Trying out cloth nappies but so bulky!

[ChubbyScotsBurd]

I've got a trial of some nappies and they're fab (various sizes/types) but so bulky on my LO's teeny bum. I'm not sure what type to go for as a result - prefolds and wraps seem best, most versatile with age but will they be adequate as he grows?

I'm finding them all kind of soggy and bulky and fiddly, willing to persevere though!

what do you have?

Ooooooh, mixture, tots bots, fuzzibunz, motherease, sandy's .... loads.

Ooh exciting (I am painfully aware how sad I am to get excited by nappies!!!)

Bamboo ones tend to be the slimmest about when you are in a two part set, fuzzis and swaddlebees about the slimmest for pockets.

But they DO all look HUGE on teeny babies, after a few weeks though you get used to it and babies in disposables look like they have weird flat bums.

Prefolds work perfectly for some children, terrible on others - it all depends on you and your child really

I use cloth ones but I couldn't till my lo was about a month old,even though he is big or his age, because they made all his clothes too tight. Love them now though (I have a mixture of motherease and tots bots)

I think I shall persevere. Cost a minor concern, prefolds win here though I expect?

I hated prefolds due to my dd's tendancy to do HUGE explosive nappies so I always had to wash the wrap....
I ended up with Kissaluvs combo which were a bit slimmer than Tots Bots for example. I have my old ones size 1 and 2 if you want to try one (or buy them lol).
I think there are lots of new ones around since I was experimenting 4 years ago though.

Cloth can take a while to get used to-i found it horrible at first having to deal with a wet nappy that felt wet iykwim.

Bulkiness is soon not an issue-partly you get used to it, and partly your lo will soon grow into the nappies and they then look less bulky.

Fiddlyness is also just a case of getting used to it and then its as easy as using disposables.

Also not a prefolds fan,they are more fidldy than others, poo went everywhere and they don't seem to hold a lot of wee.

Sandys and kissaluvs are what i have for my next baby cos they are less huge on tiny babies whilst still containing runny poo well. Love fuzzis (are much easier to use if you pre stuff them so its just a case of popping them on)and they are really slim once your lo grows into them. Totsbots are the bulkiest nappy i have, but again not so bad once baby grows a bit and are a good all rounder imo.

Thank you for your tips! I love the fuzzibunz sample but I think it would be pricey to go down this route. I wish I could ask 9wk old DS which he prefers!

a bumgenius may be worth consideration - birth to potty pocket and slim - on offer for packs of ten at the moment, new ones are due in that have been slightly improved design features ....

I agree with NZ bout the BG. I have one and it's proved excellent on containment and is easy to put on (which wasn't an issue till DS discovered he was harry houdini). Also the fleece inner keeps DS bum quite dry, drier than a fleece liner on a two parter. They're expensive, but well worth it!

I had a trial lot and chose to get modern baby ones on grounds of bulkiness. They were ok, did have some accidents, but with disposables as well. Baby poo is like that! As dd has got older (now 18 months) accidents v far and few between, and I'm still using modern baby, but also like nappy nation cos they dry so fast.

Wraps are good because they're a second line of defence. The fit there is more important than the nappy IMO.

It's worth persevering. Just think to yourself I'm saving 20p (ish) each time and lots of lorry journeys everytime you use one. As the baby gets older you'll have to change less often.

they have made some minor adjustments to the bg to make them even better - as if it was possible - im getting them in on Monday and cant wait to see the new improved!

swaddlebees sized velour nappies are expensive if bought new but are trim fitting, ella's house hemp nappies are also good under clothes, especially with a rikki wrap. you could look at some reviews of those and see if they might be good under clothes and not too bulky.
by the way I love your selection of nappies already, you've got a great mix, I love collecting different brands and makes, as different nappies good for different reasons. you could buy a nappy with a complete fleece inner to keep your babies's bottom completely feeling dry too ( eg. a fluffle or a bumble)? I would get some second hand to try out before committing to buying more.
hth. x

Slimmest ones i've found by far are the pastel rainbow tots and the wambamboos. I always did the sized nappies so was never using size 2 when she was little which worked out much better. Didn't put her in then till she was about 2 months though cos they swamped her.

I think the only way to get a really neat fit on a small baby is to use newborn nappies, like Sandy's extra small, or kissaluvs newborn, or Swaddlebees. However, this is quite an expensive option, especially as the nappies won't really last that long.
I would say that prefolds are probably amongst the slimmest and cheapest for a small baby. We used them exclusively for the first few months. I recommend a nappi nippa though, it makes a big difference to the containment. Didn't get on with the pad-folding method, it leaked for us and the bum looked too big IMO.
The nappi nippa option is pretty easy, if I can do it, anyone can.
Do have a look on my nappy review blog for more opinions on some of the other nappies mentioned, such as bumgenius. I have noticed a few Bumgenius reviewers complaining that they were not big enough to be a 'to potty' option.