Please help a reusable virgin!

[carwillin]

My ds always had disposables but now with my dd I am much better equipped and would love to start using reusables.

She is 8 weeks old and a big baby on the 91st percentile for length and height, her nappies are never that wet even overnight (she has slept through for the last 3 nights).

What are your recommendations? I like the idea of the bumgenius as they do birth to potty but I've never used any so I am a total reusable virgin. Do I need just the nappy or do I need inserts, wraps etc... ???

Thank you in advance for any help you can throw my way

can't help but the joke has to be made....

No such thing as a reusable virgin

Sorry.

Sorry no advice but pmsl at the thread title, i didn't notice what section it was in and was curious to see what it would be about!

I'm glad that it wasn't just me! lol

Sorry carwillin. No help here either!

I clearly spend too much time thinking about nappies, coz I instantly knew what you meant!!!
I haven't used Bumgenius but I know there are plenty of fans on MN. Somebody will be along soon to give you more info on them. I think they come complete though.

What I would say, however, is that you need to try before you buy! Bumgenius are really a pretty dear nappy (birth to potty tend to be, as do all in ones), and you might not get along with them. Have a shufty at the Nappy Lady classified ads for second hand nappies at reasonable prices. Get a selection of them and try them out for yourself before committing to purchase a lot of them. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages. IIRC, Bumgenius are not made from natural fibres (someone will correct me if I've got that wrong) and so I wouldn't be keen on using them full time. Bamboozles are soft and absorbent and mega-cute, but they take yonks to dry. Tots are lovely but low in the rise and also are slow to dry (understandable, the more absorbent the nappy, the longer it will take to dry), stuffies are lovely IMO. You can boost them for night and they're a bit less bulky for day than Tots. Here's a really good website of reviews .

BTW at sleeping through.

Totally agree. Try before you buy! Some websites allows you to buy a nappy and will buy it back from you for 70% of their value if it is not suitable - even when used.
My advise would be to try different types and see what you prefer. I used the Heinz nappies (stuffable) and find them great as practical to use and have the right shape for DS2.
Have a look at Twinkle website. They have a 'user manual' to dowload full of info about the different types of nappies, what you need (wraps etc...) \link{http://www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk/}.
Also bear in mind that you might look for something different if you are bf and after weaning (because of poos) and for night time nappies (to be more absorbant).
Good luck. I found the part of looking at all the nappies and choosing differnt types etc... the best part!

colditz beat me to it!

thenappylady.co.uk has a great advice service tailored for your individual needs. We found that the first few months while breastfeeding only were hard as the nappies leak quite a bit. We found the best (and cheapest way) was to use prefolds and pin them with a nappi nippa. The prefolds are easy and quick to dry. For night time you can buy booster pads that mean there is no need for a change during the night. I haven't really done the birth to potty style so no recommendations on those. I have a few totbots for DS at nursery as they are easy to use, the new fleecy style (can't remember name - maybe fluffle!) dry v quick. my only prob with reusable is the wraps they are so cool i have tons - DH thinks i have a problem!!Sorry this is a bit long Oh and many local councils have a month free trial with a local laundry company which is a good way to start although debatable for long term use from the environmental aspect. Where do you live?

We are about 1 month in to using Weenees with microfibre inserts (get them from ASDA or Tescos for 90p). We're really happy with them... only one leak, nice and comfy, great range of colours, look great and very trim for a cloth nappy. They also dry quickly and are cheaper than most reusables (although more than prefolds).

I'm surprised at what tooz says as we never had any leaks in the first few breastfeeding months (except when DS needed to move up to a bigger size, and moving up a size sorted that immediately). We used regular unbleached nippa Tots Bots (Bamboozles and Fluffles weren't on the market then) with Motherease popper wraps.

(Then from about 6 months, once we started weaning, we gradually moved over to pocket stuffables (a mixture of brands) and are still using those at 18 months).

I agree with the others that trying one or two different types before committing to a particular system is the best way to go.

Thank you all for your advice, I have ordered a couple of trial packs and hopefully we'll find one that suits. I was quite impressed with amount of information out there when you looking for it!