has anyone bought 2nd hand re-usable nappies

[mabel1973]

Has anyone bought 2nd hand re-usable nappies from ebay (or anywhere else).
I can't afford to fork out for new ones really. But am a little bit put off by the idea of used ones.
I have DS who is 21 months and another due sept, I was going to go down the re-usable route to begin with, but due to various reasons it never happened, but feel now might be a good time to give it a go.
I already have a trial pack of kooshies and tots bots. I am concerned that with the Kooshies the plastic might start to go hard and crack.
Any advice?

Sorry meant to say DS will be 21 months when no.2 is born

We were given a third hand motherease birth to potty pack. After the initial "yuck" moment and a good dose of nappysan it never bothered me.

Yup - no problems whatsoever... I've bought tots bots and kissaluvs off ebay (think the kissaluvs were 3rd hand). Chuck em through the hottest wash you are allowed if the germy aspect bothers you, wash them in the powder of your choice, and you forget they were ever on another baby.

Yup - no problems whatsoever... I've bought tots bots and kissaluvs off ebay (think the kissaluvs were 3rd hand). Chuck em through the hottest wash you are allowed if the germy aspect bothers you, wash them in the powder of your choice, and you forget they were ever on another baby.

i ahve bought wraps and nappies second hand, just throw them in a really hot wash

I have too, most(all?) you can wash at 60 degrees anyway-which all bacteria is killed at.
Ive always asked before buying wether they have any marks/stains on them and also when buying tots bots especially ask what condition the leg elastic is in, it tends to get loose after 2/3rd hand use.

Message withdrawn

thanks for all your feedback ladies
will be checking out ebay!

Me too, like 70% of my nappies are 'preloved'
Try the Nappy Lady Classifieds section and UKParents buy and sell, they're both really fast moving and have an excellent selection.
Hunnybeez has a used nappy forum too, which might be worth a look.
You often find the same person selling on all forums, but it's worth checking just in case.
Have you given much thought to what you want to use?
I have a cloth nappy website, where lots of cloth users have left their opinions on various brands of nappy. Have a look here . Hope it helps you, and of course you are most welcome to leave reviews when you start using cloth as well.
Oh and you can get a nappy advisor to come round or go to a nappucino, that way you can see and feel the nappies.

I've just had a look at your nappy review site, Maise, it's fantastic. I have converted a friend to cloth & wish I had known about your site 6 months ago!

I emailed the nappy lady some time ago and she recommended tots bots although I have to say although I have a trial tots bots nappy I have only used it a couple of times, so really ought to do a few more trial runs before I take the plunge, also my circumstances have changed slightly since I contacted her, so maybe I ought to look again at what's most suitable

maisie I have just been looking at your website - really impressed. I was interested to read peoples comments about how long it takes tots bots to dry.
Does anyone have any reccomendations on a tots bots type nappy that is quicker to dry - I wouldn't want to be using my tumble dryer 24 / 7 or have to have piles and piles of nappies to keep up while the others are drying.

I am selling some........

mabel1973 - try the Tots Bots Fluffle. They dry reeeeeeeallly quickly.

I've bought loads of nappies secondhand without any problems.

Or the Bumble/Bimble is similar to a Fluffle.

Yes I have but understand your squemishness! A one off really hot wash may not be ecofriendly but will kill all germs.

I'd serously consider terry squares plus nappy nippas though. I actually prefer them to motherease/tots bots. my 2 yo could never undo them and you get a better fit. They are really cheap-£2 each. Little Ewe are the nicest imo.

Oh they dry really fast too. And if you don't get on with them, use them for mopping up/instead of muslins etc.

ooo masiemog just joined your site it is fab!!

I know this is completely off the subject that I asked about in the 1st place, but how did people find it managing all the washing - especially with 2?

Thank you for all your positive feedback, I'm glad it helped. I have a few totsbots cotton terry and find the nippa version dries a bit faster than the aplix version, it's not that bad to be honest.
You could try pocket nappies, they are the fastest drying of all, probably about an hour, and you can use them with microfibre inserts, which are equally fast drying?
Leah's idea of a microfibre nappy sounds good, there are a couple of other microfibre nappies, the wee notions and the dizzy diaper microfibre, the last one is a birth to potty nappy with poppers. It's new and I haven't tried, but I would love to hear from anyone that has??
I personally, don't really like microfibre to touch, so I'm not sure if it's for me, plus my ds gets a bit of a rash with it, I think it is probably a bit hotter and less breathable than a natural fibre, but it works for a lot of people.

mabel I do a nappy wash every 2 days. I am lucky because I have a drier so I use radiator to dry wraps but drier for the nappies. I am also lucky bacause 3wks after having DD Ds decided he wanted to wear undies so he only has night time nappies now.

mabel1973 - almost all of my nappies are 2nd hand, and I have no problem with that. Same as the nappies from a laundry service is the way I look at it. They'll already have been washed once since last use (hopefully ), and if you wash them again on a nice hot wash, then they will be fine.

If it does worry you, look out for some brand new ones on E-bay. I've had some that have been completely new and unwashed, and some that have been washed but never used, for lots less than the brand new price. Lots of people have good intentions whilst pg, which slip when the baby is born!

With regards to the washing, no experience with two (yet!), but I really don't find it to be a problem, and I can be lazy with normal clothes washing. My nappies just aren't in this category - they have to be washed minimum every three days. I can soon tell when the nappy bin fills up.

I have quite a lot of Tots, as I air dry them (I do tumble for half an hour though to fluff up). They take at least a day to dry, so you'd need quite a few to do this. I have 40 or so, and never ever run out. I could probably get by on 24 or 30 though. If you want a faster drying nappy, think about the rainbow bots, as these are a bit thinner, so dry more quickly.

Also, if it's not too inconvenient, hang them out on the washing line to dry. On a damp windy day, you can hang them out, and even though they don't seem much different when you bring them back in, they will dry a lot more quickly.

The plastic does start to go hard and crack. It also stops them from drying quickly.

I've had plenty of second and third hand nappies over the years and hope to pass mine on to someone else. I have no problem with it.

thanks for all your advice - I have seen some on ebay which am tempted to go for.
As laura said - I think these have been bought by some one with all good intentions but never really used - so although 2nd hand they're almost new.
Do you find it is much cheaper (taking into account electricity of washing and tumble drying. ( i know there are going to be days when I am going to have to use the dryer)

It would be much cheaper if I didn't keep buying more and more nappies because they are new and cute -- although I think I've managed to kick the habit now. It will definitely be cheaper for me over several children. The cost of the energy you use to wash them is pretty small (someone worked it out on another board once) although drying will obviously bump the total up a lot.