would this be a feasible way to try cloth nappies?

[annady]

hello again,
i'm looking to try out cloth nappies after six months of using disposables. i'm a total novice but i wondered if the following idea might give me some practice without parting with too much cash (i can barely afford the outlay even for trial packs at the moment...)
if i were to try and get hold of, say, six cheap prefolds (size 2) second hand, would i be able to use these by day, wash them once baby's gone to bed (baby sleeps in moltex disposable), dry the nappies overnight in airing cupboard (or tumble dryer if need be - not sure how long they take?) and have them ready for the next morning?
is this a totally idiotic / unworkable idea?
i was thinking of trying out tots bots bamboozles, i'm led to believe they're a fairly reliable / straightforward option? or fluffles?
sorry for the rambling post - any advice most appreciated...
anna x

Sounds fine - that's what I normally do, as I only have about 8. DS is 8 months, and we've been using them for about 3 months - I can normally get about 2-4 hrs out of each one, so if you're the same I would say 6 would be about right. I'd also suggest you get some boosters (couple of quid each) and then that will help to soak things up a bit.

Also - have you contacted your local Council? A lot of them are now doing cheap introductory packs to try and get more people using them.

Fluffles will dry faster than Bamboozles, so if drying quickly is a priority for you I'd go for the Fluffles. Remember you'll need wraps as well (although if you are now past the stage of explosive poo you can probably get away with just a couple).

thanks so much for your replies
i got the impression fluffles dried faster than bamboozles but i'm not sure what constitutes 'fast' and 'slow' when it comes to the nappy drying process so can't really work out what i'd need!
how long might a bamboozle take to dry in a warm-ish airing cupboard compared to a fluffle?
i'm starting to sound like a crap science quiz show, apologies...
a x

I'm not sure - I use Motherease one size thingies, Babybeehinds (they're made of hemp, and do take a bit longer, maybe an extra 20-30 mins in the tumble drier), and my absolute favourites - FuzziBunz. These have a waterproof fabric outer, and fleece liner and a pocket between the 2 that you put a liner in. They dry in no time and no need for a wrap.

I use tots bots and I think they are great (with motherease wraps)

A fluffle is like a fluffy fleece, it is almost dry as soon as you take it out of the wash, so after a couple of hours in the airing cupboard it should be fine. IMO, they are quite bulky, so you might need to watch what clothes they wear.

A bamboozle is made of bamboo and will take 2 days or so to dry thoroughly in an airing cupboard. They are much slimmer almost akin to a disposable.

The normal cotton are somewhere in the middle, slimish, and will dry overnight in an airing cupboard.

I use a mixture of the above.

You can get some great bargains 2nd hand, which lets you try out different options before settling on your choice, and check out your local council too.

Its not rocket science once you've got your head round it ... but it is addictive !

keep the questions coming!

thanks so much for all your help.
sounds like bamboozles might take too long to dry if i'm only looking to buy 6 or so initially (would prefer to avoid tumble dryer if possible).
are there any other slimmer preshapes that perhaps dry a bit faster? sounds like fluffles are a bit bulky for a baby who's only known slimmer disposables...
i've heard mixed reviews of fuzzibunz, beehinds, and also motherease - would you recommend them?
thanks again - i am clueless but keen!
a x

I like Fuzzi Bunz used them on DS from around 6 months (we'd used a mixture of the various kinds of Tots before that). Drying time is reduced because you separate everything out exactly how long will depend on what you stuff them with. For economy combined with quick drying time I'd recommend the Tesco Value range microfibre cleaning cloths (there are a few kinds but the ones I am thinking of are plain white, no coloured edging, and come in blue stripey packets of three). Three years ago they were 89p for three and I reckon three is enough to stuff a Fuzzi Bunz or similar nappy. And because the individual cloths are thin microfibre they dry extremely quickly.

Also I think Fuzzi Bunz are good for a baby used to a slimmer disposable fit -- if stuffed with something non-bulky they are very slim-fitting.

We use Motherease one size as our everyday nappy - never have a problem with it, dead easy to use, and dries pretty quickly. Beehinds are the night nappy of choice in this house, and are super,mega absorbent, and slim fitting for that sort of absorbency, but take ages to dry. We use Fuzzis at the weekend just to vary from the wraps, and I do like them, but the poo containment isn't as good as a two part system. They do dry super fast, and the advantage is that the expensive part is the fastest drying, so you could def dry them overnight in an airing cupboard, especially if you have more stuffers than nappies.

i have used motherease one size for all three of my darlings as both an every day nappy and at night boosted with a prefold and they have always worked well and still going strong, they dry quickly and will be used with my next one due anytime now so very economical. i am a bit of an addict though and have lots of other nappies in ones and twos such as fuzzi bunz again boosted with a small prefold but not very good for poo, sandys and ellas bumhugger are great at night but take time to dry. i had originally for my eldest prefolds which were hopeless on him yet my daughter has worn many times when ive got behind with washing with no problems. each child is so different when it comes to nappies. It is worth looking at whether your council does have any schemes going as when i was in herts i got £40 cash back for nappies as long as i spent that much. In derbyshire i had to spend £50 to get £25 back but they accept receipts such as ebay and paypal for 2nd hand nappies so my £50 went a long way(although dh will point out i didn't need more - but i say you can never have too many!)x

Don't forget good old terry squares! They are cheap to buy and surprisingly easy to use. They dry very quickly too compared to a lot of shaped nappies. I find Little Ewes are the best, they are thick enough to stay on for a good few hours and (importantly) they hold their square shape. You can get instructions for folding terrys on 'the nappy lady' website.

If you don't fancy squares have you considered bumbles? They are fantastic! They are birth to potty, pretty quick drying compared to many other shaped nappies as they have pull out boosters, they are quite thin fitting, can be boosted if needs be and they are cheap to buy in the first place. The newer ones are of a similar quality to totsbots. If you are looking for them on usednappies.co.uk look under 'easy peasy'

Whatever you use, I think it is a good idea to get a decent wrap (like a motherease airflow), if your wrap doesn't work you will end up with leaks and lots of extra washing.

Pockets are great if you can find the right ones straight away, what works well on one baby might leak badly on another - this s further complicated when they grow chubby toddler legs for a while. If funds are short it might be best to avoid them.

LEMONAID - I use tesco value microfibre cloths all the time - they are still 3 for 89p and they are fantastic.

We used combination of prefolds and Totsbots. Totsbots size 2 fitted our slim but large (does that make sense) ds from 6mo. The best wraps we used were Nature Babies. We used Bamboozles with prefold and fleece wrap at night.

We dry our washing on airer in bathroom wtih a dehumidifier running (bathroom stays nice and dry and warm and washing dries quickly).

Prefolds and Terry squares (also had some of these) would dry over night and be fine to use the next day.

Totsbots (the normal cotton ones) would be dry in 24 hrs. Bamboozles would take 36 hrs and benefit from turning over on the rack.

Slim ds - tots bots no problem - didn't walk peculiarly, all clothes fitted (indeed, now have problems with his trousers all falling down as there is no washable nappy to keep them up). In fact, I'd say that you couldn't tell when he was dressed whether he had Totsbots or prefold on.

Hope this helps

thanks again for your advice and suggestions - if money wasn't an issue i'd buy one of each and try them all
haven't heard much about bumbles so thanks also for the tip-off there, will have a look now
a x

nappy nation do one that folds out that is really quick to dry.

i have some small and medium motherease wraps for sale if you are interested?

lo will need large size motherease wraps, i've just discovered (is already in excess of 20lbs), but thank you anyway!
x