Mixed cloth and disposable - is it economically sound?

[Msbluesky32]

I'm new to cloth nappies and my first DC is due...tomorrow! Im thinking about using cloth nappies because a) they feel much nicer b) I don't want to add to landfill c) id like to try and save some money. I'm contemplating using cloth during the day (probably tots bots easyfit or charlie bananas) and disposables at night. My reasons for starting the night changes in disposables is a) tiredness/ lack of experience of looking after a baby generally b) some posts I have read about reusables being less reliable at night/ needing to change night ones more frequently. Does anyone have any experience of this? Have you mixed and it worked ok? Thank you in advance!

Works fine, but in your title you asked about economics and I think the disps basically undermine the investment in cloth.

Like most people you'll probably need to try & see how it goes.

For what it's worth, it's older babies & tots who are more problematic in cloth; newborns poo so often that they don't get a chance to get themselves soaking wet in a nappy, so may as well do cloth at night as well to get your money's worth out of the cloth.

I used to carry 1-2 cloth spares & 2+ disp spares when out and about, that was a good mix. Rarely used the disps when out, but they weren't as bulky so easier to carry as spares.

lljkk you are right, my title doesn't fit the questions i ask in my whole post! I'm 39+6 today and appear to have completely lost it! Lol apols.

Thank you for replying and for your suggestions, very helpful to have the tip regarding carrying nappies out and about too.

I'm going to try reusable wipes too - I just spent a week hemming squares of micro fibre towel - so hoping they work!

Reusable wipes are brilliant even if you don't end up using cloth nappies so I reckon that was time well spent

Thanks glorious my DP thought I was mad - it did take a while but I'm so happy with the end result!

I've mixed cloth and disp this time with DD. With DS, however I did cloth at night. My reasons for change were I used to really struggle to bulk up the night time nappy to prevent leaks and when I found a nappy that worked DS's bottom was huge and struggled to get his pj's or babygro to fit. So have taken the easy route this time. Awaits the slings and arrows to be thrown! But obviously they last much longer as I only use 7 a week, rather than the usual number. HAve used reusable wipes this time, made my own from old towels, zig-zagged the edges which has saved a fortune on buying packets of wipes. Most of all do what works for you and your baby.

I use disposables at night for DS (23mo), but that's because he doesn't need to be changed in the night and the 4+ size contains all his wee until morning. So like flowerfairy we use 7 a week which is something I can live with. Both financially and environmentally.

For my new arrival (due in June) I will actually be using cloth at night as there is no real difference between using it during the day. They need nappy changes so often anyway. Then once he's sleeping through (haha) or at least no longer pooing at night I might see if we can make it work with real nappies overnight or otherwise just do the same as with DS1.

Also, reusables wipes are AMAZING. Not just for the environmental and money saving aspects, but because they are so much less messy than disposable wipes. They are much more effective at cleaning up a messy poo. I'm always cursing disposable wipes when we use them!

Perhaps get your DP to try using cotton wool / disposable wipes instead msblue, he'll soon realise you were right!

Thank you ladies!

rreow and glorious yes I can't wait to start trying them and would never have thought of giving them a go without reading about them on here.

Ive had irregular contractions since 6am this morning so perhaps we will be finding out how the nappies and wipes work out soon

I use pampers at night and Charlie bananas during the day on ds 10 months.

Cloth just doesn't last the night without leaking on ds.. he is an Olympic piddler! And I've tried everything.

I think even using disposables at night you're still using tons less so it's definitely.worth doing!

I use a Pampers nappy at night time for DS2 and also did this with DS1 when he was still in nappies. I use cloth nappies throughout the day though.

There's no hard or fast rule on what you should do. Don't feel you are doing yourself a disservice by mixing both disposables and cloth nappies because you're not. You're conscious of the environment and that speaks volumes. Some people cannot afford to try cloth nappies or those that can afford it choose not to.

Ooh msblue how exciting! Hope things are kicking off for you. Have a and a for energy.

Thanks all, you are right, 7 disposables is better than goodness knows how many. I think we might give the fill your pants trial a go as you can try tots bots and Charlie bananas in those.

Thanks glorious down to about 3-4 mins now, so hoping she arrives soon - if so it will be on my due date! Very surreal!

Just a tip with the Charlie bananas ... they come with 2 inserts..it might seem really obvious but if you have a heavy wetter you will need to use the two together everytime (I do). I also push the labels to the back of the nappy rather than leave them at the front end (this will make sense when you see them!) as with a boy they tend to wet right where the labels sit!! (Even though they say leave the labels at the front to aid pulling them out......!)

I did that trial and found it really helpful so it's worth a go if you fancy it.

You're doing so well to still be posting! Let us know the news won't you

I recommend the Fill Your Pants trial as well. I used it and it helped us. One tip though, if you do use it try and use the nappies as many times as you possibly can during the trial time. Sometimes a nappy can seem great on one occasion but then fail on another occasion. It's good to use each nappy at least 5 times if possible to rule out any flukes (I don't usually tumble dry my nappies but I did during the trial just so I could use them as many times as possible).

Also definitely consider two-part nappies (I think one or two are included in the trial too), they tend to work out cheaper and because you effectively have two barriers (nappy & wrap) they are super reliable.

Oh and good luck with your labour! Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Sorry I'm only coming back to this now (two months later!) our LO arrived on 9th April at 5pm...a whole 36 hours after my contractions started - bit of a long wait (she really did not want to come out!). She arrived by ventouse and then was admitted back into hospital with newborn jaundice - bit stressful.

I can think a bit more about the nappies now - she is 8 weeks this week and already weighing 11lbs. She's quite long (I'm wondering if this might narrow down the type of nappy we should use) and is weeing a lot. Do you think it's worth waiting until she is older - I had read some people wait until baby is 6 months old...

Hope you are all well and thank you for your wishes! Can't believe I was on mumsnet with contractions!

Oh and rreow has your little one arrived yet? And what did you do with the nappies from the trial while they were waiting to be washed - did you buy a nappy bucket? Tia

I use reusables unless I am away. When I was changes in the night I used to leave out a nappy so I could change easily.
Reusables are more absorbent, especially three part system. And I use reusable wipes as well, but not for pooey nappies. If you are using nappies you may as well because you can stick them in the same wash.

Thanks mrsmartin! Are charlie bananas a three part system? Sorry for my ignorance!

Hi there just wanted to answer the question re nappy bucket whilst doing a trial- I use pound shop 3 litre lidded buckets for my nappies ( we use. cloth in the day only, for nearly 1yo dd). You could find one of these then you won't have spent so much if cloth isn't for you after all ( which im presuming is your concern)

The reason I use these buckets incidentally is that you can tip the nappies straight into the machine from these, so it's an alternative to a mesh bag in a larger bucket. You can only get3-4 nappies in each though so I have a few that I rotate , I usually have 2full ones per wash ( plus wet bags from out)

Congratulations! Msbluesky we started using cloth when DS was about 4m - I just got a couple to try to start with to be sure it was for me.
DS has always been long and skinny (he is a preemie) so we were recommended Bambinex teddies for daytime, and Bamboozle stretchies for nighttime.
We haven't been exclusively in cloth all this time (DS now 13m), particularly as we've had some quite bad cases of nappy rash associated with teething, and it just can't seem to clear up when he is wearing cloth.
I still try and use cloth where I can though, as like you I hate the thought of what I'm sending to landfill, especially when DS does his trick of 4 tiny poos in a few hours, and that's 4 nappies in the bin!
We've never had a problem with leaking (nighttime nappies are boosted) with the 2 part system nappies, although I don't think DS has even been a heavy wetter really.
Hope that is of some use.

See what nappies you can get secondhand, online or on Freecycle or local Facebook groups etc. If you only pay 3 quid for a nappy instead of say 15 it makes a huge difference to the economics. And the environment.

We used cloth during the day & a disposable per night with both girls. Tried using cloth at night but they didn't work then for exactly the same reasons they were good during the day - need to regularly change them / they felt wet quicker, etc. Had friends who purchased night nappies & lanolin wraps, etc but thought was prob as expensive in the long run as a single disposablea night. Figured seven disposables per week a lot less thanmost people were using & helped our (heavy drinking girls & us) get a reasonable night's sleep,.