Reusable nappies... Who didn't like them?

[kiki22]

I'm thinking of using them I've read loads about them and threads on here with great advice but I'm wondering how many people used them and gave up? If you did why? Was it the washing? The faff?

If you do use them what are the cons? Again the washing? Or carrying the wets around?

I used them for 2 DCs. I really liked a lot of things about them but threw in the towel when I had 2 in nappies. I compromised for a bit by using disposables on the toddler and cloth on the baby but it just got too much. Nappies are a tiny bit of parenting really but the cloth nappies took up a lot of time. I was always washing them, my flat was always draped in drying nappies (we didn't have a tumble dryer) and once they were dry I had to stuff the pocket nappies again. Just too much hassle in the end. I can't tell you the relief when I switched to disposables.

Me. I liked them but they were very bulky on my very small baby. It was hard getting clothes to fit over his bottom but then he had a teeny waist. I gave up when he started nursery and never bothered with DC2. I didn't mind the washing as you get into quite a good system and they dried very quickly. I still use the reusable wipes though, normal wipes feel rubbish in comparison!

Tried with DC2 but could never get the poo stains out, plus they were so bulky on my tiny girl and leaked.

I used terry squares on DS back in the 90s ;)

Did use disposables for going out and about for more than a few hours - as didn't want to cart a heavy, wet nappy around.

No hassle though, really. Just soaked in a bucket and washed a load once every couple of days.

I do use them but not all the time. They don't last more than 3 hours ime and sometimes that's just hugely inconvenient and risks baby waking up from a nap because they're soaked.

I wash them on a long cycle but do it on a timer overnight. I don't find the washing / drying / putting away too onerous but I have gone through a lot of different types and decided life is far too short to be stuffing pocket nappies, so I don't use them any more.

You also have to be a bit choosy about trousers because a squashed nappy will probably leak.

The bulky bum was definitely an issue. Dd2 didn't last long in reusable nappies but we're still using the reusable wipes which are brilliant for cleaning hands and faces after meals.

I really loved them at first, they look so much nicer and I never had a problem with the washing. But after about 9 months, they started leaking as soon as dd had one wee. I strip washed them, did everything suggested by TotsBots but I couldn't get them to stop leaking. I threw them all away in the end. They were TotsBots easyfit v3... I vaguely remember reading something about them being recalled for this reason but it was too late for me.

We also couldn't find a combination that worked overnight. I bought four or five different types and boosters etc but everything leaked after 12 hours of wee!

YY to reusable wipes.

DC1 was exclusively in cloth. Then the DTs came along and three in cloth was far too much effort so we have them in cloth about 50% of the time.

I have found that they do leak wee slightly more than disposables, but the cost saving outweighs that. They are also bulky in the change bag so we also kept a few in the boot of the car for emergencies.

We stopped with DC1 when he out grew the birth to potty ones (about a year before he actually potty trained!)

Leaving them to dry in the sun is best for poo stains.

I tried them with my first two children. I invested heavily and was really committed to using them but the long and the short of it is that they aren't as good as disposables. Disposable nappies are really very good at what they do. I got fed up with sore bottoms and plastic pants that dug into their skin. I would never recommend them having tried really hard to get on with them. I used disposables for my other three children.

Had itti bitti d'lish nappies for ds1, but once DS2 came along, I tried to keep up with the washing but with 4 of us in a victorian 2 bed terrace without a tumble dryer, it was hopeless. I literally didn't have the space to dry it along with all of our clothes inside. I didn't lament over it though, I didn't have any choice.

I tried for 6 months. It's just a total faff I would never repeat.

It's worth giving it a try though, the resale value is pretty good. I was a fair-weather cloth addict, they were lovely!

Worked for us for 2 children probably due to certain things in favour

• somewhere to dry them (eg ceiling airer and tumble drier back up)
• no nursery or grandparents involved I was SAHM at that point
• slim children fitted motherease
• just used disposables at night after a point
• after washing I pre folded all the nappies with boosters and liners so they were ready to grab and use.
• I just tied the wet ones into a nappy sack to take home if out.

basically got a system going and stuck to it. Main reason (apart from eco) was bin capacity we were on 2 week collections also short of cash with me not working.

Me!

I had the best intentions but:

1. They were so bulky DD could hardly move

1. The minute she weed they were just sopping wet, grim and uncomfortable.

I sold the lot.

We've used little lamb since LO was a month old and she's 7 months now. Really works well for us, mainly because we use the nappies in conjunction with baby led pottying so she does a poo in the morning and then we only have to deal with wee in the nappies the rest of the day and night. But we still tend to use naty disposables if we're going to be out a long while because carrying wet reusables can be a hassle.

I've been using them for about 8mo, DC1 is 10 mo.

I couldn't go back to disposables, unless away on holiday etc. To me, if you're using disposables you're basically shitting on money then sending if to landfill. Also cloth nappies are prettier, perfectly legit reason IMO, and then there's the environmental factors of course.

Washing not an issue for me, it's 3 extra washes a week max.

You have to go in with a flexible attitude - you're going to have to adjust the fit and what you stuff the nappies with as the baby grows.

Also - our bins are only collected fortnightly- cannot bear to have disposables hanging around that long, vom!

If you're not sure about cloth all the way, I definitely DEFINITELY recommend gnappies, they're amazing, fit perfectly and are just ace ace ace.

Help - the forums on clothnappytree.com are brilliant for troubleshooting; loads of YouTube vids; The Nappy Lady for advice - I went to her house for a fitting as I'm local; local nappy libraries (often combined with sling library) or 'nappuccinos' ()

Tried them with Dc1, 12 years ago, went with tot bots. Found them to be ok but very bulky, found finding clothes that fitted over them was a challenge, they needed changing vey often, sometimes within an hour or two as they got wet quickly. Used disposables at night as they didn't stand up to going through the night for 10 hrs and child would end up waking due to being wet.

Got rid after dc1 and never tried again with my other children.

The only time I ever have leaks with my DD is when she is in disposables. We use them on holidays and I am always so so relieved to get back to cloth once home. Yes you have to adapt your stash as they grow. I would never recommend having all one brand for that reason. Tights fit fine over bulky bottoms, as do one size up leggings / vests with vest extenders. It's 2.5 extra washes a week, put on overnight - we have a garden though and a Lakeland heated airer (and a tumble dryer for emergencies!)
Also, my husband is totally on board and shares housework and childcare when he's not at work. I love them and wouldn't give them back. I also bought entirely second hand / seconds / had some very old donations so the outlay has been minimal...

My friend with a tiny flat and nowhere to hang laundry couldn't cope with them, and having seen her flat I agreed. I have lots of space for drying racks so there was usually a rack of nappies getting dry (the putting-away stage often didn't happen before re-use!) That's the only real disadvantage - and when they were at nursery I would get the nappy in a nappy bag at the end of each day but if I didn't unwrap and dispose of poo that day, it reeked! Tried to avoid that.

I loved them for ds - they leaked way less than friends with babies in disposables so the overall amount of laundry wasn't that much more, and both ds and dd got rash from disposables which was a motivating factor! And some really cute wraps...

I used a few disposables at night with ds and from about 9 months with dd, because I couldn't be bothered to try new washable solutions for her.
Both babies were chubby-bottomed and clothes fit fine over the nappies - got all mine 2nd hand and sold some after dd was potty-trained, so outgoings approx nil.

I use them for dd2 (14 months now, started at 8 weeks), I really like them though the washing can be a faff sometimes (my bucket is full by the end of the day so have to pretty much wash everyday). We have the very rare leak which is usually a compression leak and means it is time to alter the straps on the buggy!

I started with Mio prefolds (bought new) which were fine when she stayed still but then I found them a bit of a nightmare when she was flipping herself over during nappy time - as the nappy would end up all twisted. I then purchased a pre-loved Miosolo which is basically a one piece nappy and it was all good again! So I now have a selection of Miosolos, totsbots, and littlebloom for day time and totsbots bamboozles (and wraps) for nighttime. All these were pre-loved so the cost of these wasn't too much (sold most of the prefolds to cover the cost). I really love having her in cloth nappies.

DH on the other hand hates them (he thinks they are a faff), he would sooner use disposables (not happening!) and he makes sure he tells me on a regular basis!

We gave up after a week. Firstly D'S had been too small for them at birth (only 1.5 kg). I'd been given a full set of normal sized ones. So we began with disposables and tried to change over once he was big enough - about 4 months old. He hated the bulkiness and cried a lot of the time. Then he had awful nappy rash which began within 48 hours of the change and just got worse despite seeking advice. Once his whole bottom was red and angry, we went back to disposables. The plan was to let the rash settle and try again. I never had the heart to make the second attempt.

I also found that my ds seemed to potty train early and quickly compared to other boys who wore disposables. He was a few weeks over two and just decided he didn't like the wet nappy feeling so took his nappy of and wee'd in his sisters potty. Could be compete coincidence of course!

Unfortunately they rubbed and made my son's skin a bit sore. Also seemed a bit wetter and therefore less comfortable on him.

I tried with DS1 20 odd years ago. They were too bulky, leaked like mad & gave poor DS horrendous nappy rash. We lasted a weekend and gave up.

Fortunately I'd used a hire service so I'd hadn't committed to buying them.

Bought them then realised I couldn't keep on top of the normal laundry let alone adding in cloth nappies. I didn't like the idea of a bucket of nappies on my back door step either.

Pity really because I was quite optimistic about them pre-dcs.