Cloth nappy question- wetness

[enchantedspleen]

Hi all,
We are planning on using cloth nappies from birth and I have a question about wees-
The nappy lady website says it's ok to leave baby in a slightly wet nappy, is this true? It just feels a bit weird not changing her if she's wet (Which will happen a lot!) Surely she could get urine burns if we do?
What do other cloth users do?

Also, with reusable wipes, do you use a solution or can normal plain water suffice to wet the wipes?
Thank you all!

I wouldn't knowingly leave a baby in a wet nappy but also its being realistic that unless you are constantly checking it is inevitable. I used cold chamomile tea and a splash of almond oil in a bottle for a solution for washable wipes. It was lovely and gentle. Miss cloth nappies - I found picking the fluff out of the Velcro on an evening very therapeutic

I changed the nappy as soon as I realised it was wet- and our daughter generally let us know pretty promptly!

I only ever used water on the reusable wipes - really out of laziness, but it worked fine.

I always change when wet. Reuseable are prone to leaks so to save an outfit change it’s best to change frequently.

I use water with a bit of the scented oil in that you get with Cheeky Wipes. You can buy it off their website. Just water is fine though.

Well there's wet and then there's WET. Newborns basically just wee on and off all the time so you change more often but don't overthink it.

Sometimes they will be wet for a little time before you change them. Maybe you are out in the pram for a walk or a car journey or maybe they baby is asleep or you are busy. That's life. If the baby is very upset about being wet they will let you know.

No one will be letting their baby be extremely wet as reusables will leak.

I agree with other posters in that you can't keep them dry all the time. You could use a fleece liner as they wick the wetness away.

I always stored my wipes dry and just rinsed under the tap before a change.

With wipes I store the majority dry but I kept a plastic jug of wet ones so that you have some to hand at home.

For going out I keep wipes wet in a plastic pot with lid. Obviously I wash used ones and if they are unused I change them every other day otherwise they'd get smelly in the pot.

Plain old water as that is all that is required.

I also didn't buy fancy wipes but I cut up fleece. You can buy fleece by the metre but I had two old blankets that I cut up.

Is this your first baby op? In my experience a baby's nappy is almost always at least a tiny bit wet. So yes I do leave my son in a wet nappy - otherwise I'd be changing him probably over 30 times a day! I change him when I feel like the nappy is wet enough, it's kind of hard to explain. I just use my judgment.

Re. Wipes I've used both plain water and diluted essential oils. My son has never had nappy rash or any problems (twice in 20 months he's had the tiniest bit of red which disappeared on its own in less than a day and that's it) but we've stuck with the oil because it smells nice! When he was a newborn we used cotton wool and warm water.

Good luck

My baby is 6 weeks old. If I changed her every time she weed I would literally be up there changing her every 15 minutes, I don't think it's realistic.

Yes, this is baby #1 and I feel like I have NO IDEA what to expect! Terrified of getting something wrong and giving baby a sore bum or something x

And thank you all so much for responding and all your advice, it is so appreciated!

I use fleece liners (so official ones some made from a ikea blanket) which wicks the wee away from the skin. Disposables have become so effective at locking away urine that people don't change them often enough. That being said I never had a wee leak from a reusable 2 part nappy unless I've left a bit of the nappy sticking out. Never had a poo leak ever.

We don't had a problem with nappy rash for our two in reusables but if we put them in disposable for any length of time (say a weekend away) we get the mild nappy rash.

I generally don't use a solution on wipes but have used cheeky wipe one and it was nice but not necessary.

Sore bums happen in disposables too. If it happens then do what all other parents do and work through it. Some babies are more sensitive and flair up more often than others. Because reusables are not the norm these days it becomes more anxious because we don't want our choice hurting our child. Trust me babies are the most anxiety inducing things out there because we don't want to screw it up, they are also a lot tougher than they looks.

I used cloth nappies with all 3 of mine and I'm not sure how to answer that question. I think the nappy and liner must soak up some of the wee so baby doesn't feel wet all the time. Definitely not. But equally they wee so often you can't change them every time, you'd need 30 nappies a day!
Mine never had urine burns, they rarely even had nappy rash. You'll figure it out, don't over-think. Easier said than done I know.

Another vote for a fleece liner to wick moisture away from baby's skin. I used reusable for DC1, same ones again for DC2 (who's still in them) and will be using again for DC3 due in a few months, so will prob have two in nappies for a bit.

As PP have said, baby will let you know if they are too wet or you will see the nappy leak. I have always changed after a poo nappy and about every two hours otherwise. Weleda Calendula Nappy cream is a brilliant soothing natural nappy cream. You can buy it in Boots or most online reusable nappy companies. It's a little pricey, £7ish, but it lasts a long time and is regularly on offer in Boots.

If you plan to use them at night - I used a combination of reusable/disposable at night - and you think baby will go more than two hours between wake ups, then add extra boosters to increase the absorbency.

You may have come across them already, but 'baby bundlers' are brilliant for easy night time changes, also helpful if baby's night time nappy ends up ridiculously huge as mine sometimes did! They're like an extra long baby nightie with an elasticised bottom to stop them riding up. You can buy in them in John Lewis and M&S off the top of my head.

I used to change newborn after/before every feed..extra change if I could smell/spot any poo in between feeds..

I use fleece liner to keep bum dry, Weleda nappy cream if any nappy rash but I haven't used it ages..

Regarding wipes I store them dry and wet as I need just with plain water..some people wet day worth in the morning and store wet/damp ready to use..

Storage wise I use £1 plastic food container from Asda

Wash with nappies

Small wet bag when going out to keep clean/used wipes