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.....

As an addendum, we have now tested those pocket/stuffable nappies with a breastfed poo and they didn't leak at all. They also look adorable. I'll have to check ebay again to see who made them and put the name on here. They were cheaper than a lot of the stuffable nappies I've seen and the woman did a deal with me because I bought more than one nappy.

Is this any help? Sorry I can't post links but www.littlelamb.co.uk are selling a whole starter set for £99.99(half price) at the moment.

Some councils are offering parents who wish to try real nappies £30 off the purchase or £30 refunded to you if you purchase any.

I like 'nature babies' wraps. No leaks, great value as they adjust both width and length ways with poppers. A good range of colours too, tie dye for instance! We use terry squares for economical reasons, as DD2 was 4 months when we bought and we aren't intending to have more children, plus they too are versatile. We've found that nature babies fleece and terry liner boosters are so absorbant that they have worked just with with muslin squares to hold them on. This has made the clothes change over from clothes with room to house cloth nappies to slimmer fitting ones more suitable to disposables much smoother!

terry and flannelette squares for me with an origami fold and a fleece liner.. plastic pants over the top and dd2 (now 12 weeks)is ready to go. Very quick drying - although that is not a problem here for me.

I have some leftover prefolds from dd1 and they worked fine with her. Will probably use them much later when dd2 is onto solids or when I need something quick - have nature babies and kushies wraps for those.

There is so much choice, and what suits one baby or parent may not suit another. I'd recommend using a trial kit if you want to wait til your baby arrives (or if you already have a baby!), that way you can try everything out. If you dont have your baby yet and you want to buy in preparation, I'd recommend either buying a selection, possibly 2nd hand, or going for some Newborn terries, then experimenting at a later date with different nappies.
HTH,
Vicky

I am very happy with my Cotton Bottoms nappies. I bought the starter kit to see if I could cope with the washing and then bought the full pack. Ds is 11 months and they have nearly paid for themselves twice. That said, I put him in diposables for nursery as he was getting terrible nappy nash because they didn't change him often enough (ie every 4 hours instead of the required 2).

annak
have you tried using a different kind of liner,you may be able to stretch that 2 hour slot a little longer [and wash less nappies!].

I used Motherease (still use them) and they are great. I don't use them at night however. Mainly as ds was soaked all up his back by morning - thisk this could have been sorted out had I enough energy to try different wraps though.

Motherease are the best with air flow wraps. Never had any leaks. Boy of 3, girl of 18 mth using them.

I like weenees - from lollipop. The only flat nappy I;ve found that doesn't leak, the wraps are like pants and you can use them with disposable pads rather than flat nappies if you want to (useful when going out sometimes). I'm using them on my 7 week old. I used their previous design on my older two= but these new ones are fab.

See here: weenee pouch pants

Norgen,
thanks for the link (even though it wasn't linked!). Had a look at it - do you know if littlelamb nappies are good? Sounds like a good offer, but has anyone tried them? Oppinions?

Message for Nab, Amanda3266 and anyone else who is using Motherease:- do your little ones get really bad sore patches around the legs and tummy? Its not really nappy rash more like friction/rub marks but it is really bad. I wondered if you knew a way to overcome it. Does anyone else get this with other brands eg tots bots etc?

I use MEOS too and they are great. Dp is a SAHD and deals with most of the washig and drying and we dont have a tumble drier. I find they dry very quickly over night next to the radiator. At night we add extra padding using microfibre cloths (about 60p each in Superdrug I think). I use both the Motherease wraps and some from pitterpatter nappies . Has anyone tried these hemp nappies they look really good and arent much more than the Motherease (when you add in the price of the booster). If Id spotted these a year ago Id have bought some as they are better environmentally. Why do I always spot these things too late

Ive never had a problem with red marks Allycat except occasionally when shes had a growing spurt and the nappies got a bit tight. If we forget to put vinegar in the rinse or dry them on a really hot radiator and they get a bit stiff they can also leave marks but its never anything that last a long time. Are the marks from the nappy or the wrap do you think?

Hi
Allycat - Have heard lots of people struggle with the bindings on Motherease. There is something in them that just does not agree with some babies. Luckily dd is fine with them as I do think they are fool proof. Have you come across lovebums. Shaped like ME airflow but a bit slimmer and have fleece cuffs. I love them.
Sallie - www.ecobabes.co.uk used to hire a nappy kit that I used and it was brilliant to try and decide which nappies I wanted and much cheaper than buying to try. Shape of baby is a huge factor. My dd had the biggest thighs ever. We use Kissaluvs and ME airflow wraps as I am a popper fan and they have been brilliant. I must have tried them all though! Used to buy a sell alot on forums or ebay.
Wish your sister luck.

Vess, I have used the first size Little Lambs and for the price think they are great, they are smaller than the tots bots and my dd has outgrown them at 13lb but they are fine to use for my next baby so didn't bother me too much. I have bought a size 2 Little Lamb and that seems the same size as the size 2 tots but I have already bought lots of tots so won't bother getting the size 2 Little Lambs.
HTH
Bev.

The nappies and wraps sometimes leave a red mark but then my daughter has quite chubby legs...

Also if your baby is around 16-18 months the nappies might start to feel tight around the middle but once baby is more mobile they will slim down and the nappies will fit fine again. I got that advice of thenappylady.co.uk Best site for help.

cooperoo - typo: www.eco-babes.co.uk The trial pack they do sample just about all the popular makes. Sounds perfect for the procrastinating analyst in me. Thanks.

Can I ask if anyone found any particular brand / method especially easy for your dp / dh ?

I've never changed a nappy in my life (we are pg with first, due this Summer ). I presume, for example, that disposable liners mean a little less of the brown stuff to play with, which sounds good to me.

We have a great washing machine and tumble dryer, and I don't mind spending as we may have more kids or can sell on. If there's no magical witchcraft involved, we can learn to fold. I guess we should go high on absorbency if I'm not too keen on routinely getting 'hands on' with darling sprogs' output

Reading some of the comments here it sounds like it might be wise to wait until we meet bean to see what shape they are... (and I thought they all came out kinda the same)... Would spending the first few weeks / month in disposables sound sensible (we'll both be at home full time) ?

Thanks for any advice.

Hub - Thanks for finding that link properly. I really don't think that there is anything wrong with using disposables for the first little bit until the hire kit arrives or you sort out the best nappy for you. It is cheaper than buying a load of nappies to find they don't suit. You will also realise how much disposables can leak too.
Obviously the shortest time in disposables the better but even part time cloth use is helping the environment etc that little bit.
I really recommend the nappy hire kit as there were some nappies that I wouldn't even have considered and then really liked when I used them. I thought poppers would be a nightmare for example when in fact I found the opposite true and hated the velcro. I ended up with kissaluv popper nappies and ME airflow popper wraps. My DH has no prob with them and has been very supportive fortunately. With the poppers you can tell people (like creche or grandparents) which poppers to use to make sure the nappy is not too tight or loose. I used fleece liners for a while but went back to paper ones that could be flushed as dd had a reaction to the fleece and got fed up flushing poo off in the loo.
It was recomended to me not to get a one size nappy if you want more than one baby in them as they will get tired. My size one nappies are still lovely and fluffy but my size twos have been in use for much longer and are OK but getting tired. They will do my next baby no probs though. Anyway I have gone on long enough.
HTH

Thanks for the advice Cooperoo.

OK, I really don't know anything about newborns and nappies, but I think the 'start with disposables' advice might be because (1) they wet themselves more at the beginning and (2) parents to newborns are often in a sleep-deprived harassed state, so it is deemed easier ???

Maybe that is toss, and it's perfectly feasible to cloth from day one ? Anyone ?

Ref: One size systems vs. different sizes, I hadn't really thought about the extra wear... one could argue having a larger pool (say 48 instead of 24 or whatever) would halve the wear / double the lifetime... (again, maybe this is not how it works in RL! Of course, it would also double the cost).

I like the idea of the Imse Vimse wool wrap someone mentioned below, and I googled them a while back but didn't think they looked all that pretty (shallow dad, me ). Do any Imse Vimse addicts disagree, or are there several different styles / cuts in the wool range ?

Cloth is definately feasible from day 1. I will be doing it with my next baby (due in June ) but that is with the experience and nappies I already have.
On the other hand my friend is doing brilliantly with her choice of Motherease onesize on her first baby who has never been in disposables. They are a great all round nappy without a doubt. I put off buying cloth to start with due to the cost and wanting to try the hire kit before committing but some people do know what they want. I was convinced by the Bambino Mio birth to potty pack initially and thank goodness I didn't get that as I would have given up in two days and been upset at all the money I had wasted. This style just does not suit my baby (poo everywhere). Changing nappies was my achilles heel though. I took to everything else quite well but was a disaster at changing nappies. DD always weed or pooed when I was changing her and we more often than not ended up showering off in the bath. Honestly I was hopeless. But like all things it got sorted.
Having more nappies will mean less wear but 24 is about the right amount for a newborn I think.....and where would you put them all???
I love wool wraps and use them on dd at night. They can wick though with tight clothes over the top and are expensive for full time use (for us anyway). I can really recommend wool wraps from Simons Custom Cloth . Erica is based in America but is so so helpful and friendly and quick and the £ is so strong against the dollar so cheap too. You can have any combination and choose thread and popper colours etc. I always email her with measurements etc rather than ordering directly from the site and she will do other stuff too like hemp boosters which were half the price of any in the UK. The stuff is beautifully made too. HTH

Glad to read that it is feasible to go cloth right from the start. Guess we've got nothing to lose. Congrats on your June bundle, Cooperoo. Ours (first) is due end July / beg. August. Hopefully our nappy learning curve will be quicker than yours! Taking a long time to get it sorted must be stressful. Do post any tips which might have saved you some grief ! I'm in Learning Mode !

You mentioned that the Bambino Mio didn't suit your babba "poo everywhere." Can I ask what makes one nappy OK and another not ? Is it absorbency and cut (aside from conveniences like velcro vs. poppers, all in ones vs. nappy plus wrap ?)

I looked through Erica's site. Really lovely stuff. Fav. fabricscean, frogs and hibiscus ! It looks like she's not selling anything right now, but guess she will bring her stock back up shortly (if you look at the diapers / covers they all say 'sold').

Can I dumbly clarify: one uses a wrap (which can be some kind of poly waterproof thing, or made of wool, like Erica's), as an extra layer of protection incase the nappy leaks, is that it ? From your text, you use cheaper / easier care ones for the day and the more comfortable / expensive wool ones at night ? Is the wool a pain in the backside to clean / care for ?

Whilst I'm picking your brain, why doesn't everyone just spec an 'all in one' design ? Wouldn't that save hassle ?

The strong dollar, as you mention, makes it tempting to get a whole wardrobe of bits! Bespoke nappies, eh ! Makes me want to go out and order a custom suit ! If we get Erica to do made to measure, I presume the nappy would only fit for say 6-12 months ? Would you suggest doing one batch of nappies at newborn size, and then later remeasuring and doing another batch at 1 year say ?

TIA.

Some people really like the bambino mio style. This is a prefold that is held in place by the wrap. My dd had the most explosive b/f poo and so when we trialled it we had to wash the wrap everytime we changed her which defeated the object. My dd pooed ALOT though (up to 6 times a day if not more sometimes) She leaked out of disposables at least once a day when she was in them as the poo shot up her back onto all her clothes etc. Nightmare. Washables worked for us as they have elastic round the waist to hold it all in. My nappy changing experience is extreme too, I am sure you will take to it much better than I did.
There are different types of nappies, including all in ones, stuffables, and two piece designs.
The nappies I use need a wrap as they are just the cloth and not waterproof. I had probs with leaks due to wicking with some wraps until I found the motherease due to my daughters thunder thighs which just squashed the nappy and wrap too much.
All the all in one styles I tried leaked on me and again this was due to my daughters shape not because I left her in the nappies too long. They are generally not considered to be as reliable although again they really do work for some people esp those with older babies I think.
Wool is really easy to care for as it is 'self cleaning' to a point. All you need to do is air the wrap. If when it is dry it doesn't smell then it is OK to use again. When it starts to whiff (only once a month with my use) it needs to be hand washed and relanolised (re-waterproofed) using special wool cure. I just leave this to soak overnight and then hang to dry the next day no rinsing or anything. I also use the hand wash option on my machine (v lazy).
If you email Erica she will tell you when she will be up and running again. To begin with you will be fine with her general sizes I would say. I only got mine made to measure as I knew it had to fit over a HUGE nighttime nappy and accomodate dd's huge thighs. There are loads of fab nappy makers in the UK too and do try the nappy lady for advice. Her site is great although her stock is more limited than some others as she has strict supply conditions (ie no kissaluvs). Try the following (too many to do links for)
www.thenappylady.co.uk
www.twinkleontheweb.co.uk
www.theclothresource.co.uk
www.nappiesbyminki.co.uk
www.kittykins.co.uk
www.familyfrench.co.uk (not sure on this one so google it)
www.lovebums.co.uk
HTH