why doesnt everyone use cloth nappies?

[misdee]

sort of carry on from the breastfeeding thread.

pros and cons of cloth nappies to be discussed lol.

try Ella's House for reuseable nappies and sanitary towels.

Thank you

Cloth pads:-
www.wemoon.com.au
www.moon-mammas.co.uk
www.clothmadmummy.wahmall.co.uk/shop

Mooncup
www.mooncup.co.uk

Julie

I suport moondog claim, cotton was grown for a long time in the surroundings of my city (it only grows in very dry areas that of course don't have much water), as far as I remeber it was of a very good quality only second to Nile production however it was watered with ..waste water? of course there were not many water processing plants in that place during my childhood and there was no way clean water could be used for that purpose. However, after 10 or so years the crops disapeared, as far as I know the land got so tired is not good for producing anything else and in a desertic area with no rain or organic waste from other plants that's a problem not easy to repair...

Cloth nappies

www.thenappylady.co.uk
www.kittykins.co.uk

Julie

OHHH! That's great! I always wanted to have panties with Hello Kitty on them but sanitary pads??? it is far more than I have ever dreamed off!!! Thank you

White vinegar's a right bugger to get hold of (here in Fife, Mrs D ) - so what's all this about soda crystals, then??

I have CAT you spots Very easy to get 'down here'. Spda crystals are cheap as chips, save on the washing powder, good for cleaning anything and better for the environment.
How about Dundee? They have a whopping Tecos there.

hey- if you like all things green...natural...etc etc then you will like the new parenting magazine

the green parent

www.thegreenparent.co.uk

picked up a copy in boots- like it!

The sad thing is that I'm serious about it...

If anyone is concerned about cotton, then hemp nappies might be the better choice of cloth. According to Ella's House info, hemp requires less water than cotton to grow, naturally repels weed growth and needs little or no pesticides. It produces twice as much fibre per acre as cotton. It is also 10 times stronger than cotton and more absorbent. So there's another option.

Julie

Really Chandra? I'm all cloth nappies but I haven't got into the reusable sanitary product stuff yet.
(God it's cold today. Anyone else having difficulty typing today or an I ill?)

I was really keen to use cloth nappies - more for the money saving and not having loads of rubbish sacks hanging round than the big ecological question, I must admit. I splashed out on some Bambino Mio nappies and tried really hard BUT... the problem for me was that the baby's poo was just too frequent and runny so I ended up constantly changing her and not only changing the nappy (which is not so bad) but having to wash the outer bit as well so I would run out of outers after only a day or two. Also the wet nappies made her bum sore and the whole thing seemed to take forever to fit comfortably so she didn't get pinchmarks or chafing but was tight enough not to fall off.

Another thing is that baby clothes don't seem to be made for the bigger nappies these days and she is a fast growing baby so I ended up needing two sets of clothes - for when she was wearing 'real' nappies and disposables.

on the positive side (just about) I didn't find washing a faff at all - I just stored the nappies dry in a mesh bag in a bucket with a lid then washed them at 60 with nappy sanitiser - no smell escaped from the bucket at all.

In general though, I just found they weren't right for my baby, which is a shame cos I live in a Sure Start area and we can get a birth to potty set of reusable nappies completely free!

so, after all this - is anyone interested in making me an offer for 20 small nappies (up to 16lb), plus covers (4 small, 2 med) and nappy bucket?!

Geordie - looks interesting. Have put it in favourites for later.

Got to go to school for the kids now - and its piddling down

ttfn
Julie

Try going to www.borndirect.com - loads of great info on nappies and if you live in the area (Bristol/Bath) they give free real nappy demonstrations in their shops.

I started with cloth nappies and spent a fortune on the 'birth to potty pack' of cotton bottoms, but dd who is / was prone to severe nappy rash (skin breaks down and bleeds) especially when teething, fared much worse when in damp cotton as opposed to dry disposables.

Haven't even attempted to use my cotton bottoms (gathering dust somewhere) on baby ds who at 7 months and currently teething (with severe nappy rash to boot) seems to have similarly sensitive skin to dd.

Have been using fitted cotton nappies now with ds longer than disposables (he is 17mo) and haven't looked back. Much prefer the non-chemical look and feel about them. Plus I HATED it when half my outside bin was full of disposables and there sometimes wasn't room for the kitchen bag! The only time I revert back to disposables is when ds is has a bout of diarrhea (not often) as the runny poo cleaning can be hard work as it doesn't just fall off, or if we're away for a week and there's no washing machine.

I also don't think that babes are more prone to nappy rash and more changes/leaks if they're in cloth. I found out that my ds' nappy rash was caused by too much washing detergent and stain removers when we moved to cloth. He's been nappy rash free for months since I had advice on the 'winning combination' and it only seems to make a reappearance when he's in disposables for a few days! (his bottom can't breathe!) Also you need to make sure the cloth nappy you purchase holds the right amount of wee for your little one. A little experimentation with different types will soon highlight whether yours is a big wetter or not. Ds' Bumbles get changed the same number of times or less than his 'disposable' friends as they hold much more than the average disposable. Plus we get no leaks unlike with disposables at night.

Anway, sorry this was so long!

Just realised, hmc, my comments on nappy rash weren't against your situation. Some babes have sensitive skin all round and will still get a rash in cloth or disposables. Sorry!

def need a fleece liner to keep bottoms dry! not all shaped nappies come with them so need to be purchased or home made (v easy to do).

I just use totsbots w/out any liner...the tongue bit folded at the front soaks up ds's wee & I just hose poo off with the shower spray before putting in a soaking bucket (with tea tree oil so it doesn't niff - mind you I have 4 cats & lousy sinuses so maybe it does!)

Only problem we ever have is wee seeping out of legholes occasionally...definitely much nicer to use than disposables in other ways.

Karen - don't worry, I haven't taken offence

hmc fancy selling your cotton bottoms pack

After failing to breast feed I thought my guilt would lessen if I used terries, it did. I like seeing them on the washing line and you can hang them in snow and rain to soften them. I also love the reduction in bin bags we fill each week and I enjoy calculating the money I save week to week! Did you know I have learnt over a 6 ways to put terries on my dd.

Can anyone recommend cloth nappies which can actually cope with the amount of weewee toddlers produce at night time?

I'd given up buying nappies, but both DD and DS seem to be going through a phase of wetting the bed nearly every night, so I'm sick of laundering the sheets, covers, and sometimes duvets and pillows as well.

I did use cotton nappies for a long time, but then found they leaked as the kids got older. Anyone know a good brand which doesn't leak for older kids?

where can I get a perforated bag to dry pail my nappies