Advise needed.... want to convert to reusable nappies.....

[twoplusone]

Hi all....

Baby number 3 is due in July and dh and I have decided we would like to use reusable nappies..

I want just plain white ones.. in cotton/terry towling with velcro..

What else do I need..?
Where is the best place to get them?
Do you use reusable liners or disposable?
If reusable do you just throw poo down the loo? (silly question really!!)
How absorbant are they for night times.. and for day time.?
Do they have to be changed after one wee?
How many will I need?

Your help is greatly appreciated..

Thank you..

2+1 x

if you just want plain white with velcro I'd go for Tots Bots (although i prefer my motherease with poppers and would recommend them to anyone)

good places to buy:
little green earthlets (i THINK the website is earthlets.co.uk)
kittykins
twinkleontheweb
babykind

I use fleece liners as it's more economical and is nicer on baby's skin

poo goes down the loo yes

have NEVER had a leak with a cloth nappy at night. I have however had many a leak with disposables.

they need changing more frequently than disposables, but not after every wee.

you'll want about 12 to start with, depending on how often you can wash and how you will be drying them.
but you may be better getting a trial pack first to see if you get on with them.

What else do I need..?-wraps if you mean 2 part system(look on nappylady website for different systems and even do questionnaire to see what suits you best.,liners,bucket,
Where is the best place to get them? ebay,nappylady,here second hand or lots of online shops for new including twinkle on the web.kittykins,puddlepants.or for store shopping mothercare.
Do you use reusable liners or disposable? either-i prefer fleece
If reusable do you just throw poo down the loo? (silly question really!!) yes
How absorbant are they for night times.. and for day time.? excellant just put extra boosting in for night and maybe change type of wrap.i use pul(plasticky stuff)in day and fleece or wool at night
Do they have to be changed after one wee? no more than disposables really
How many will I need? i go through about 6 a day.
hth

Well done for deciding to make the change!

There is a lot of choice with nappies, white with applix, tots, kiwi quick flip, wahmbamboo or whatever they're called now.
The only way i chose was by having a look at them in the flesh.

Will you be line drying or tumble drying?

You will need a bucket with a lid and mesh bag to go inside to store dirty nappies.

I use fleece liners and bought a £2 blanket from primark and cut it up instead of buying some and they work really well. Any pooey ones get shaken off into the loo and then into the bucket.

How often you wash will decide how many you need. I wash every couple of days and I bought 16 to begin wwith......have a hell of a lot more now but thats another issue!

HTH

I'm using Little lambs on my DD and they are fecking marvellous! They come in kit form with all you need, you get paper liners and flush that bit down the loo (you don't want to be doing any 'scraping' it's just too grim).

I think the entire kit for size one is 125 quid (much cheaper than motherease but very comparable).

Flamesparrow is the person to speak to as she is a nappy expert!!

I use Totsbots (with the poppers though) and I bought them from their website. I use the fluffles which are soooo soft and dry very quickly.

You will also need to buy the wraps to go around the nappy. I have 15 nappies and 5 wraps and I wash every other day. I use the disposable liners and throw the poo down the loo.

I find them really absorbant and change LOs nappy roughly every three hours or so.

I must admit that I use a disposable at night time. I don't change DS in the night and I think that 12 hours is a long time to go with wee/poo against his skin. Disposables do remain dryer against the skin but that is just my personal preference.

HTH

Thank you all for replying quickly..
Have just had a look at the Tommeetippee web site and they have a birth to potty pack for £125..
With Cotton pads for the absorbacncy..
if useing the cotton pads do you just change this when nappy changing then change the outer nappy if it gets wet?

Sorry lots of questions I know..

I wash everyday so thats not an issue.. (with an active 10year old and 2 year old ( who will be 11 and 3 when babs is here) I have no choice..

why do I need a wrap over the nappy!!! getting really confused... (easy for me!!!) lol

Ello

Right... answering your questions first:

What else do you need? You will need wraps (at least 4), and liners, and somewhere to keep the dirties (a lidded bucket). A mesh bag is handy so you don't have to handle dirty nappies... I am useless - never got round to getting them so I handle and wash hands obsessively!

Where is best to get them? Well... I am biased and have to say BumFluff as that is me , but kittykins, thenatural baby resource and twinkle on the web are great - I can sell anything that babykind lists

Liners? It all depends on how much you want to deal with poo. Disposable liners means you just lift it out and flush down the toilet as one, fleece/silk mean rinsing (solid poo falls off, breastfed poo just shoots through so comes off in the wash... its teething/early weaning poo that can be messy) but save you money in the long run.

Poo? Yup, just chuck it down the loo

Absorbancy? They are all different - most need extra boosters for night. A bamboo nappy will easily go 4-5 hours (mine can go 5-6) during the day, and a nappy with boosters will cope with a full night.

Changing - normally after about 4 hours. Not after every wee.

How many? I tend to say 16 - that usually allows you to wash every 3 days and have time for them to dry naturally.

If you want to ask any more questions or want some more specific guidance on what to choose then feel free to email me bumfluffnappies at gmail dot com - I am disturbingly besotted by nappies and enjoy the chance to ramble on at a potentially interested person

No idea about tommeetippee (off to google).

You get 3 kinds of nappies... pocket - which you fill with something absorbant (an insert), and then do up as one.

All In One - an absorbant part and waterproof cover combined so it goes on and off like a disposable

2 part system - these are an aborbant section that goes on first, and then have a wrap over the top to stop wetness getting to the clothes.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah - they sell cotton bottoms.

They are prefolds... which work as a 2 piece system.

Within the 2 piece system you have 3 types:

Prefolds (cotton bottoms on the tommee tippee site) - a rectangle which you fold into a strip and then place inside a wrap. They work very well for some people, but many people find they leak.

Terry Squares - the traditional method of folding a square of terry cotton, then a wrap over the top

Shaped nappies - these are shaped to be similar to disposables, gentle elastic at the waist and legs to aid containment.

Oh - with 2 part systems and wraps... Wraps don't need washing with every day. I use one wrap for day, one for night, and wash after that (except on the rare occasions they have poo on them)

Thank you flamesparrow..

I am still confused though!!!..

Its a 3 part system..

Nappy
pad
Liner

The pad looks like it is prefolded..

SO would I still need a wrap!!!?

I bought my nappies - birth to potty pack (Bambino Mio- worked perfectly well imo, although I have never used any others so I can't offer a comparison) on ebay for £80. Much cheaper than the £200 for brand new and better for the environment too - recycling)

I'd say that it is worth having a look there before you fork out on brand new nappies.

Bambino Mio work with velcro on the wrap - you just fold the cotton nappy, place a liner over it to catch the poo and place it in the wrap - you can get liners that can be flushed - and then velcro nappy onto baby. Very simple.

The nappy cover is the wrap, the pad is the prefold, and the liner stops the baby feeling wetness/catches poo.

Ebay is stopping used nappy sales the nappy lady site has classified ads for preloved nappies though

(sprry for any dodgy typing.... quite a lot of wine!!)

Really, Flamesparrow? Why? Were there problems with nappies from Ebay? (Not that I need any more - I have a cupboard full) Seems a shame though.

They have gone insane!! Saying it violates their "used underwear" policy

To make matters worse nappy sellers are REPORTING other auctions to get them pulled!!!

Your right that is insane! The first thing I did with my nappies (even though I trusted the seller and they seemed really, really clean when I got them - and many were unused and still in original packaging) was stick them through a hot wash, just for my own peace of mind - what mother wouldn't do that - even with brand new? Not like buying used knickers at all....

Thank you all again for your help... my head is swimming in info!!!...

Lol, sorry 2+1 - it gets a bit like that!

if you reeeeally want just plain white (are you sure we can't tempt you into getting some pretty ones?!) then i would definitely go for the little lambs-they are softer and more flexible than the tots bots terry imo and the wraps are lovely and soft. Also the sizes seem to last that bit longer

I will of course recommend getting a nappy advisor round to give you a demo of all the different types and how each brand / system works. The advantage of buying through an advisor is that she will be on hand locally to help you with any problems taht you may be having afterwards. You'l get to touch and feel all the different types of nappies and it will all become sooo much clearer to understand. Plus you'll be supporting a local mum running her own business.

Lollipop - www.teamlollipop.co.uk have nearly 200 advisors spread over the UK so there's bound to be one somewhere near you. Click on their website and they'll find someone to contact you.

purplesal- thank you for the info, but I live in Germany..

Will have a look at different websites.. and also try and find someone round here who has used reusable nappies!!..

THnank you all again your help has been much appreciated..

Ooh, Wherabouts in Germany are you? I'm going out to visit my friend in Munich at some point soon. Always willing to talk cloth nappies....!!

Sally

you could check out Popolini (Popolino), Disana and Imse Vimse as they are popular brands on the Continent AND German eBay may not have implemented their policy yet, so you could have a look there (wool is v popular in Germany I believe).

For example

Purplesal- I am in Elmpt.. on the Dutch border..

I am going to ask the midwifes if they know of anyone who is using reusable nappies.. and go from there.. even if they dont they maybe able to help me find somewhere/one here to help me!!..

The advise one here has been great.. but it would be great to see different types and have a feel of them iykwim.. so I know that whatever is going to be soft enough for my little one.. Seen an idel bucket to use aat the thrift shop on camp so am going to get it today.. it was only 1euro.. ment to get it the other day but forgot.. I did get a disney baby bath and top and tail bowl and bouncing chair (vibrating and dual positions) all for 12euros though... very impressed with my self...

Thank you all again for your advise.. it has been much appreciated.