Cloth nappies

[Shoemum]

I'm a mum of a 3yo and 14mth old both still in nappies fulltime, at the mo I use disps but to save money I'm looking at switching to old school terry nappies but not sure how easy it will be to switch at this late stage. My 3yo is late at potty training and may need a daytime nappy for a few more months and certainly a night nappy for a while yet. Is she too old go over to terries? I'd prefer a one size nappy for both if I can. How easy are they to use on wiggly toddlers ? Thanks :-)

I use them at there ages to get them out of nappies. They won’t like that they feel wet.
I was a nanny for 24 years, have put all mine in terries at about 18/2 depending on the child. Normally out of them in a month.

Thanks, is it easy enough to get one on a 3yo?

If they will lie there while you get them on. You can probably get pull versions.
I haven’t had a little one in a few years.

Thanks, I think I'll give them a try. I can always use 2 at once if we need extra absorbency.

You can get a pad that goes inside for extra absorbency

I can give it a try and see how it goes. I'm not sure of the folds yet so don't really know what might be best to try.

Square terry nappies - 60cm - should fit both children unless your 3yo DD is very big. The Nappylady's site has lots of folds - it's a question of finding one which suits your children. Buy the best - thickest and most absorbent - nappies you can find. As you say you may need 2 at night but with 2 we never had leaks if the nappy was tucked in well enough under the cover. You can buy 67, 70 and even 75cm ones for older children. To get them onto a wriggling child easily it is best to have them already folded; I have always done it after drying as there seemed to be no point doing 2 folding exercises. I haven't used disposables much but found when I dod that they were no easier to put on a wriggling child than terries and the terry I had taken off was much better for wiping a dirty bottom thoroughly than a disposable or a baby wipe. Good luck.

You can get the shaped ones which don’t require folding. Lots of brands do a birth to potty nappy.
I use bambino mio solos (which are birth to potty) in the daytime/out and about, and Alva (a cheaper brand on eBay but still good!) and then Little Lambs 2 part nappies for night time as they’re super absorbent. These are different sizes however and we’ll have to move up to size 2’s soon.

It’s worth seeing if you can get money back from your local councils waste management department for the nappies. I got £25 from mine and just needed to provide a receipt. Some areas offer more and usually for each child in cloth nappies rather than each household but worth checking ☺️

Thanks everyone :-)

I bought the terries and have started using them, I'm amazed how well they work and how fast they dry.

They are a bit of a challenge to get on my 3.5yo but by no means impossible, at the moment I'm using a kite fold on her which fits ok but I'd like to try a few other folds once she calms down.

Anyone else doing terries on a big toddler? what fold do you use?