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

Oh and regards the nappy bag. I know what you mean by not wanting to invest too much upfront before you know you're gonna go the whole reusables route. I was thinking of hanging a canvas bag (like a book bag) in my regular nappy bin and chucking the dirty nappies in there. Then you can just put the bag in the wash and the nappies should come out of it in the wash and get properly clean.

The only thing I'm still not clear on is whether you flush the poo down the toilet or whether you leave it and let the washing machine deal with it?? Flushing down the toilet is annoying because our toilet is on a different floor from where we change nappies; potentially messy. Putting it in the washing machine makes me worried (DS doesn't have molars yet so some stuff does tend to come through pretty much as it went in.. sorry if TMI ).

There are quite a few second-hand cloth nappy sites - I use Cloth Nappy Tree mainly, and it's got lots of good advice as well as selling.

I use a mesh bag inside my nappy bucket so I can just put the whole bag into the washing machine. I use flushable liners - not the horrible shiny ones, but softer ones from Bambinex - and put liner and poo down the loo. When DD was breastfed only I put the liner in the loo but didn't worry about any other poo on the nappy, as it's so runny it will wash away in the machine. When she started weaning I found most poo was caught by the liner and easily dropped into toilet. If there's any on the nappy itself I'll either (gross alert here) pick it off with loo paper, or hold the nappy in the loo (very tightly!) and flush the loo to rinse off any poo.

I've just moved onto Itti Bitti snap in ones. My DS is such a wriggler that wrestling him into a nappy and then a separate wrapper is a nightmare.

Itti Bittis can be expensive, but they are usually on offer somewhere. You can buy extra soakers for the snap in ones, making them much more cost effective.

YoullLaughAboutItOneDay sorry i probably didn't make sense- when i'm using the nappies day to day then yes i will wash all together (and the tips on colour choices are helpful- thank you!) but with this trial i need to send back the ones i don't want to keep so i need to look after them carefully! the leaflet actually says that nappies with deep colours should be washed separately before first use. thanks for the tip re washing properly so i see for real how they work, makes a lot of sense.

CantSleepWontSleep i had heard about the ebay thing, but many sellers are just getting round that by listing as new and then stating used in the description. not sure how much ebay are policing it as there are a fair few used on there! thanks for the offer of trying out those ones, if I don't find one I like in this trial then I will definitely be in touch!

memphis83 I have emailed FYP to get some tips from them about preparing the nappies for use so hopefully they'll come back with something!

rrreow i will post on here again once ive put them to use! i also have some logistical issues re nappy changing, which i'm trying to get my head round, didn't want to put them up here but i totally understand where you're coming from! basically, with disposables, i can have nappies and sacks and wipes dotted about the house and do a nappy change when and where required without too much running around the house. but with the reusables i think there'll have to be one place for nappy changes...OR my other idea is to have a plastic bowl with my random dotted about nappy stashes, and still do the changes anywhere i need, but then go to the downstairs loo where teh nappy bin will be afterwards to deal with the used nappy. this is probably only an issue in these few months that we're living in my mum's 4 bed house- when we shift to a flat later in the year i'm sure it will be simpler!

Zimbah great tips on dealing with poos- like the flushing idea especially! i have been chucking 23 mo ds' poos in the loos since he was 12mo (even though he's in disposables, seems cleaner and the aim was to teach him poos go in the loo!) so i know there's always some stuff that doesn't come off the nappy.

nancerama thanks for the recommendation on itti bittis :)

I should add that DS is massive of thigh (like his mum). It's best to try different nappies and see what works for you - different shaped babies fit different nappies.

Oh I see . Didn't realise you could return them.

When it comes to picking colours, I do strongly recommend either all very strong colours, or mid colours. Strong block colours should stay looking nice (e.g. Zinnia and Ribbit in BG), but will show through clothes. Mid colours (we have mostly yellow, green, clementine, blue, etc in BG) tend to stay ok. Whites, and pale colours (like Noodle or Sweet) tend to get very nasty beige/mucky looking quite fast. Even if you buy all white nappies the, erm, contents, obviously tend to prevent them staying nice the way white towels or whatever might (or some people's might. Mine never do).

umboo have you been using your nappies from the trial? How has it been going for you? Is anyone else doing this trial?

I've tried about half of them now and having problems with leakyness. I'm not 100% sure why. I washed them all 4 times before using. It might be something to do with how they fit around the legs so have to do a bit more trial and error with the fit.

Also I found the Bitti Tutto incredibly confusing and ended up finding this video:

I second itti bitti, but I've used the d'lish rather than the tutto. They're not one size, but I had smalls and mediums which did DD from birth to potty training. DS is also now in them and they're still going strong. Fwiw I have never washed them separately and the colours have never run. I also use the all in one rather than the snap in one, and the seam where the insert attaches is the last part to dry. I'm in Austalia so this isn't an issue for me, but may be worth considering snap in ones for drying time. If you have a look on the itti bitti website, they do trial packs.

This is a brilliant thread! DH was very keen and very wistful about the good old days of terry cloths (not that he'd remember, being a baby like) but he was very confused that they too needed a outer - until his mum confirmed that yes, even in those days you wore an outer.

I am very bewildered by it all and have registered for a Nappy Lady (thanks for that link!)

All I know is:
Maybe about 6 outers is good?
Poppers is a good idea
We would prefer washable inners so I am guessing about 24?
Intend to wash on alternate days
Would like to take the little one swimming as soon as we can
Would prefer from nappy to potty if possible.

But I have looked at so many packs now, my head is swimming! Do you need the detergent bin to soak them in first? Is tea tree oil needed? I saw on the terry cloth site they do these nut things that are natural detergents...are they good?

Too many combinations and kinds, and my pregnancy-frazzled brain can't take it.

I don't really know about terrys, but on swimming, you need a different swim nappy anyway! Think of a terry full of water! You can buy disposable or reusable swim nappies. All they do is form a barrier for any poo, they don't absorb wee. .