots Bamboozles are my favourites but they do take a long time to dry (as do Little Lambs). Mostly we use BumGenius. They are very easy to use and quick-drying. DS is 17mo and they're still going strong. I got very confused when I was buying nappies and was rubbish at doing research. I went for the BGs as they had a starter kit.
This page is useful.
Fill Your Pants, a vendor, has reviews of a variety of nappies.

I highly recommend the Bumble from Easy Peasy Nappies for being a brilliant workhorse birth to potty nappy. I don't think I've ever had a leak with this nappy, combined with a Motherease airflow wrap, even with explosive breastfed poo. It's not a looker tbh, but works fantastically, is fleece lined so it stays soft, doesn't take too long to dry, and can be stuffed with extra inserts (one is included). If you get the nippa version it's infinitely adjustable to suit any shape, even better than Velco nappies. I'm not sure it would be great on really tiny babies but from a couple of months onwards it's brilliant. I've got a few Bumgenius pocket nappies which I really like for the convenience and the look, but my Bumbles are unbeatable for leak protection, which lets face it is the main purpose of nappies!

If you live in Surrey then Surrey County Council/Go Real offer the loan of a trial pack of different types of reusable so you can try and work out which suits you best.

I use Little Lamb bamboo size one - bought them second hand on eBay and haven't had any issues with the velcro wearing out even though they are second hand.

zimbah the bumble looks interesting, thanks for the recommendation, if we like the terries in our trial i may look more into this.

snowgirl1 thanks for the tip, i'm not in surrey unfortunately. good to know the velcro has been ok for you. i'm beginning to think that the velcro lasting is just a case of looking after it properly, so i'm warming to that idea as it will mean a better fit.

can't wait for my trial nappies to arrive today!

Another here who has used Bumgenius with velcro through two children (well, one and a half I guess, DD2 isn't yet one) without problems. Just make sure you close the tabs before washing and you'll be ok.

I would add that, if like me you have heavy wetters, something like the Bumgenius that you can boost with additional pads is very useful. We had extra bamboo in DD1's just before she potty trained. The couple of Flips we had were totally unusable. It wan't just that they didn't last, her huge toddler wees overwhelmed the fabric and washed off instead of sinking in. Thus one big wee and she was soggy.

well my trial has arrived

thought there would be a bumgenius in there too but there isn't, ive checked teh website and it's my mistake...

would love to try out a bumgenius v4 too but don't whether to invest so much in one nappy (i know i will have to fork out, but am planning on looking for multi buy deals and ebay bundles (though with the v4 being fairly new there's not many on ebay yet))....

i also have to wash them prior to use, and as they're all different colours, i don't want to put them all in together. would a soak in a tub of water do?

i guess if that's not sufficient then i may just do a soak anyway to at least work out which are colour fast and can be washed together...

am planning to do a couple of days with all the nappies with ds later this week. do you think i should invest in a bag for my nappy bin? it does seem to make the washing easier. i'm in two minds though because i don't want to invest in too much just yet- basically teh plan is to do all the research now and work out all the 'kit' i'll need now, and then when dc2 arrives and we're ready to go, then do an online order (which i guess cuts out ebay possibilities...hmm). because i had such a hard time with physical problems postnatally last time my plan on terry nappies with ds was thrown out the window, and i want to leave myself with that option should necessity prevail..

very excited!

Erm, unless you are planning on doing different nappy washes for every colour of nappy once they are in use, you probably need to get over not putting them all in together! It is for this reason I don't buy any of the very bright colours (or any of the very pale ones. I thought white was a good plan for BG, was not. Look grubby very fast).

A soak in a tub of water won't really do it. They need a lot of washes ( I think about 10, it's been a while) before they reach full absorbency. I just shoved mine in with the coloured washes every time I did one for a while. Remember no softener. If you try them without being 'washed in' and on a toddler, you may well conclude that they are a leaking nightmare and not get any further with them!

Why do you need a bag for the nappy bin? What does it do?

When you mention buying from eBay, you presumably appreciate that they don't allow sales of second hand nappies any more?

I liked tots bots fluffles, which are IMO the most absorbent and def the fastest drying nappy around, although a small number of people didn't get on with microfiber, and they are quite bulky, so it depends on your priorities really. Mine used a nappy nipper rather than Velcro or poppers- have you considered this option?
The fluffles have been discontinued now, so you won't get new.

(fwiw I have some that I should get round to selling, and some bamboozles (but small not birth to potty for these), so do feel free to pm me if you want to try them).

I also quite liked some that I got from lollipop, but I think they have gone bust now.

umboo I'd love to hear how you get on once you've tried them!

I do think you need to wash them properly (with detergent) and several times at that. Think of a towel when you first buy it.. doesn't dry a thing until you wash it a few times. Same thing with nappies.

What YoullLaughAboutItOneDay describes is what happened to us the first time around. I pre-washed the nappies once, tried them on DS and concluded it was all a leaky mess and not worth bothering with! I realise my mistake now and am eagerly awaiting my trial set to have another go.

That website that does the trial. Fill your pants, if you have a look on their site they have nappy gurus who can come and help you decide, they have people all over the uk as far as I know, my friend used them and said they were excellent!