Nappies - Disposable or eco-Friendly ??

[clarajane]

So just found out I am pregnant with my first child (15 weeks!!). This Pregnancy in no way was planned and so was a shock. Now that my mum has finally recovered she has started on the this is what you need to do list of things.
She used re-usable nappies when she had the three of us which is over 20 years ago and even though shes aware that disposable nappies are a lot better now then they were then but she still thinks that I should use re-usable.
I want to know what other people think? Whats better price wise? Whats better for ease of use and protecting my child from accidents??
Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, Clarajane

If you are planning to have more than one child, then re-useable work out cheaper (but with higher initial cost) and more eco-friendly. You can also sell them on once your baby is potty trained if you want to. However, you can bulk-buy disposables from Aldi, or from kiddicare for delivery to your home, and they are really quite cheap.

I used disposables initially with DD, and switched to re-useable at 3 months. The switch reduced the number of black bags on the kerb, but increased the laundry!

Ease of use is disposables all the way. You have enough laundry to do with a baby without adding a load of pooey cloths into the mix.

If I were you I'd start out using disposables and see how it goes. If you then find yourself with loads of time on your hands and have a bit more baby experience, then you can switch to reusable.

That's what I planned to do. My second child is now 19 months and I still use disposables!

My first was in disposable and second is in cloth.

I had more laundry with my first because disposables constantly leaked regardless of brand but I've never had a cloth leak so I don't have to wash 3 outfits per day.

I do 2 extra loads per week so nothing drastic. We've saved a fortune and I find them much less smelly than disposables which is a bonus!

We have no choice with the youngest though as she's allergic to disposables.

The main thing is though its your call not ours or your mums so see what you're happy with perhaps look into a nappy library where you can hire kits to try out when baby is a few weeks old if you're interested in cloth to save you the outlay if you fond you don't like them.

Ultimately it is your call how you want to raise your child.

However reusable is definitely all the rage now and it's not old fashion. It's nothing like the reusable your mum used. There are even flushable liners!

That said I used disposeable for my first. I wish I had look into reusable properly as I did have time for all the extra laundry. I found lots of free time on my hands. Now I have pregnant with my second (and last). And cost wise it's just not economically sound to go reusable now. I work full time so it will only be for the first year in reusable in my case. I'm also planning on a long haul trip so that's another month out from using them. So for me it's barely 12 months of use. I think if I have two babies for them, or if I would continue using them until potty training then it's very different cost wise.

I got reusable wipes this time though! It's much less money and dd is still using a lot of wipes at 3yo!

I used cloth nappies for dd. They seem expensive to buy but actually work out cheaper in the long run as your dc will be using them for at least 2 years. Yes, there is extra washing (i did a wash every other day) but disposables leak a lot so you will still be doing extra washing if you use them. Cloth ones never leaked for me. Do your research about the different fabrics though, there is a compromise between absorbancy and drying time. In hindsight, I should have gone for the quicker drying microfibre type rather than bamboo as I don't have a tumble dryer.

We did use disposables when dd was tiny as the birth-to-potty nappies were too big until she was about 8 weeks. We also used disposable pull-ups for a month when we started potty training. Oh God, the stench from the bin outside was horrific! And the quantity of waste was astounding too.

If we ever manage to have dc2 I will definitely get the cloth ones out again. Disposables are grim.

Oh yes, definitely use disposable liners - poo in toilet, nappy in bucket. Easy peasy.

Our nursery was also happy to use the cloth nappies.

Thanks everyone for your veiws. Its given me plenty to think about. :)

Don't be afraid of doing washables from day 1! Our dd went into them when she came home from hospital (day she was born) and my husband was fab with washing them. We only use disposables when we have a few nights away and I've never truly learned how to put them on! We used little lambs bamboo size 1 from birth. Loved them! Sad she's outgrowing them!!

As a pp said - if you're considering reusables then look at the reusable wipes as well. We've just bought a starter pack but with luck won't need to buy disposable wipes so will save money in the long run that way.

thank you ClearlyMoo, having looked at the little lambs website reusable nappies are actually looking like a good possibility and i can tell that they will work out cheaper over time.

thanks :)

Clarajane you can get them on eBay for £5 each new, or cheaper if you're happy with used, we are!!

Oh but if buying little lambs bamboo second hand you need to check that the wraps are post March 2014 (a safety flaw) and that the elastic hasn't gone in the nappies. We personally didn't worry about the unsafe wraps we have just been careful to put them on well, and we like the elastic-free nappies as they fit our baby for longer. A note on sizing they say up to 20lb but our daughter is 14lb (5months) and they are too small now.

Like the Little Lamb Facebook page as they do amazing sales on there!

The next sale is on Boxing day but they are definitely worth it, last year I got 10 bamboo boosters, 10 bamboo wipes, 5 bamboo nappies and 3 wraps for £50!