Which are the best real nappies?

[Sallie]

My sister is expecting in the summer and wants to use real nappies. She is cost conscious so what is the best value starter pack? And which are the best real nappies in everyone's opinion as I am tempted to use them next time.....

What is a real nappy? I wonder if I have been using virtual ones ???? [puzzled emoticon]

Mean cloth nappies. They were called real nappies by my health visitor. LOL!!!!

Just popping in but would warn against starter packs. The 'best' cloth nappies depend a lot on your circumstances and your baby and so it's quite a lot of money to shell out if you then find they don't suit either of you.

'Circumstances' can include:
who is the main nappy changer and who else will be changing nappies, do they feel up to folding terries, or do they want something as close as possible to a disposable;
do you have a tumble drier or not;
how often do you want to do the washing;
do you want cloth because of the cost, the feel of the nappies or the lower environmental impact;
what shape is your baby?

You really don't know the answer to all these questions (especially the shape one) until the baby is born. Plus your baby grows, changes shape and gets wrigglier, so ime some mums who start out with terries (the cheapest and fastest drying option) find it's easier to use pocket nappies by the time the baby has turned into an 18 month old.

Having said all that, I would recommend the 'nappy lady ' website which has a free tailored advice section to help you go through the various options and find out what might be the best nappies for you. You don't have to buy your nappies from her if you don't want to.

hth

If it helps at all, we don't have a tumble drier, so drying time was very important to me. (Some of the all-in-ones can take a while to dry.) I was very keen on pocket nappies when I first decided to put ds1 into cloth - but I tried Nature Babies stuffables and they really didn't fit him properly. So I used terries when at home. (I realised if my mum used them on us, how difficult could the folding really be?) And for nursery/out and about I used Tots Bots.

But as ds1 has grown up I'm using pocket nappies more often (Slinki Minkis mostly) and that's what I plan to use with ds2 when he goes to nursery.

Also, is there a dp/dh on the scene and what does he think? I really regret making my decision to use cloth a 'unilateral' one. Dp refuses to use the cloth nappies but happily changes a stinky disposable one. I was thinking of him when I chose the Tots (they don't require any folding). But in hindsight I realise I could have showed him the information and worked towards a joint decision, then he might have ended up far more supportive of whichever nappies we had both decided to use.

Anyway, that's just my experience, others might recommend totally different ones.

Or try plushpants - they do a free trial of different kinds.

I like coloured totsbots - not as bulky as the white ones.

Hi,
I use "real nappies" I tend to use motherease one size and sandy's during the day with motherease airflow wrap and tots bots at night with tots fleece wrap, seems to work for us, I spent a fortune trying out different systems, there are so many nice looking nappies out there !

I have used motherease one size with the wraps that go with them. Have used them from 8 weeks - 2 1/2 years. Have never had any leaks or problems. There are so many to choose from on the net it gets quite confusing. I just decided to use these and went for it. Am happy with my choice.

Definitely Totsbots for us- yes, the coloured ones are slimmer, but slimmer means less absorbent, so what you lose in absorbency you gain in cuteness. If you chose the nippa fastening style, they will fit ANY baby snugly. They are pretty much bomb-proof- I can't remember dd ever having a poo leak in a Totsbot.

Another vote for totsbots, I would swear by them. However I think you do need a tumble dryer because they take a while to dry.
Bumbles are probably the newest and are closest to the totsbots design. They are one size and very economical. I have a few and I like them too. The nappy lady says they can't keep up with demand at the moment. That should tell you something!!

Another totsbots user here. Very pleased with them. I use them with motherease wraps.

I have just started using cotton nappies on DS2. So far I have been using Fuzzi Bunz with inserts which I find great (tho probably an expensive option for every nappy), some Bambino Mio with muslins/FB inserts which I rate as OK (the wrap seems to leave a mark on his tummy).

I tried using the Tots Bots but I find them really bulky. I will keep them for nighttime use for the moment but I think I will have to bypass the age 3-6 months vests and sleepsuits and go straight to 6m+. Is this the general consensus, that they are good but bulky? Or is it just me? Also I am using a B Mio wrap at night but find it a bit of a squeeze on the Tots Bots.

Hard to say really - ds is such a bruiser (98th percentile for height & weight) that he's always worn clothes for double his age (ie at nearly 6 months he's wearing trousers my mate's 18 month dd has just grown out of! ) So whilst I think the totsbots ARE fairly bulky, they don't make that much of a difference to ds - he lives in tracky bums anyway!

I've got various other kinds but just haven't found any that can really cope with ds's prodigious wee output (gosh, I'm making him sound a total monster! ), so I keep everything else for wearing with smart trousers (& resign myself then to changing him on a practically hourly basis...)

Oh & Cotton Bottoms wraps seem to work quite well with Tots - I went straight for the larger size & they contain everything nicely, are quicker to dry than most & have a rather jolly frog & lilypad pattern!

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What would people recommend for a chubby baby?

lunavix, my dd2 was around 30lb at 1year old, and we used tots bots size 3 with ME XL wraps for her. (switched to cloth when disposables didnt fit anymore)

Oh dear.. think my plea for size 2 might have to go up to size 3

i would offer you dd2 ones as we are potty training soon, but i need them for #3 (due march) and tbh they are well worn!!

It's okay, I think I'm just going to have to stop telling dp where our money is going...

for me its kushies... no wraps no nothin - just velcro it together

luna, i have loads of nappies being held for me 2nd hand for #3, and am so tempted to order some more as well. good job the card is in my name.............

Yeah ... I have 5 credit cards... I owe nothing!

Can always start...

mines only debit card, but i am foever stuffing extra cash into that account

I think we are on the last stages of wearing nappies now,ds is showing an interest in the potty,but it's great to keep dh informed about how many nappies I'am selling and oops forgetting to tell about the bigger ones i'm buying !

We are using cotton bottoms with Alfie who was twelve weeks on Sunday. The main reason we decided to go with prefolds was that they are great for drying as the nappies dry overnight next to the radiator.
Sometimes the nappies leak poo so, to contain the breastfed poo we are using a nappy nippa, although getting the newborn fold right, so that you have a little pocket at the back requires a bit of practice. The poo almost always goes onto the wrap, and has been known to leak onto clothes, but it really does seem to come down to how well put on the nappy is. So I wouldn't recommend this system to anyone who really can't be bothered with learning a technique.
I think that when Alfie is weaned we will be able to abandon the nappy nippa (hopefully) and then it will be much faster to stick a nappy on.
We are using a fleece liner and kushies boosters at the moment for absorbancy, it makes the nappy big, but lasts for six or seven hours with no pee pee leaks.
Boosters are just extra pads of material that you stick in the nappy using as many as you think necessary. The fleece liner keeps the baby's skin dry and feels nice, it's very impressive.
Personally, I'm a bit suspicious of a nappy that doesn't need to be changed for a long period, it seems a bit of a bacteria haven to me.
The prefolds are cheap and easy to augment, we just added seven junior joy prefolds in small size from ebay for £4.99.
The wraps are very cute, but can leave marks if they are too tight.
We also have a couple of stuffable nappies, which we bought on ebay, they are not name brands, but seem to work pretty well and are cute, they also dry fast, but I don't think they are up to the challenge of a messy poo, quick to use though.
YOu can buy second hand from ebay, and if you were to use prefolds this is a good way to do it, as it will save you having to wash the nappies four times to get all the finish off - the more they're washed the better they seem to get, so pre-used is actually quite good.