Cloth/reusable nappies

[rach971]

I'm currently almost 17 weeks pregnant and I've been seeing cloth nappies mentioned quite a bit recently.

I was wondering if those of you that have used them could give me some insights on the dos and don'ts, would you recommend them, basically anything and everything you could tell me and give me info on will be helpful.

The thing that worries me/puts me off the most is getting the poo off. I can't imagine stood rinsing poo off into a bucket or over the bath 🙈 I've heard some come with a disposable biodegradable liner you can use that catches the worst of it and then you throw that away, but all the nappies I've looked at don't seem to come with those.

Feeling pretty clueless 😂

Go to the nappy lady website, lots of guidance and you can fill in a quiz to see what suits you. I've loved them. I use old fashioned Terry squares which I fold them cover with a little lambs wrap. I use reusable liners for the poo, just hold over the toilet and flush, chuck in the bucket then it all gets washed together on a pre wash rinse cycle then a hot wash. Also bamboo boosters for extra absorbency overnight.

@WutheringShites86 Thank you, some great info there. I'll deffo go have a look at that website.

Also as a side note - love the username 😂

Nappy lady has a free questionnaire to advise you on best fit for you. Also lots of councils do a voucher for getting started. There are Facebook groups such as cloth nappies selling UK where people are getting rid of both new and used.

We use two part nappies, which means you have a wrap (highly recommend motherease airflow wraps and then a cloth nappy. I use disposable liners inside, they come in a roll and means you just chuck the pooh away.

We also use cheeky wipes and find they are better than disposable wipes. We have two buckets, one for the liners to go in bin and a second for the dirty nappies. We have two nets inside, one for nappies and one for cheeky wipes and liners. The liners can deteriorate if the Velcro from nappy catches them, but net protects them in wash. The cheeky wipes are small so again net just keeps it together. Every 2nd day we chuck the two nets in wash, so a pre wash, then main wash.

It's also handy to have a wet bag for when you are out and can put dirty nappies in and dirty clothes.

My friend suggested first couple weeks get used to having baby, then start at daytime nappies, then try out night time nappies, then start using them for going out, then on holiday accept you are on holiday and use a disposable.

You can get disposable nappy liners but you would need to buy them separately they don't come with the nappies. I used reusable liners, the poo falls off easily normally or just rinse in the toilet flush

We got advise and everything we needed from the nappy lady. We use cloth terry squares, along with hemp boosters and reusable liners for our now 19 month old. We also have reusable wipes from Cheeky Wipes. During the newborn stage, the poos were quite easy to clean. Once starting solids, just scrape it off the liner then pre wash and a main wash. Definitely a bit tricky changing a reusable nappy out and about but we manage ☺️

Why do you think you wash poo off in the bath? Early stages of weaning is a bit gross, otherwise you can put the poo in the toilet and the nappies in the washing machine. You might have a cloth nappy library near you who can give advice and also lend out different kits so you can try before you buy.

Disposable liners are not flushable, and you still have to plop the poo into the toilet! I found them a bit pointless. The fleece ones are good as you can roll the poo off. I must admit to accidentally flushing one when trying to use the flush to rinse the poo off- that isn’t as easy as people make it sound!

I was a part time cloth nappy user which was all I could cope with at the time, and I absolutely loved using them. Even using one a day is one less nappy in landfill!

Breastfed baby poo before weaning is completely soluble, so can just go straight in for a cold rinse before a long, hot wash (go in nappy lady website for washing advice as mentioned above).

Also to note that websites like Vinted and Facebook marketplace usually have hundreds of people selling secondhand bundles if you want to try them out.

Our local area also has a nappy library where you can borrow lots for free to try out different makes too.

I tried them for 6 months, used the nappy lady - always mentioned on Mumsnet as the bloody oracle but honestly I think she's overrated.
My advice is don't.
It's a fucking faff. Shit going round your washer - no thanks. When we switched to Pampers active fit we didn't look back. :D

We use little lambs 2-parters so there is an actual nappy then a separate wrap that goes over the top to protect baby's clothes.

I have about 15 nappies and 5 wraps I think (the wrap doesn't need changing every time so u don't need so many). I also have disposable liners so no poo woes.

I'd recommend a tots bots nappy bucket for used nappies and 2 mesh bags which line the bucket.

On nappy wash day (which tends to be every 2-3 days as we use some disposable nappies too to make things easier) I take the full mesh bag out of the bucket so no handling anything grid and place directly in machine, no need to empty it or anything. Then I give bucket a quick clean and Chuck the cloth I used to do that in the machine too. Put fresh mesh bag in bucket. Put powder and sanitiser in machine drawer and turn machine on (40 degrees with extra rinse).

Honestly it sounds like a huge faff written out like that but I promise whacking a nappy load on is so easy and straightforward once you're used to it. Whole process takes less than 3 mins and I can easily do it with baby crawling around nearby causing chaos!

Have a look on little lamb's website. Also mummy of 4 uk (Rhys) does some excellent cloth nappy information videos.

I get through approximately 5 disposables per 24 hours so I'm by no means perfect but it's still better than nothing. I can't commit as fully as she's my second baby but with my first I used cloth almost every time as life was much simpler back then! Just do what you can and good luck.

Gross not grid!

Re: the shit going round the washing machine. Using a 60 degree wash for nappies, and doing regular maintenance washes, kept it perfectly clean (in fact it was probably cleaner then than it is now!)

You could check if you have a nappy library near you. You might be able to hire newborn nappies (they're not in them long) then borrow a trial kit to see what kind you and your baby get on with, as there are so many different types. I personally wouldn't go buying lots in advance as you might find that the type you thought you'd use you don't actually get on with - that's what happened to me and I was pleased I'd got everything second hand and cheap!

Anyone with shit going found their washing machine wasn't following the nappy lady's instructions! 😂

I recommend cleanclothnappies.com it's got loads of good washing advice. I've had 2 in cloth full time/part time. We use disposables when out and about or when life is getting busy but when we are home we use cloth most of the time. We aren't militant with it, just go with what's easiest. I like not having to buy so many disposables, and like not filling up our rubbish bin with them every week. Disposable liners were a total waste of time. You can't flush them and then you end up with a bag of poo to throw away. They bunched up in the nappy and didnt really work for us. Fleece liners are recommended - they wick moisture away from the skin and when you have solid poo to dispose of it rolls off the fabric and plops down the loo.
We did elimination communication in quite a relaxed way - at about 7 months old sat them on the potty at nappy changes or after waking from a nap. most of the time my DC would do a wee, or we would catch a poo if they needed to go. DD1 was doing the majority of her toileting on the potty by 18 months and her nappies just became gradually dry. she was wearing pants at age 2. we had the odd accident here and there but I certainly wasnt scraping poo out of her nappies much. I know my experience isn't the usual and a lot of people roll their eyes at EC but it really worked for us, potty training was a breeze. I put it down to early introduction of the potty and them being much more aware of when they were wet because they were in cloth. Also their fat little bums are cute when they waddle around with a chunky nappy on :)

I’m using cloth nappies for the third time round now. Nappy Lady is ok but always recommends Terrys with motherease wraps which IMO are bulky and ugly.

Depends on the shape of the baby really but I’ve loved little lamb fitteds with a wrap, and totsbots all in ones.

All in ones are most like a disposable in that it’s one piece with Velcro usually so just put it on the exact same. Poppers can be better for toddlers though who are clever and might like to rip Velcro nappies off.

I plop poo in the loo and then do a pre wash (no detergent, 15 mins), 1 hour wash at 40 or 60 with maximum water. Hang dry.

(Obviously use detergent for the main wash. Non bio powder with a bit of napisan)

Ah they are such a win! Totally recommend and reusable wipes. Just so easy, really enjoyed using them, and the prints are super cute!!!

The Nappy Lady site has great advice on choosing and washing nappies. We've used them on both our kids. Untill weaning at 6 months we left the poo on the nappy and just chucked it in the bucket. Breastfed poo washes out; not sure about formula fed poo though. Ince we started weaning we used disposable liners, they come in big rolls. Less poos after weaning and more solid anyway.

Well that's just not true. Maybe you didn't breastfeed your baby but I did.

we currently have 2 in cloth. We use Little Lamb bamboo fitted nappies, nappy nippa version as don't like the velcro. We use motherease or nature babies wraps over the top.

Second the recommendation for Clean Cloth Nappies, they are fab. our washing has never been so clean!

I did and still do breastfeed her as a toddler. Breastmilk poo is soluble and after weaning it got flushed down the toilet.

I know it is. The pp I quoted who thinks having shit going round the washer is wrong since you do wash breastfed baby poo...

I've had my daughter in cloth nappies since she was around 4 months, she's now 19 months and honestly it's saved so much time, money and hassle

I love the fact nothing is going to landfill, I bought most of her nappies second hand so got to try out a few brands and styles and now I never need to go bloody nappy shopping or worry about running out again

For the poo, before weaning its very liquid and if you breastfeed its not really smelly (just smells a bit like cheesy yogurt) it's really not that gross and I just quickly rinsed the pooey nappies before putting them in the bucket before a wash.

After baby is fully weaned they're solid poos and can just be rolled into the loo

The bit in between newborn and weaned poos is nasty AF but it doesn't last long thankfully!

Another benefit that i found helped compensate the nappy washing is that in disposables it was so easy for them to leak or to have poo shoot up the back, never happened again once I switched to reusables and found the right style for her (we use birth to potty all in ones or all in twos , mostly bambino mio day time, tots bots night time plus some bamboo boosters)