Talk to me about reuseable nappies please!

[Madratlady]

I'm a first time mum, just starting to think about getting everything I'll need when baby arrives. I know I want to do reuseable stuff as much as possible - nappies, wipes, breast pads etc.

I've been looking at reviews and like the sound of the Little Lambs nappies. Also, they make sense whereas the Bumgenius ones which also got great reviews confuse me with all the different types.

So questions I have:

What's the difference between a pocket nappy and a normal one?

Is it worth getting the full birth to potty pack or would it work out cheaper to get the size 1 ones then the size 2s when baby gets a bit bigger?

Do nurseries or childminders do reuseable nappies if I send the baby with plenty (will be around 8 months old when I go back to work I think) or do they have to be disposable?

Any other advice? Anything else I need to consider?

i love Little Lambs :)

it's easier to do a two-part nappy because you don't have to change the whole nappy every time (saves washing)

plus, the wrap is made from fabric best washed no higher than 40 and the nappy part can be washed at 60 if necessary. in an all-in-one, same fabrics on the same item, so you can never wash above 40.

get size 1s then size 2s later - you can do that with most two parters.
LL are good as the wraps have gussets in the legs - they are totally and utterly bombproof (the gusset means they are more flexible on the leg so will fit better)

nurseries should be okay with reusables - can't see how they can think them any different from disposables except that you don't throw them away...(you might want to ask about that when you choose a nursery)

above, don't be scared, just go for it

Pocket nappies are thin and you put absorbent pads in them (inserts). They dry quickly. All-in-ones are also easy to put on but take a long time to dry. The alternative is a nappy that you put on and then put a waterproof wrap round - better fit esp when small, but harder once baby starts crawling off.

I would recommend second hand nappies, from one of the many websites that sell them, and see what styles fit your baby.

Most nurseries are happy to put dirty nappies in a bag for you to take home each night, though as with nursery clothes things can get lost - in 4 years my dc have had 2 nappies go missing. Another reason to go second hand!

Do you have space to dry them? I have favourite nappies but more in a drawer for when I haven't kept up with the washing.

Thanks for the replies.

I will just get the size 1 ones to start then and I will be keeping an eye out for second hand ones.

I have a clothes horse and a tumble dryer for when it's raining so drying them won't be a problem.

I wouldn't buy a whole birth-to-potty set as you may find yourself stuck with a brasnd that doesn't suit. Sized nappies is small, med, lg or size 1,2,3 fit better than btp. I love little lambs for great containment, never had as leask. Bamboo taskes ages to dry, cotton slightly faster. Also love close parent pop-ins - find the gusseted legs stop leaks. I started off buying lots of diff brands off eBay sand fb selling groups then bought more of their ones we got on best with.

Apologies for my terrible spelling/grammar. Blame one-fingered typing while bf plus overzealous autocorrect!

Would you try terry squares? I have friends who tried different types of reusable and had leaking issues, terries are great because if they don't suit your baby you can just fold them a different way. They are cheap as chips compared to others and they dry very quickly. I love them.

I started out with a birth to potty pack of 2 part nappies. These were great until DS went through a rolling and wriggling phase and I kept getting leaks as I could never get him to be still long enough to make sure the wrap covered everything.

I switched to Itti Bitti Snap In Ones. They are sized nappies - we were in mediums from about 6 months to 14months and have been in larges ever since.

I find ittis to be the best of both worlds - the foldable inner snaps into a shaped outer so you put it on as one nappy (no more wriggly leaks) and split it into separate layers for quicker washing and drying. They're also not very bulky, so you'll have no issues getting clothes to fit over. They are also fuzzy and very cute.

DS is quite chubby of thigh though - I'm not sure how they'd fare on a skinnier baby.

The reviews seem to suggest that bamboo is better, would you say that the cotton ones are just as good?

Celtic terry squares look quite complicated and from what I've read harder to use the more mobile the baby gets. How have you found them? Do you use liners with them? And what about waterproof covers?

Bamboo will be more absorbent but take longer to dry. My microfibre inserts go out to dry at night and are ready to use in the morning but the bamboo bits need an extra day to dry.
Find a nappy advisor near you - ours lends nappies to try or can suggest the perfect nappy based on your requirements. She has weekly coffee mornings where she has a selection for every one to have a good look at.

I started with bumgenius and had some prefold squares with wraps, then moved onto pop ins and wonderoos. Dh cursed me while stuffing the pads into the nappy wraps but then you could use them like regular nappies.

we use a mix of bamboo and cotton.

bamboo is good for nighttime as it's more absorbent, but it takes longer to dry.
especially in the winter

you can get waterproof covers (wraps) in the same make as the nappies

Natural I can't find any details of a nappy advisor in my area

Madratlady I have used them on DS since he was tiny, he's still wearing them at night at nearly 4. I used to use flushable liners in the day, I use fleece at night. I have used Motherease Rikki and Airflow wraps ( the only thing I had to buy in different sizes!) and have recently bought some Bummis waterproof pants which I'm really pleased with too.

I had a mix of ancient terries from MIL and new ones. Old ones worn thin were great for newborn, then I added boosters (bits of nappy cut up), then moved to thicker and now he wears two thick ones at night. I just love the flexibility and convenience of them. And the quick drying is a big bonus.

There must be somebody nearby ish? I think a few online shops to trials like here. I really recommend the one size nappies as we really got value for money out of ours. They were a bit fiddly and bulky on a newborn so I got a couple of newborn nappies to get through the first few weeks. I still use the prefolds that I used for newborn nappy wraps and the nappy wrap is on the teddy bear!

what's your area?
I'm in Kent..

I've got a mix of loads of different ones, terry squares, prefolds, wraps, one size pockets and all in ones, size 1 2 parters in bamboo and cotton and microfibres, all with different drying times so I should never be stuck fingers crossed!!

Once the baby is into size 2s i should hope to have worked out which work best for it and will then get those to last till potty training. Plus of course I can still use the terries and prefolds for stuffing/boosting ;)

If you are on FB look up Cloth Bum Mums fluffly advice, very very knowledgable cloth users there.

Natural You're right, I did another google search and found 2 nappy advisors in this area. I guess I didn't look hard enough before!

enjoy! My last baby is going through potty training but still gets his favourite fluffy star nappy out for nap time!

I use little lamb or bamboozle at night with a blueberry wrap. It has never failed me. I use tots bots easy fit during the day. You can go on a pre loves sight on FB to try different one but I warn you...it's addictive and I have know people who have said they loose sight of the reason they started using cloth...to save money. X

P.s, my night ones are bamboo. I only need 2, one on one in the wash...I have a third as I will need this in winter.

we've got 15 little lambs, and 5 of another variety (all-in-one ebay cheapies)
we've also got a few wraps we've bought along the way, and another 2all-in-ones.

we only use the all-in-ones when the Little lambs are in the wash.

but we have also got a few spare boosters for stuffing in at nighttime
I suppose we wash every 3 days, having enough nappies for 4 days.

So how many nappies do you think I'd need? 10? 20?

probably 20-25 in a size 1.
In theory you don't need as many wraps as nappies, but when DD was very little, she would explode into the wrap every single time.
We use one wrap a day now she's older.

but shop around for wraps, because there are some fab small businesses that do gorgeous wraps, so you could have something unique

more nappies means more freedom to take your time with the washing

but if you buy loads to start with, you'll kick yourself when you find a WAHM making wraps on your facebook feed and you can't justify buying even more fluff

for example, just putting a quick search for "nappies" into facebook, i got:

www.facebook.com/SonnySunshineNappies
www.facebook.com/LoveNecessityNappies
www.facebook.com/Booboosnappies
www.facebook.com/KittykinsClothNappies (we got a lot of DD's wraps from this lady)
www.facebook.com/pages/Dotty-bots-cloth-nappies/105710396177792
www.facebook.com/BrilliantNappies

I started with 10 bumgenius and a pack of prefolds with nappy wraps. We ended up using disposables at night though.

Im a childminder and 2 of my mindees and my own baby use reusables. I also offer a washing service. Lots of childminders and nurseries will like reusables as it reduces waste they have to pay to get taken away! I know of one nursery nearby who insist on reusables!