first day in tots-so far so good, am converting

[vnmum]

hi, i have decided to try reuseables for my ds who is 8 months and 22lb. ive got a tots unbleached, fluffle, rainbow tots and a bamboozle to try, all in size 2. ive got a ME airflow wrap. he is in his second nappy at the moment, the fluffle and this morning the unbleached survived a runnyish sticky poo. DH even volunteered to wash poo off which was a shock as he was reluctant for me to try them. anyway, so far so good, im beginning to be converted, ive even been looking at fancy cyte wraps. i like the patterned tots fleece ones.

the unbleached was not soaking when he pooed and had been on for 3 hours. the nappy lady website advises at his age i should be able to change every 4 hours, is this about right or should i be changing sooner?

Also he is still feeding 3 times a night and his disposable is usually very full by morning. would a bamboozle with booster last all night or would it need changing? i dont really want to start changing in nigfht again as it will wake him up too much.

ive found the nappy thing a minefield of different types so went with the reccomendations of the nappy lady. i am thinking of having 15 nappies in total and then buying some size 1s for when we decide to have child number 2, does this seem realistic?

also the tots size 2 dont seem to come up quite as high as disposables do but have held in poo which sometimes escapes up the back of disposables. does this mean that the size 2s are too small? they seem to fit ok every where else, he is reasonably tall but is now starting to slow down and fit in clothes for his age instead of being ahead.

any tips and advice on nappies and nappy issues greatfully received

feeding 3 times a night at 8 months ....you deserve a medal!!!

...no advice on the nappies im afraid....i am a disposable user!

x

yeah, i co sleep though so it makes it a little easier. hes slow with the solids as is doing baby led weaning but im getting used to it now, i just go back to bed with him in the morning for a nap it would be nice to get a full nights sleep though

Hi vnmum

Glad you're enjoying the switch!

I used tots on my large ds and am using them again on my more petite dd. Size 2s should last up to about 40lbs in weight. There is a size 3 but very few babies/toddlers ever need that. ds did when he hit 35lbs at about 18 mths, but he was able to wear them at night until recently (he's almost 4).

IME a bamboozle can handle as much as an ornidary cotton Tots. I would definitely boost it at night. I can't see him need changing (unless pooey).

The Tots will cope with poo better than disposables because it's "real" elastic and material rather than thin stringy stuff and paper. Think about the difference b/w a paper party plate and real crockery IYSWIM. A cotton nappy is just more substantial. On the rare occasions you find a poo gets past the nappy, it's very unlikely to get past the wrap too, so it won't get onto clothes. Your size 2 should be the right size for another year at the very least. They fit more like pants than disposables.

Just don't tumble them on high heat, cos they can shrink a little. I shrank my tots size 1s! I've got 20 nappies which means I wash every 3rd day, my friend has 10 and washes every other day.

I prefer a bamboozle to a fluffle because I've found the poo doesn't wash off a fluffle so well, especially cos you don't put in a liner.

Fleece wraps are great for hot summer days or nights. It'll keep baby almost totally dry, but the moisture may wick away onto bedding etc. Not suitable for over clothes.

If you want gorgeous wraps that fit brilliantly over Totsbots then have a look at \link{http://www.weenotions.co.uk}. Their quality is amazing. Poppers wraps in a similar style to Motherease wraps, but they just feel more substantial IMO.

Good luck! It'll be washable wipes before you know it!!

Sorry that's Wee Notions

ive already been considering washable wipes! im starting to get hooked and ive only done one nappy change. ive got a mix of aplix and nippa and have found the nippa quite easy to use, i ma favouring these as i know they may last longer for a second child.

the wee notion wraps are so cute, especially the embroidered ones.

i use a grobag at night so would a fleece wrap still be suitable?

i love trhe feel of my fluffle but ive yet to try the rainbow bots, theyre for next change. if they are absorbant enough i may go for these as they are slimmer although i dont find the fluffles as bulky as the original. havent tried my bamboozle yet, im going tontry it tonight overnight with a muslin booster as i havent any boosters at the moment

Nippas are way better than velcro - velcro can get all bobbly after a while and start to curl. dd is also great at undoing her velcro wraps which is why I love the poppers ones - she's stumped!

Fleece wrap with a grobag would be fine. To be honest it depends on how heavy a wetter your ds is. Most of the moisture will just evaporate - he certainly won't be wet in the morning, nor will his bedding. But I've found there may be a slight musty smell on the grobag depending what ds or dd had eaten Smelly wee - oh the joys!

another silly question, because they are bulkier than disposables, especially with boosters folded at front, can you do them up too tight and squash his bits and bobs?

also can anyone suggest some good patterned wraps?

bobsmum, i looked at wee notion, they are cute. i boosted my bamboozle tonight with a muslin as it was all i had, lets hope all goes well, then i'll have to order some more!

Wacky Wraps look gorgeous but I have yet to buy some! Will see if I can find a link. I just bought two cotton bottoms wraps from Elvis (The MNer, not the singer!) in Andy Pandy and space babies and they are very cute!

wacky wraps

Hi, I also use tots fluffles & think they are brilliant. I boost at night & have no leaks in the morning. You could also try a wool wrap. I can't rave about them enough. I coudn't believe they would work, but sure enough in the morning after being on all night not a single leak, in fact the nappy was only damp instead of wet. Just wonderful, they do smell in the morning , but when dry all smell is gone & are ready for another night.
Glad another person has started to use real nappies. Our planet needs more people like you.
(sorry, don't mean to sound scary, just love real nappies)

Not been on MN for a while, so missed this thread, but tvnmum I found that real nappies are definitely bulkier than disposables, especially if you use one size/birth to potty. Try Tinker Togs (I can get 5% discount at Tinker Togs if you?re interested) or Cut4Cloth for clothes.

thanks everyone, ive just bought some trousers in the next size up to see how they fit. im now going to order some more tots as my 4 trial ones are not enough. im going to try fleece wraps at night as ds is allergic to lanolin. after using them for a few days they dont look as bulky now and as ds isnt as heavy a wetter as i thought i can use the slimmer rainbow bots. i do like the fluffles though. and for a real nappy beginner i find nippas quite easy to use.

im fastening them tight enough that i can get two fingers down front when ds is lying down, is this right, i havent had any leaks yet.

Wacky Wraps are lovely - DD has a fairy one .

DS thinks she would like a tractor one next .

At yesterday?s nappuccino everyone admired DS?s Tractor Ron Wacky Wrap!

does anyone know if you can use too much extra boosters in a night time nappy? i am trying a tots original with the fold out booster folded at the front with a bamboo booster full length and a fleece topped bamboo booster full length too. it looks very bulky at the front and im scared of squashing DS's crown jewels and doing long term damage. Is this possible?

other than this somewhat strange question, im still getting on great with my tots and have oredered some more. even DH is now coming round to the idea as DS seems to sleep better when in a cloth as opposed to a disposable. this could be coincidence though.

vnmum - I can't see how you could squash his bits. I'm sure he'll be fine although I know what you mean baout it looking bulky at the front.

At least in cloth his bits will be cooler than in a disposable - that's one of the ongoing big questions in the cloth v disposable debate; there's been one study in Germany which suggested that boys in disposables were at an increased risk of having fertility issues in later life because their family jewels were kept too warm and that affected the ability to produce sperm

Anyway! You may find you only need one extra booster. I didn't know there were bamboo ones though - they should be much slimmer but just as absorbant as a cotton one. Where did you get them from by the way?

i got the boosters from the nappy lady. i think they are tots bots ones as ive seen them on babykind too. apparently there has been a mix up with fabric in the factory and all the terry boosters have been made using bamboozle material. i ordered terry boosters and got bamboo ones BONUS!!!. it may be worth ordering some now before they rectify the problem at the factory.

i have only tried 2 extra boosters tonight as ds still feeds 2 - 3 times a night and i dont want to wake him too much by changing him. im hopoing he'll only need one but i thought id try more rather than less first to avoid any potential leaks

We use a combination of pocket nappies and fluffle's for the last few weeks and love them!! We use fluffles as 'night nappies' as they are bulky... we have a heavy wetter in our DS. Have found the fleece wraps the best at night though have to agree that you get some wicking but it's not that much of a problem and to be honest i prefer to have the 'wetness' away from his body rather than being locked in by the plasticy wraps. We also found other wraps left marks on his legs which took about 3 days to disappear.
But the real treat is the pocket nappies we use thru the day!! We tried a couple... Swaddlebees and Fuzzi Bunz. Though a bit more expensive they have multiple poppers so you can adjust the size as baby grows, they make dressing during the day a lot easier!! and they are really cool... loads of different colours!!and daddy can cope with them!! For our DS we found the FuzziBunz the best fit and have 6 medium sized outers with extra inserts to boost (for times when I know we'll be out and about need the nap to last a bit longer) So we're combining the two types and naps and this is working great for us. We tend to do one load of naps at night, hang them out in the morning and this sees us thru... although it is summer !! We use a site www.babykind.co.uk they provide a great service, you're even able to try different naps and return them for 70% refund if they don't suit. Well worth a look as they give you lots of helpful info about the huge range of reusables out there. On that note i'm off to exlore wacky wraps with my fingers crossed that they do fleece wraps xx
PS Have given up trying to rinse pooy ones by hand... just chuck them in the machine on a rinse cycle before adding 'wet ones' and washing

you two are too quick for me, just posted this and went back to see you're already using babykind

Huwsmum,

Make sure that fleece wraps you buy don't have a "hidden" layer of plastic. These type are great for daytime use but not overnight as they don't have the evaporation properties of "normal" fleece wraps. Tots Bots fleece wraps (click here ) are perfect for overnight.

To buy additional bamboo boosters (in pink, blue or cream) go here .

Emma
www.makesachange.co.uk/
The Organic and Fair Trade Baby Boutique

thanks, makesachange. i have ordered tots fleece wraps for night time and will definately bear your boosters in mind if i need anymore. have put your site on my favourites list