What size terry nappies for birth to potty?

[HolidaysQueen]

I've got a 2 week old DS. I really want to use cloth, DH really wants to use disposable. We've been using Moltex since birth which we're really really pleased with and I think we'll carry on using these at night and when out and about. I've started putting DS in muslin nappies during the day which I'm finding surprisingly okay, so I think we're going to end up being a 'mixed use' nappy family.

Although I have a couple of shaped nappies for trial (Bumgenius, Totsbots, Motherease), I find them too big at the moment even though he is a 9lber, and as we might end up only using cloth for a few changes a day, I'm not sure I want the expense of investing in enough of those. As I like the muslins, I thought terries might suit us well as he gets older.

So I have a few questions on terries:

• What size is best to buy to cover birth to potty? DS was 9lb at birth so is on the large side but he is a solid, fairly long baby rather than very chubby.
• Any recommendations on the particular brand of terry to invest in?
• How many should I buy to cover maybe 4-5 changes per day with washing every 2 days. I was thinking maybe 12 - does that sound about right?
• How should I best wash them? For the muslins, I've been rinsing any excess poo, dry pailing with a little lavender oil, cold rinsing and then washing at 60C and this seems to have worked well so far. Would this be the best approach for terries as well?

Thank you!!!

We have always used 60cm ones from birth, with 78cm ones later at night for DS1 and now DD1 as well. You can fold them differently according to size, shape and gender; that is the joy of them: they are multichild, multipurpose and multiage.
We have some very old Harringtons ones which my mother used on my younger brother and they are undoubtedly, even now, thicker and softer than any modern one I have tried. We have mostly a mixture of John Lewis and Little Ewe, both seem good enough for the job. I think even with one child you would need 18 or 24 if you are washing every other day. I had three in daytime nappies and DS1 still in them at night at one time and had 60 nappies on the go. The more you have, the longer they last so if your DS is not intended to be the last or only one I would be inclined to invest in the best quality you can and get at least 24. I think you will find your own washing regime to suit you but the one you describe would work perfectly well. I do wash at 90 from time to time if we get a very loose nappy IFYSWIM.
Hope that helps

We use the 60cm ones too, shared between DS who is 11 weeks (15lbs) and DD who is a v large 2 year old. I use the same fold on both of them, the jo fold from the nappylady website and it works well for both. They do look a bit bulky on the baby and a bit skimpy now on the toddler but still do the trick and last through the night too. Also bought from John Lewis and I think they come in packs of six. Not sure how many you would need since we use a mixture of squares and fitted nappies but they do dry very quickly especially over a radiator.

Squares are excellent IMO and are a doddle to use if you use them regularly.

Re: Brands of terry square...

I have seen new Harringtons on eBay occassionally and have a few clients who are using them and find them excellent.

I use little Ewe and find them very a good quality, Babeco seem to be good to (still waiting to try mine out though as I have them set aside for DC3 before he fits into his shaped nappies).

Mothercare and Junior Joy are thin and do not hold their shape well (so a pain to fold after a while). Some people find them good for newborns as they are thin but personally I prefer something which holds its shape and stays softer.

Stick with your wash routine, I think it is the best method (I do almost the same but wash at 40C and don't use oil)

I would say get 20-24 if you can afford to, takes the pressure off if you have a bad day and get behind on the laundry. I don't think 12 is enough at your DS's age due to the larger number of dirty nappies (which may increase during teething)

harringtons on eBay now

I bought 40cm squares from Little Ewe which were so small they made me laugh (once I forgot about the money, that is )

Then we got some 50cm bamboo terries from Nappy Nation when ds was little, he grew out of them quite early (can't remember when, sorry, months and months ago). Then I got some 60cm Babeco ones that he is still wearing at 12m, and I use the 78cm Babeco ones for night-time.

The bamboo is good and thirsty, but it does warp so they stop being square and can therefore be annoying to fold.

bambinex bamboo nappies in size 2, nippa fastening would be good. They are very slim fitting, and when the front is folded over for a newborn aren't too bulky. they are very thirsty, and have abooseter for when bub is older, but do take a while to dry. colours are lovely.

I used them with my DD from around 6 weeks.

We got 50 cm ones from green baby - waste of money. Too small, and the binding shrunk so they were'nt square anymore and hard to fold. Now we use 60cm little ewes. brilliant.

Thanks - 60cm it is! Looks like I should buy more than I planned as well - they are cheap compared to shaped nappies after all and in 3 weeks I've already found good uses (substitute towel, changing mat cover, blanket in pram, general mopping up) for a few 70cm ones my parents bought me.

Another qn - sorry! I hadn't really thought about bamboo terries. How long do they take to dry, as I've heard bamboo in general takes ages but I guess it won't be so bad with terries? Will be on airer if raining or outside on line in better weather.

Bambvoo terries are very thin so they don't really take very long to dry at all when compared to other (non-bamboo) shaped nappies.

Advantages...

More absorbant for weight,
Stay soft
Thinner
Antibacterial

Disadvantages....

Tend to lose their shape (a pain if you are folding)
Can fray at the edges if you don't get ones which are well-hemmed
Slippery - this means they don't hold the fold shape very well at all

Worth a try IMO but maybe just get the odd one and see how you get on first. Don't buy the ones from Peachy Cheecks on eBay as they fray and lose their shape - they still work well as prefolds or inserts for pocket nappies though!