Feeling nervous about cloth nappies - any tips?

[MarriedToSonOfAPreacherMan]

Before DD was born, a friend sold us the nappies she'd used for her boys - Popolino, I think they're shaped and one-size. DD is on the small size and every time we've tried the reusables they've been way too big round her legs. Now she's 5mo I suspect she might be big enough - but I'm scared to make the change! I've got used to disposables and I know what I'm doing with them now; the washables seem very complicated by comparison. But I feel guilty about the amount of landfill we're creating with the disposables.

I'm also a bit worried about how DD will react, as she doesn't seem to like wet nappies even though she isn't actually wet in the disposables. Does anyone have any advice for making me brave enough to use the washables and for getting DD and me used to them?

Start by just using one per day then it may not seem so overwhelming. A fleece liner will stop the nappy feeling wet beside her skin.

Good luck and welcome to the fluff side

I was really nervous about using them too! We switched over when dd was 11mo, as star girl suggests, try just using one a day to start with and see how you get on. Once you get into it, it is easy. Fleece liners allow the wee theough but stay feeling dry so are good if your dd doesn't like wet nappies. I find I need to change dd about every 2-3 hours, plus changing straight away when she poos. Just shake/ rinse any poo into the loo and chuck the nappy in a bucket (one with a lid!). Wash every other day with a cold rinse first, it gets the worst of the poo off and reduces stains and smells. I use sanitiser (miofresh) but you can just wash at 60 with powder. There's loads of advice and info on the Nappy Lady website. And also on the general nappy chat thread, the ladies there can usually answer questions about anything nappy related. Good luck!

I would say get the wraps big enough - I used to use a size too small, and wonder why there was poo up her back - there was nowhere for it to!

I would actually go the whole hog -otherwise you will be doing washes with only a couple of nappies in, or storing them for days before they get washed. I used to wash mine with the whites at a higher temperature, or they did make the rest of the washing smell a bit, mostly of the sanitser I used for soaking them in, but who wants a nappy smell when you're out in your gladrags?

Hello,

I made the switch at new year when my baby was 3 months old. I bought a full set of cheap ones before my daughter was born but like you got used to disposables and it was something I was familiar with so it was quite hard to take the plunge!

We have been using them for a few weeks now and I have to say they are fab. You do have to change them more often I find (at least every 2 hours) but they are so cute and soft and it's so satisfying to not have to buy expensive packs of nappies all the time, and not to have piles of rubbish. I'd recommend buying some washable fleece wipes instead of baby wipes/cotton wool - makes it easier to chuck the whole lot in the wash rather than separate washing and rubbish. Look on ebay - very cheap.

Initially I only used them when in the house and used disposables when out and overnight, but I've got a lot more confident and now take them out as well.

I wash them every other day but the ones I have dry quickly.

I think it's good to remember every time you use one you're helping the environment/your pocket - don't pressurise yourself to use them exclusively. (We still use a disposable overnight.)

good luck xxx

We tried when DS was about 6 weeks and were too overwhelmed, so we came back to it when he was 11 months. Still going strong, DS is 20mo and we're expecting our second baby in June and planning to go with cloth from the start. So it's never too late to start!!

I second the suggestion for fleece, the pee passes through it, and it offers a 'stay dry' feeling even if the nappy underneath is wet. It will also catch the poo so you can flush it down the toilet once she's on solids (for breastfed poo you can just chuck the whole thing in the washer, no need to flush the solids as it'd be difficult anyway!).

With cloth it can be a bit of trial and error as some nappies just don't suit certain babies (same with disposables really!). I believe the nappies you have are a two part system right? So you use them with a wrap. If you have problems with leaking, make sure you're using a wrap that offers good containment and is the right size. The Motherease Rikki wrap is highly rated for young babies (I haven't got personal experience with it though as my DS is in All-in-Ones that don't need a wrap) as it has a gusset for containment and uses velcro for a good fit. If you keep having problems with one type of wrap, try other ones.

If your DD isn't a serial poo-er then you could always boost the nappies to make them last longer. We boost our microfiber AIOs with a bamboo booster and they last up to 4 hours.

Hope that helps. If you have any more questions do ask, happy to talk about reusable nappies all day long