Practical question re: changing and washing cloth nappies

[mumohmommich]

We're expecting our first and I keep thinking I have made up my mind to use biodegradable / green disposables but I find myself researching cloth nappies anyway. Yes, it's the environmental thing although am not stoically green in the rest of my lifestyle (I take around 4 long-haul and 2 short-haul flights a year so can hardly say I'm overly conscious) and you will see below that I use my washer dryer to what some might call excess. If I'm honest with myself, maybe it's just that I fantasise about being that kind of cloth nappy person, just like I want to grow my own vegetables (but have yet to manage more than a couple literally a couple -- of cherry tomatoes). There's the cost aspect too, but talking about saving money seems like a cruel joke at this point as I ponder the rest of the "nursery essentials" list.

As I research this I keep coming up against a few practical questions and I hoped that some of the cloth nappy enthusiasts on here might be able to clear things up for me.

1. Can you put reusable nappies in the dryer? Pocket + insert? All-in-ones? We have no space to hang clothes and I have no patience for it so this would be a deal-breaker. I would prefer shorter life-span on the nappies than to line-dry.

1. Can you wash reusable nappies with other baby clothes (popping the baby clothes / muslins / blankets / towels in once you have done the initial rinse phase of the nappy washing cycle)? I'd like to have a big enough load to wash almost every day bc having even lightly soiled nappies sitting in a bin in our bedroom (we have a one-bed flat and no nursery) would ick me out.

1. Can you just bin disposable nappy liners plus solids as opposed to putting down the loo? Maybe even putting each lot into a nappy sack, as you would a disposable? I guess this means a changing table set-up with two pails -- one for the reusable nappies waiting to be washed and one for liners and wipes (unless using cloth wipes).

1. If you are tipping solids (and liners) into the toilet, where is the baby while you do this? I've never changed the nappy but am guessing with disposables there is no need to leave the baby -- you change and dispose at the changing table and then go on your merry way. If using reusable and there is a solid bowel movement then does the dirty nappy sit off to the side of the changing table while you finish cleaning up baby and putting on a fresh one? And then do you take baby (in a carrier / sling? in a carry-cot?) to the toilet with you when you go to remove solids, balancing the baby with one hand and the nappy with the other? And then back again to the changing table to deposit the lightly soiled nappy in the pail?

1. Can babies get used to a mix of reusable and disposable? E.g. cloth during the day and disposable at night? Or disposable when out and about or when my mum's babysitting?

I'm probably overcomplicating this but I just want to be clear on what I might be getting myself into.

Thanks!

I will help as much as I can...

1. I used cloth nappies with waterproof wraps. The nappies could go in the drier but not the wraps (but these don't really get wet as they are waterproof!)

1. I bunged muslins in with the nappies but not clothes. I washed nappies every day or every other day, depending how I felt, and then clothes in a separate load. If you have a pail with a lid you really don't notice. Well I didn't!

1. I didn't use disposable liners until much later on (when baby was on solids). Milk poo is so soft that you can't really hold it in a liner. But yes I guess you could put them in the bin, maybe in a nappy sack (biodegradable!).

1. Again I didn't use the liners. Much easier just to throw soiled nappy into the pail and then from the pail to the washing machine!!

1. Definitely.

HTH!

1. Yes, but it's not advised to put waterproof outers in, it can shorten their life. We use a ceiling rack for wet days.
2. Yes, but you can leave a dry lidded bucket very happily for 2 days with zero smell. Far less than a day of disposables. You can only really wash clothes with wet nappies at about 40, not dirty nappies at 60, or the clothes shrink (and can get discoloured). And you'll have a dirty nappy almost every day.
3. Yes the liners go down the loo if you get the right kind. We bin wet ones and flush dry ones.
4. If they can't roll, on the change mat. If you're nervous put it on the floor. If they can, put the nappy on and put them somewhere safe (cot/wherever you'd normally put them) and take the liner through.

Firstly, ditch half the "nursery essentials" list! Unless you live a day's journey from the nearest shop.

1. Some are fine in the dryer, others shed their fluff. Pockets and inserts should generally be OK, or ones that need wraps - wraps can't go in a dryer. All-in-ones would take ages to dry. Hardly anyone uses a dryer for nappies (that's what emergency disposables are for, when the nappies aren't dry!) though, so I suspect it costs a bomb - I only know from when a few have got mixed up in sheets. Most people put a rack on a radiator in winter, washing line in summer - personally it filled in time quite well while I dealt with a baby.

1. Yes - not even a rinse phase, just chuck the lot in together. Until your baby is eating lots of solid food (after 6 months), there's little difference in the clothes and the poo isn't icky. A lidded bucket should be fine.

1. Until they are on solids, you don't need liners - everything just washes away. Once they are - you could, yes, though personally I found the loo easier so didn;t need to empty the bin.

1. Either do your changing in the bathroom (keep a mat leaning against the wall), or just put the dirty nappy aside while changing, then put baby down on the floor. Until they start crawling after you.

1. Yes, no problem.

We do use disposable liners for DD who is 3 months - they bring the liquid poo away from her bottom nicely.

Thank you thank you!

We have so little space, no room even for an airer really. A rack on a radiator might work - will have to investigate!

So if you get a good system going you can be washing the inserts and waterproof covers and cloth wipes, and tossing solids down the loo (or any dry liners) so no need for extra bin bags hauled out to the alley?

Am sure where I put baby would have become obvious but right now the idea of leaving a newborn anywhere except in my immediate company is a bit terrifying.

Thanks again!

I've always just put the nappy to the side while I change the baby, then leave the baby doing what ever if fancies, laying on the floor, in bouncer whatever while I sort the nsppy. Some can be tumble dried, maybe try going on nappy lady website and do a questionnaire and see which she recommends for you? X

Can't reply to each point as on app but DO NOT flush liners however flush able that claim to be, so many people on the cloth nappy groups I'm on have ended up with blocked drains because of this and the fact you can put them through the was with the nappies proves how little they degrade in water!! We do a mix of disposables and cloth and I tumble dry inserts and radiator rack the outers. I don't wash anything else with nappies as they wash better in more water and I use fabric conditioner with my clothes. Can't remember what else you asked but I think they're great and they don't make the bin smell! Even if you throw away the liners/wipes it's so much less rubbish

I use a wet bag for dirty nappies and have a nappy bag in it for rubbish that I use through the day and bin at night, the bags keep smells in really well

Have just done the Nappy Lady questionnaire -- hadn't come across this so thanks for directing me to it!

The last thing I want is blocked drains to deal with so will definitely take on board the no flushing of liners!

Overall it's sounding like less work than I thought. But then I would always much rather run a load of laundry then take the bin out....!

We have been flushing just the dirty ones (so maybe 1 a day) for 2 years with no problems. I'll let you know in 2 years time when DD is older.
Newborns don't go anywhere when you put them down, one of their major advantages.

1. You might have to check for each brand, but generally speaking most can be tumble dried on a low heat. This will effect the lifespan of your nappies as can mean the elastic or PUL can wear out sooner. If you never line dry you miss oit on the stain removal magic of the sun - the thing that causes poo stains is broken down by sunlight so a horribly stained nappy can be whiter than white after a day on the line!

1. You only need to wash nappies on 30 or 40C washes unless baby has thrush or diarrhoea, in which case you need to wash hotter. Although this gets them clean enough for use as a nappy, it wouldn't be hot enough to kill some nasties that can end up in poo so I really wouldn't wash with other clothes. If you use a decent lidded nappy pail and dry pail your nappies then the bucket won't get smelly. We wash every other day. Remember initially with a newborn you will have lots of nappies a day - 10 or 12. My 19 month old goes through about 4 or 5 in a 24 hour period.

1. You could, but I don't know why you would want to! When a baby is still EBF you don't need to remove the poo form the nappy before washing, the poo is soft and unformed and disappears away in the washing machine. Once baby is on solids poo will become formed and can be just dropped into the loo. Personally I never found disposable liners any good as they didn't protect my daughter bum from wetness and always seem to get scrunched up leaving some of the nappy unprotected, I've always found fleece liners much easier, but different strokes for different folks.

1. This one you are definitely over thinking! Remove wet/dirty nappy and put to one side. Clean baby and apply clean nappy. Put baby in bouncy chair/under play gym/in front of TV/in playpen/leave running wild again (delete as appropriate) and take nappy to loo. Tip poo into loo and flush, chuck everything else into nappy bucket. Wash hands and return to baby .

1. Of course. If you'll pardon the pun, baby doesn't give a crap. If you think that mixing reusable and disposable will suit you I strongly recommend looking into gNappies and Flips. These are systems with resuable liners that are suitable for use with either resuable prefolds or disposable inserts. Not sure about the Flips but gNappy inserts are truly compostible.

Any other questions?

Thank you all so much for the incredibly helpful responses. This has achieved what 3 hours of googling couldn't!

1. Its not advised to put PUL materials (wraps, all in ones, pocket nappies) in the drier as it can wear the waterproofing away and they will leak in time but inserts would be fine.

1. I keep my nappies in a dry bag (Karrimor camping bag) instead of a bucket as it can go in the machine with nappies and hangs on the coat rack so its not taking up floor space.

I do the initial rinse then Chuck anything in that can be washed at 60 (my daughter reacts to urine on her skin so constant rash and I'm always worried about infection) but you can wash at 40.

1. Its best to bin liners rather than flush as they don't always break down very well and can cause blockages. Other option is to use silver/fleece/silk/minky washable liners that provide a stay dry layer against the nappy and baby's skin.

1. Just put baby somewhere safe, for what you have to and return. It takes 2 minutes so don't panic about abandoning him/her.

1. You can use whichever nappy you like whenever you like, the baby won't care :)