I am toying with switching to real nappies. Help me decide!

[sassy]

Dd2 is 16mo, no more babies in the Sass house.

I like the look of minki slinki pull-on types cos nappy changes are a mare and these would be easier. However they are pricey - £12 each. Would I be able to get away with 4 to start with d'y'think?

They are stuffables - what do you stuff 'em with?

Washing - I plan to bung em with teatree oil and water in utlity sink throughout day then wash at night, dry in airing cupboard. Would this be ok? Obv when I have more, would put in nappy bucket and wash less frequently. Can they go in general wash? - I recoil from this, but have environmental concerns about nappy-only washes.

Am I getting in a tizz about nowt?

I've just switched and shoved the nappies in with the usual wash until I had more. I did rinse off most of the poo (bf baby poo tho). You can ( I believe) use flushable liners which would mean most of the poo would be flushed down the toilet, with very little on the nappy.

Can't help with the rest as I am ignorant off all nappies other than BumGenius

wrt the cost - you can sell them on at a good price so factor that into your calculations. Chack Ebay and other places

Yes, jad thought about re-sale value soupy.

Feel funny about wee-y nappies in family wash though. Know I'm being a wuss. Would use liners for poo, so only wee to contend with.

Tell me about Bumgenius, would you?

\link{http://nappymania.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=9&products_id=164\BumGenius}

They're expensive at £15, but that's not much if you're planning on using them from birth (which you're not but I was). They fasten just like a disposable. You stuff a padded insert into the outer but and that's it. You can, of course, rinse out all the wee before washing them. And remember that wee is actually sterile :)

I would imagine that there is a similar style which is cheaper and comes in different sizes though.

Keep bumping this til someone more knowledgable comes along :o

\link\www.clothnappyreview.blogspot.com/\This} is a nappy review site, run by an MNer. It has info about Minki nappies. Stuffables can be stuffed with anything, I think. Prefolds, boosters, microfibre cloths, facecloths. Anything to soak up with wee! As you'll see from the review though, the thing with nappies is that what suits one baby, might not suit another. I'd buy just a couple of nappies and give it a shot before spending loads - perhaps look on 'the nappy lady', or Ebay (but make sure you don't pay over the odds) or UKParents. You might find a bargain.

If i was starting like you with a second and last child of 16 months I'd go for a set of hardly used washable nappies (loads of people don't really use them and sell them on hardly used. try Mumsnet sales boards, or the nappy lady). otherwise it's going to be quite expensive to start now. and then you can buy enough to fill a wash every 2 or 3 days. say 15 nappies.

we never wash them in the general wash. for us the flushable liners don't remove all the pooh, just most of it. i couldn't really fancy putting them in a general wash. even for the wee-y ones somehow, it's not very enticing.

I use Bambino Mio washables. I would suggest using a bucket and not sink even for a couple of nappies. Tea tree is a powerful antiseptic, and therefore could go in general wash after soaking in this. I have a half wash facility on my machine so I use that to do the nappies. I find that you need to change nappies more frequently so you would use at least 12 in 48 hours. Biodegradable liners are much advised! You will find that dd2 will train early as they don't like feeling wet. Cost wise you will save in the long run as you are making one payment and then you can sell on.

I dont bother soaking, just put them into the bucket dry (people refer to this as dry pailing). I line the bucket with a net bag then whip the bag out and throw the lot in the washer. Saves handling. If you wash at 60 degrees it kills all the bacteria. If you want to use T tree, just put a few drops on a liner and drop it into your bucket, so theres a nice smell when you lift the lid.

I like prefolds, (Bambino Mio) but our baby isnt as old as yours. They are economical, I got some of ours from ebay, some I was given through our local Freecycle. I have some shaped nappies which are seconds and we think are Little Lambs. We bought these on ebay too at £1 each.

\link{www.washabums.com\loadsa nappy addicts to ask}

You can put them in a normal wash as long as you don't normally use softner.

I've not tried the minki ones so no experience (went back to disposables last time for pull ups ).

stuff with anything - teatowels, muslins, microfibre cloths, flannels, boosters.

i had 10 to begin with which was plenty and that was for a 3 month old.

we soak as it breaks down the urine and gets rid of stains so it makes the nappies last longer. i have some coloured nappies so i only use white wine vinegar to soften them. tea tree and lavender oil can be used if you only have white or cream nappies as they affect the colour.

i put nappies, wraps and clothes all in one 40 degree wash then line dry or if wet outside hang them up inside or place in the airing cupboard. i don't tumble dry or radiateas this can damage them. one of my friends has like a hanger thing that fits over the radiator which i am thinking of getting though.

if only washing nappies on their own i would say only use 1/3 of the normal amount of powder.