Reusable Nappies?

[TinaFay]

Hi, I'm 23 weeks pregnanct with my firt baby, and am beginning to feel the need to get organised and am suddenly feeling very daunted by it all. I'm keen to use reusable nappies but frankly don't know where to start! There seem to be so many different ones available - all-in-ones, two-pieces etc.. I've never changed a nappy in my life, just to warn you how little I know. Can any tell me where to start? Should I get some trial packs of different kinds? Is it better to take disposables to the hospital with me in my hospital bag? How many reusable nappies will I need? Help!

Have a look at the www.babykind.co.uk website and see if they have a nappy agent you can speak to nearby. Far easier wen you can see and talk to someone

Never changing a nappy in your life can be a good thing - you don't have preconceived ideas

Yup - an agent is great, you can see and feel the nappies etc (where abouts are you - there may be an MNer who does advice near you).

If you can't find one nearby, then the next best thing is to talk to an on-line advisor (I do it, as do a few others in the small business section) - we can help work out with you what you need most from a nappy, which will narrow down the selection, and then work out what you need to get.

Feel free to email me bumfluffnappies at gmail dot com.

It is scary when you first start looking and you are faced with all the options and all the fuzzi fluffley cuddly types of names, but it does get easier to work out what is best for YOU very quickly. Everyone is different, so try not to go with "Jane's mate from down the road swears by prefolds" as that being what will suit you best.

To find an agent near you, use the nappy finder. Hope that helps.

Yuo they are right - try and get hold of an advisor near to you or failing that one of use retailers/ advisors would be happy to go through it. All the nappies do have daft names which is the ocnfusing thing but they are just variations of different systems - i explain them on my website contactable through the small adds. . Its good fun and this is the bset place! My main stumpling block was the fastening names - nippa (a new fangled pin for fasteing a nappy closed but isnt a pin), aplix (basically like velcro) poppers (well popper press stud thingys). lol . See i can confuse you more

Tina - I took disposables into hospital purely because I wasn't sure how long I'd be in and that sort of thing, I wasn't sure if dh would manage to wash cloth ones properly . Once the pack of disposables ran out we went onto flat terry nappies & plastic pants (then someone got me addicted to prettier ones ). I've never looked back and haven't used a disposable since!!! You'll love them

Here is the information I give to my customers - it is also available on our website along with other cloth nappy info (see the small business ads for more details) which tells you what all the different types are, explains the jargon and goes through the options. I suggest you have a look around and try to narrow it down to 2-4 nappies then perhaps trial them or contact a nappy agent to have a real look at them.

When starting out in cloth there are a few things you will need need besides the washable nappies. There are of course optional extras as well.

• 18-25 nappies

This number of course is dependant on how frequently you plan on washing, your drying method and the types of nappies you have. With quicker drying materials such as microfibre nappies you may need less as you dont have to wait too long for them to dry until you can use them again. You may also find you get through many more with newborn and younger babies than with toddlers.

• 3-5 nappy wrap covers

We recommend alternating nappy wraps at each change so you may well be using two throughout the day while one is washed. Newborns and younger babies may need 1-2 more because the occassional accident (either while changing them or after explosive movements) is inevitable!

• Nappy Liners (paper or fleece)

We tend to recommend fleece liners as these are superior at keeping baby drier however many prefer the convenience of paper liners that can be flushed/thrown away with any solids. Rolls of paper liners are consumable and hence are a less economical option

• Nappy Bucket Pail with lid

A nice sized nappy bucket with well fitting lid is an essential. Used to store dirty nappies until wash day with a lid to contain any odours.

• Nappy Laundry Net / Wet Nappy Bag

You may want a nappy net to go inside your bucket to make the transferral of dirty nappies over to your washing machine - mess free. Wet Nappy bags are used by many as a laundry bag but mainly as a nappy storage bag whilst out and about

the nappy lady has a questionaire to fill in, they're brilliant. I used motherease one size, but tbh they are absolutely mahoosive on teeny tiny new borns