Using cloth on twins and/or toddler at same time?

[accessorizequeen]

My ds2 is nearly 18 months and I've used cloth on him since 3 months, which I'm very happy with. I'm now expecting dt's in September and would still like to continue using cloth in some way but not sure what's the best combination and without being too unrealistic.

I have quite a lot of nappies, some sized, some btp, quite a few pockets (wonderoos, bumgenius), some bamboo but they haven't washed that well tbh, most of the stash is unisex as I knew I would have another baby! I don't have any newborn stuff but tbh don't expect to be using a lot of cloth in the first few months anyway due to the chaos! I have enough now to wash every 2 days, which suits me fine. I have a dryer and use it after a wash for 30 mins to soften up the bamboo etc.

I think it would save me more money to use cloth on the twins and maybe only cloth at night on ds2 simply because they'd be using a lot more sposies. Also I hate throwing out that many, although I have just been trying some nature babies and they seem v.good so would buy eco sposies anyway. DS2 is getting difficult to manage now because he obviously wants pullups rather than being laid down and I don't find it easy to use what I've got as pullups with all the boosting I need to do for him. Sandies I'm told are good pullups but not if you have 2 boosters in there, everything goes awry! Same with wonderoos whether GAD inserts or the wonderfulls, nothing sits right on him.

So any advice from anyone who's had two in nappies or twins or more? I want to save money, save the environment and save my sanity at the same time but don't think that doing all 3 full-time is going to be reasonable for me!

DS1 was 14 months and obviously still in nappies when I had DS2. DS2 didn't potty train till three and a half so I had two in cloth nappies for quite some time. Didn't find it a problem, to be honest. I think I did a wash every other day and almost always used the drier. I used Kushies, sometimes with a booster if we were out for a long time. I did use disposables at night and if we were on holiday.

Have had 2 in nappies at once, just needed a bigger nappy bucket. Bought a big plastic storage bucket with a lid from B&Q. TBH you tend to find you wash every day with a newborn anyway so a few extra from your DS won't make a huge difference. If you need to buy some more nappies how about trying a minki yoyo for him, easy up and down.

Thanks both of you. I did think of minki yoyo's a while back but they're pricey so not going to shell out if I'm not going to carry on with ds2. He's just created the most almighty fuss about a nappy change, I was struggling to just hold him down! I much prefer to use the bamboo ones I have but impossible to get a nippa on these days.

Anyone else have advice, anyone on here used cloth with twins?

I don't have twins, I just have two DC in nappies, and so does my sister. We both use terry nappies, and have loads of them, and find it no problem. I would'nt use nippas, nappy pins with lockable heads are best.

'just have two in nappies' jeany! Most people dont manage one . I didn't have a prob with nippas until he was 9 months, have never tried the pins - how would they be easier with wrigging 25lb toddler with arms of steel?

I know people who had 3 under 14 or 18 months in cloth... I think they mostly used terries, not afraid to use disps here and there at moments when things seemed overwhelming or nearly so. Really, it's just a matter of sorting out your washing regime to keep it manageable.

You have to be dexterous with a nappy pin!

pre-folds are cheap and easy and dry quickly.

I had 2 in cloth for ages (3 dc in 3 years) just wash every day and then air dry. Use decent sized nappies for a good fit, use disposables overnight if you're struggling. Bribe with treats etc on the sofa in front of the TV to get toddler to lay down etc etc etc. I would you for reliableness over anything else. Get a spinner or tumble drier for emergency wet weather use.

I've had two in terries with no real problems. It's a question of having plenty of nappies, and getting into a good washing routine. There's no easy answer to toddler tantrums at nappy change time, except you've got to let 'em know who's boss!

Thanks, all. I have a few pre-folds bought at an nct sale, but I'm not that interested in buying/using terries at this stage as I have such a huge range of stuff already dp gets confused . He wants more pockets, which admittedly I do like too - they're so easy for out and about.

ds2 complete nightmare all day about putting nappies on, if he's still like this by time twins are born he's going to be in disposable pullups and cloth at night. Both dp and I struggle with him so much, cleaning pooey bottom ends up with it flung all over the place! I am extremely firm with him, also try to distract, make it a game which sometimes works but he's just trying it on, he's fine if I try to put a cloth nappy on as a pullup!

Right, so maybe I'll get several more wraps for the twins as I have no smalls and keep my eye out for nappies 2nd hand as I know which brands I like. And accept a wash every day, use sposies when it's all too much. We're hopefully moving the dryer into the house soonish (it's in the garage, which is horrible in winter) so it can have more use

We have two older DC in terries at night and the two younger ones wear them full time. We get through at least 15 or 16 nappies a day but washing that number is really no different with modern machines than washing for one child. We have certainly saved a lot of money over the years and I suspect the children have been far more comfortable. I did try to put DS1 (6 next October) in a disposable when we were away but not only did it leak at the sides, as he sleeps on his side, but he said that there was too much yucky plastic and it was hot and uncomfortable. I suppose it is only the ones who you might have hoped to be out of nappies who can tell you that but it must apply at all ages - I think I would prefer to have towelling next to my skin rather than a sort of plastic film.

Wow Cat, that's a lot of nappy changes each day. Out of interest, what sort of wraps do you use on your older DC and do you have to use larger size terries on DS1?

I dunno what preggersagain is calling herself now, but I think she has twins and a toddler in cloth.

I had two in washables (and a minded child, but I didn't do his washing) and it was fine. Because I had a cs, and to start with I soaked the nappies, the nappy bucket was too heavy for me to lift (used washables from day one) dh put the nappies in to wash for me. This continued for about two years , until I didn't need to do a wash every day, when I started doing it myself. I have to admit, I used the tumble dryer a lot (in my defence, I lived in an upstairs flat). I used tots bots and popper wraps, nuch harder to take off.
To change a wriggle toddler: put the changing mat on the floor, sit at side of it. Manhandle toddler onto changing mat, and put one leg over his chest/tummy, with his arms on one side of your leg, his bum at the other side. Your leg stops him reaching the nappy area, and holds him in place.
NB, you're sitting on your bum with one leg out in front of you with ds underneath, NOT, kneeling and trying to hold him without putting weight on his chest as I discovered a friend of mine trying to do when I didn't explain it properly to her. Hope that makes sense??

FG, interesting, I haven't tried that position and I'm not sure I could as it's pretty difficult for me to even sit on the floor at this point! He is just aiming it at me & dp, fine today with my mum and at nursery the little ratbag!

Ooh, sorry, I'd not noticed / overlooked the fact you are pg. It would be a difficult thing to pull off over a bump, especially one with twins in it! It does work though, when you don't have a bump. I do remember some fights with ds (ds and dd have an 18 month age gap) when I was pg, it wasn't fun. Can't remember what I did to help the situation. I think I kept him up on a changing table, and if he started wriggling or fighting I just held him still until he stopped. Gets awfully messy though, doesn't it. Would an apron help?

ok, have only had 2 in cloth at the same time so not sure how much harder twins will make things (but that said twins will make things quite difficult on every front really won't they )

ime though it's not the using the nappies that gets difficult, it's keeping on top of washing.

dry pail and learn to be a nappy slut... if it doesn't drop of the nappy over the toilet just leave it and simply prewash and extra rinse while in the machine (shush eco warriors, now's not the time!)

also, you'll definitely need to do a wash every night, don't leave it a day even if it looks too few to bother (unlikely with 3) as it'll be so bad by the next night you'll be doing 2 loads and running out of nappies.

have disposables ready at all times for when you just don't have enough nappies/wraps and never feel guilt!

invest in as many cheap terries and assorted secondhand BTP as you can afford and definitely use pins not nippas.... i took ds's nappy off one morning to find the nippa had come loose and hooked onto his balls [ouch] i'd thought he was just grumpy from teething for the last hour

get 6 wool fleece wraps, popolini do one that are shaped like a motherease wrap. they don't need washing much, are very waterproof (unlike all the other wool ones i tried) and are great night nappies.

let toddler run around in knickers as much as possible, they take up less space in the machine and if you have solid floors cleaning up a puddle is alot easier than nappy changing a squirming toddler. it'll be practice for potty training anyway

also, have you tried changing ds standing up? it's slightly more akward but they do tend to stay still for it, i think it's the lying down that bugs them at that age.

good luck you mad brave woman

LOL at apron, Girders! I don't even use gloves (I mean, how many would I go through with ds2 in cloth and ds1 pooing himself at least twice a day?!).

Thanks, PinkTulip, some useful suggestions there. Particularly wool wraps as of course they are not meant to need much washing, ideal! I use lovebums at the moment which are good. I do dry pail, just rinse in the toilet and hope no 'raisins' appear in my machine

I do try doing ds2 standing up, but the liner & booster always slip down with whatever I'm using, even pocket inserts don't stay put. It'd be ok if he didn't need major boosting!

on the mad/brave whatever front - I didn't even mean to get pg this time, much less twins! arggggh.

Oh no, it's much easier to wash your hands than wear gloves. Just meant apron to stop it getting all over your clothes. I find myself wearing one nearly all the time, in a scary, slightly stepford fashion.

have you tried hemp nappies for him? i have some harmonies for ds and they're seriously absorbant and if you do need to boost you can shove it inside the nappy so it doesn't escape when kicked, stood on, etc during the change.... plus they popper, much easier while he's trying to escape. have stopped using liners altoggether tbh.... ran out one day and just never bothered again, to much hassle for not enough benefit in my case

I had 3 in washables at one time. They all had different typed nappies so that was easy to manage, and in the very early days when I used plastic pants on two of them I marked them with the child's initial. I have forgotten your question now!

jeanybeeny, to answer your questions, we use plastic pants as I never found a wrap when DS1 was little that kept clothes and bedding dry/clean and MIL who had been a children's nurse said that they ahd always used pastic pants and never had problems provided you changed often enough. Though it is unfashionable to admit MILs are ever right, that is what we have found too - we have rarely had nappy rash - only a bit with DD1 when teething and the older two do not complain at all about plastic pants - DS1 did about disposables when we tried them - as I've explained in the thread on plastic pants. I now do use 75cm Terries for both older DC as they give much better protection than using two 60cm ones because they cover better and seem to be thicker towelling.

Can't help on the numbers game, but we had ds in Nature Babies wraps that poppered at the side and these were a lot more difficult for him to undo. We did have bouts of uncooperation for changing, but these passed, and he potty trained himself over a weekend at 2.2. We got some great Diaperwraps from Flame - good absorbancy for potty training and he has these as night-time pants for the occasional problem (although 99% dry at night). Good luck!