Reusable Nappies for dummies (and the lazy!)

[PositivelyFooked]

Can someone give me a run down on reuseable nappies? I wanted to use them with my first but didn’t educate myself enough and felt a bit intimidated, I feel as though im too lazy to keep on top of the washing of them! 😂

How many will I need? What different pieces do I need? There’s liners and disposable liners.. do I need both? Are they changed more or less frequently than disposable nappies (obviously soil dependant anyway I guess!)

I’d really like to use them this time, I’m very conscious about how many nappies babies require and now I’ve had my DD I just can’t imagine the amount of her nappies that have been thrown in the bin over the last 2 years!

Has anyone got any good tips, advice, websites.. anything that could help me out?

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I’d recommend joining the cloth nappies uk Facebook page there’s so much info on that page and they’ll be able to answer all your questions,

I second clean cloth nappies.
I found it easier to do a wash every day, so it became part of the routine and I didn't have to think about it.
I don't think we changed more frequently than if we'd used disposables. You don't need a liner, but they do make it easier. I used reusable liners because I found disposable liners scrunched up more.

I am pregnant with my first and intend to cloth. I’ve been a nanny for years and used cloth nappies in a job about 10 years ago and just loved them. They used a very basic type though, just pre-folds and wraps. These worked really well by the way and I have some pre-folds in the stash I have built up but I have fallen for all the cute designs and have a LOT of nappies now all different types 🙈

Have you googled nappy library in your local area, OP? Mine have one and we are hiring the newborn kit for 3 months… yes despite my massive nappy stash I haven’t bought any newborn ones and think this’ll be for the best as they are newborn specific and then we can move onto birth to potty ones. The nappy library kit is fantastic they have given me a full inventory and it’s basically every brand and style so I guess you will learn what your favourites will be before investing.

I’m also intending to cloth wipe (for the most part) and have the cheeky wipes set which I think is fantastic!

I’d recommend watching some YouTube videos. There’s some really helpful ones on there where people go through everything and their wash routine etc!

I've used reusables with 3 DC.

I'd recommend "pocket" nappies - the liners slot into a pocket. Because you can take them apart they dry much quicker than some others.

My ds1&2 were too small for them for the first month(ish) so I used disposables for that Which also made accommodating a new baby easier.

I do think they need changing more regularly - my kids could go overnight in a disposable or 6hrs in the day. I find Reusables need changing every 2-3hours (can space it out more once DC start going longer between wees) and I never found a reusable that was absorbent enough for ds2 overnight. I used a disposable every night for him and also do with DS3 as it's less hassle than having to change him in the middle of the night.

I don't bother with poo liners; after 3dc I'm fairly inured to it and just scrape it off with a bit of loo roll before it goes in the nappy bucket.

Wash at 40°c most of the time but you need to do a full wash not a quick one. If it's just wee I put it in with the normal washing.

The "nappy lady" website has loads of info but tbh if you have a local nappy library that's where I'd go. Once you find a style of nappy you like do an Amazon/eBay search for the style- there are often cheaper versions of the expensive main brands; my experience is that they last just fine.

We’ve used terry towels that we fold and wraps over the top.

When DS was newborn we used folded muslin squares and a newborn side wrap but they did work much better once his thighs got a bit fatter!

90% of ours are second hand. All of the towels and some of the wraps. Have a look on eBay and Facebook marketplace.

Cloth wipes are amazing! So much better at cleaning them up than wet wipes.

It’s been quite straightforward really. We tend to do a rinse cycle first and then wash them at 60 and throw in anything else that can also be washed that high. Our machine is quite new so we always use the water + option as modern machines tend to use very little water. Everyone I speak to has a different way of doing it though so there isn’t really a right or a wrong.

We haven’t used liners.

Some local councils give you vouchers for cloth nappies so be sure to have a look!

I bought 20 cloth nappies and found that was enough. I did a wash probably every 3 days.
I use disposable liners as well as it caught the poo and meant the nappies didn't stain as much.
Definitely the best decision I made.

Thanks everyone, lots to look into and going to see if I can find a local nappy library.

I think I’d like to use the all in ones or the pocket nappies; they seem a bit less inditimidating with less parts! 😂

I really recommend this website - www.thenappylady.co.uk/

It’s super informative and there is a questionnaire to help you work out which kind is best for you.

I started out using terry squares and motherease wraps. They were great for a newborn but as my son got more mobile I found they were a bit too bulky.

I now use baba and boo and really rate them. They’re so easy to use and very cute.

You don’t necessarily need to change them more often than disposables but there is some evidence that reusables can lead to a bit more nappy rash as they don’t wick away moisture like the chemicals in a disposable do. I’ve never had this issue myself, but you might need to change more regularly if your baby is prone to nappy rash.

The washing is a lot. You get used to it, but it’s a lot! Much easier in summer when you can dry them on the line.

You don’t need disposable liners for the first 6 months as milk-fed baby poo is soluble in water. You can use them once your baby is on solids but I don’t bother. I just chuck poos down the loo (use a bit of loo roll to wipe it if needed). The disposable liners aren’t really flushable so if you can cope without them it is easier.

I would never not use cloth nappies now - I love knowing how many disposables we have saved from going to landfill, and cloth nappies are cuter and more comfortable than disposables in my opinion.

To add, I have 16 and find that’s enough. I wash one load of nappies a day.

We use tots bots range. I really recommend. The easyfits last well all day and Ds can easily go 4+ hrs if we have needed. The tots bots bamboozle have never leaked overnight.

We have 20, and wash every other day. It’s really easy, and they dry on rack indoors in winter. We could get away with slightly less, but 20 allows for one in changing bag, car, extra used one day etc. have 4 night nappies ( tots bots bamboozles)

I used wraps with separate prefold inserts. I had 24 cotton prefolds and 4 wraps in each size, they fit from around 4-6 weeks not before (used disposables in newborn size). I washed every 2-3 days.

I used them for both children at once for a while so more washing!

Nappy lady is brilliant for comparing kinds of nappies, but definitely use Clean Cloth Nappies for washing advice.

Mine were heavy wetters and terries or heavily boosted other nappies were OK overnight.

We started from day one. It's worth working out washing routine (temperature, amount of powder etc) before the baby arrives. And if they're second hand nappies it's with sanitising them. All that information is on the clean cloth nappies website.