Changing to cloth nappies - which ones to pick?

[katelle]

My daughter is 6 months and so far we have been using disposables, but I am now keen to make the switch to cloth nappies.

At the weekend I bought 5 totbots easy fit v3, which are having their first use this morning. Should I be using a booster with these? Also how long should/do they last before needing to be changed? With disposables we were changing her about every 4 hours unless it needed to be done sooner.

I have done a bit of research online and think that I would prefer an all-in-one or all-in-two. I quite like the look of the close pop-in, bumgenius organic, elemental & v4 and already have the totsbots.

I would really appreciate any advice. The more I read online the more confused I seem to be getting!!

Forgot to say in previous post - if anyone has experience of using the nappies I mentioned or can compare them that would be great. Deciding which ones to buy is proving difficult.

I used the Bumgenius (not organic tho as far as I know, just bog standard Bumgenius pocket nappies - version 3 as this was 2 years ago). They were easy to use. Happy to answer any questions. I used to just sling them in a bucket with a mesh liner, then put the whole mesh liner in the washing machine. I used fleece liners.

We've got a big selection & have tried many types. We've used the normal Bum Genius & been pleased with them. We've always had the velcro fastening version & they're lasted for 2 children really well although the velcro is now starting to lose it 'velcro-ness'.

We've also used TotsBots & they're good but we've found they tend to leak a bit more without lots of boosting which can make them bulky.

As for an All-in-One, our favourite is Pop'n'Gro. They're also a 'onesize' so they've lasted right through from birth and just seem so comfy on the little ones. The great thing is they can be boosted as much as you like & they have a really good leg gusset which stops leaks & explosions! They're often not talked about & a bit harder to find but we got ours from here - as we have most of our nappy stuff. In reference to the remarks about about velcro, the Pop'n'Gro velcro, which is just as old, is almost as good as the day we bought them so they're probably a bit more durable.

You should plan on changing nappies about every 3 hours to start with - unless they have a poo! If you had 20 nappies, you'd only need to wash every other day & a couple of times a week when they need less changing. But remember, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Anything you do is worthwhile.

As an aside, we've been using a discount code 'JUBILEE10' since last year on that site for liners, sanitiser etc. & it still seems to work ;)

HTH & feel free to ask more.

We use easyfits - a mixture of v2 and v3. We started using them when DD was about 4 months and for the first three months or so just used them as they are, unboosted. Then they started leaking a bit so we added a slim booster (we use Little Lambs, as do lots of people I know). DD in 9 months now and we find them very good.

Forgot to say, we usually change every 3-3.5 hours, poo-dependent!

Thanks everyone. The totsbots trial has gone OK today, no leaks so far but haven't had to deal with any poo yet!

Bumgenius seem to be popular, maybe I'll get one of those to try. Will there be lots special offers on nappies for real nappy week?

Just one other question - do you wash your nappies with regular non-bio? Or should I use special nappy detergent with sanitizer?

I switched to cloth when ds was 8 months as he was getting really bad chemical nappy rash in disposables, all brands.

I don't have experience of tots bots I'm afraid but one thing I will say is I tend to have to change cloth nappies every 2-3 hours whereas disposables do last a bit longer. However I do use a pampers at night as whatever cloth nappies I've tried (and I have tried a lot!) They all leak... but it seems to work for us to do this.

I use a few different ones... Charlie banana sized nappies (with 2 inserts at a time), blueberry basix (with an added bamboo booster) and quite a few cheap and cheerful pocket nappies from pixie pants on facebook... I use one microfibre insert, one bamboo and one hemp booster in these .. ds wees a lot!!

One thing to mind is that they all need to be washed a minimum of 4-6 times before they even start to become absorbent and as you use them they become even better so don't give up thinking they're leaking until you've washed them loads. EBay and cloth nappy tree are good for second hand nappies which are actually even better as they have been washed loads.

I just keep my dirty ones in a wet bag and then wash on 40-60 deg with non bio washing powder. No softener as this makes them less absorbent. And you only need a small amount of washing powder otherwise you will get chemical build up and they will stink of ammonia. If this happens use white vinegar instead of powder in a wash and then wash again as normal.

OP have you checked out the tots bots website .....lots if advice on washing there . In a nutshell.....dry pail ...no soaking , 40 degree wash with per cash if very soiled , non bio only ...and use Half your normal amount , try to line dry if poss ....the sun gets rid of stains !

I am a big fan of the nappy lady website . There's ooooooooooddddles of info on there . And look if you are gonna invest in Moroe cloth u need to be sure you are happy ....suggest do the nappy lady questionnaire ...looks ver tedious but ver quick in fact .....then within 48 hours she will reply with very personalised recommendation . fantastic Free service !!!!!

Per wash I meant

Incidentally for me she recommended Either bumgenius full time used but sth else at night .....

Or

A mix of little lambs microfibres and little lambs cotton .....for night .

My specific circumstances are ...no drier ! And want no leaks !

Postage is free

Oh other thought is ....website called fill your pants ....does a mixed bag trial pack for tender .....looks like fun

Has anyone tried tots bots stretches....bamboo for night .....how's it goin?

Please accept my apologies for my crap typing

If you'd like to try a few different nappies, have a look on the link below to see if there's a nappy library near you

www.facebook.com/UKClothNappyLibraries