help! I don't understand cloth diapers at all!

[CheerfulYank]

I'm due in May and would like to use cloth. However, I have no experience with them and am completely overwhelmed by looking online.

Do you just wash and dry them like normal clothes? Any particular kinds that work well?

We use Close Parent Dream Dri. You put a liner in to catch most of the solids (Waitrose sell flushable liners) and that goes in the toilet. The nappy goes in a bucket with a lid until there are enough for a load then they get washed as a normal load. The dream dri are really quick to dry so if you wash in the evening they can be dry by the next morning.

OK, thanks!

We mostly use our dryer...snow six months of the year makes it necessary. :) Can you dry them?

If you're using cloth nappies for enviromental reasons then tumble drying them pretty much wrecks any benefit. We dry them inside during the winter as they dry so quickly.

If you can't line dry much or just hang on radiators or airers, you'll want nappies that dry easily, so look up 'pocket nappies' which are a pocket that you shove pads into, rather than all-in-ones which take ages to dry, ditto most two-pieces which have a.cloth nappy and then a.waterproof wrap to go round.

Yes, just shove in the wash, but only a bit of detergent and maybe oxy stain remover. And probably paper liners once they are.eating solids and making real poo.

I'd see what you can find second hand and try a few to see what suits - and this is also much more environmentally friendly. I have some that have been on 6 babies now and not quite worn out! You can always tumble dry a few if not quite dry.

I could probably dry them on the radiator, that's what I do with our jeans when I can. And I do hang all of our tops over the shower rod. I try to be environmentally friendly, I promise! :) It just doesn't always work out. I'm terrible at "planning" what needs to be clean when so often find myself throwing things into the dryer in a panic.

Thanks for the info! I've been looking at the bumgenius brand online, has anyone tried those?

Here are some links that helped inform me when I was deciding which to use.

Cloth Nappy Tree

Fill Your Pants

Go Real

Bumgenius are good for fast drying and fit well on lots of babies - my nephews and niece loved them but they weren't as good as some other brands on my chubby-bottomed babies. Actually I think I've got some listed on Clothnappytree if you're interested?

We use BumGenius, and they're generally working very well. If you need to use loads of nappy cream you will need a liner.

In our area there is a council "nappy lady" employed to encourage people to use cloth nappies and so keep disposables out of landfill. She has lending kits with different types of cloth nappies so you can find out what suits without spending money on them. Do check to see if there's something like that in your area.

We use the Little Lamb microfibre nappies, they dry incredibly quickly, even indoors. I would thoroughly recommend them!

I used Little Lambs. Easy. Dried so quickly. Liked them better than the disposies because they looked so comfy on. Only stopped using them because I had to move to a bedsit for several months and couldn't manage the washing. Still regret it - they were great.

I'd recommend going to www.thenappylady.co.uk and filling out her questionnaire. She will get in touch with you with advice on what type of nappy system to consider (based on information you provide). Including advice on quantities and what else you need.

There is also a 'Try cloth for £10' thing on www.fill-your-pants.com which I used last year when we were starting with real nappies. It's helpful and cost effective, but in hindsight it is very hard to properly ascertain whether a nappy is suitable when you only have time to try it about 4 times in the time allocated (allowing for washing and drying etc and sending the nappies back in time). With some nappies it will be really obvious if they don't work for your baby, but with other ones it might take a bit longer to come to light.

Using real nappies is definitely overwhelming though, so ask for lots of advice and don't be afraid to try things out.

Also if looking online leaves you feeling more confused, try and see if there are any 'nappuccinos' in your area. They're basically nappy talks where you can ask questions and see real nappies in the flesh.

Our council offer a starter pack with a range of different nappies. You get a nappy bag, 5 different nappies, wraps, liners and wipes for £11. Some councils offer discount vouchers instead, it is linked to their waste reduction targets. The starter pack was great, partly for the instructions about what each bit was for, as I found it a bit overwhelming to start with. Even when you have fixed on one type, the ones from the pack are still useful as back ups.

Thanks for all the info! Forgot to add that I'm in the US.

I'll look at all the links...I'd really like to give it a try with this one. :)

Since you're in the States you might look at Smartipants. They are made in the US. They are one size pocket nappies. Bumgenius are good too.

I've used Smartipants on my twins since birth. You might need tiny newborn cloth but my twins were almost 7lb and 8lb so the one size worked okay.

I've got some Smartipants too and I like them as far as pocket nappies go. They are quite wide between the legs, but for some reason that doesn't seem to affect anything. The pocket is big enough to stuff with an extra insert (once your DC gets older that'll definitely be needed, the microfibre insert it comes with is OK, but won't last very long on a toddler) and the insert agitates out in the wash so you don't have to touch it. They do nice bright colours and even after several months of use they still look brand new (unlike some other AIO/pocket nappies I have). I do think this is the type of nappy that will work for some shapes, but not for others as they close with poppers.