Tell us the truth....

[lunavix]

How much did everyone spend on their cloth nappies

Even though I've got a few second hand and some new, I've already spent over £100

...or disposable versus washable breastpads!

luvanix: I noticed you did your sums with 26 weeks. shouldn't you have done them with 52? Sponge used 26 because she estimated using a packet of 70 disposables in 2 weeks.

mergle: a bit off the nappy topic but it sounded like you had a bum washing machine. For the first 5 years of my machine's life we had 4 lodgers using it as and when - pretty much 5 out of 7 days and the thing still lasted 11 yrs before we needed to replace it.

my washing machine is on its last legs, just about 2yrs old, but thats because both my kids and dh have eczema and have to clean blood soaked sheets an awful lot. and dd2 was very vomity and wasd washing her bedding each night at one point. one load of nappies every 2 nights isnt a big deal IMO.

I could not resist going on a hunt. All you seamstresses out there, I wish I had the time to learn.
fernandfaerie.com/patterns.html

I did the first calculation at 26 weeks because they're in the smaller nappies for 6 months (at least my estimate!) then the rest was just done for 2 years iyswim

Or 'nappy sacks' and disposable changing mats?!?!

I have an addiction too, but have managed just to stick to Tots (up to about 30 now!), and have sold everything else (to make it easier for dh!)

I bought Motherease for my son George now nrly 3yrs. Initial outlay probably £150 for 18 nappies plus some wraps. Motherease are fab cos they grow with the child - poppers. You just have to buy bigger wraps as the child grows. Bucket of water with few drops of tea-tree oil and washed at 60. Couldnt be easier. I did it for environment (500 yrs to break down one disposable, but also for the baby - read some reports about what disposables may be doing to future fertility of baby boys! Now my daughter 7 mths is using them so this time round, no outlay apart from the paper liners. AND when she has finished, I will sell them and get back some of my initial outlay. Quids in all round !!

Totsbots are yummy! Really funky colours, we have great fun picking them out every morning. They are saving me cash and worth it if you can spare the time and cope with buying slightly bigger babies clothes!

I planned to use reusables for dd1 (12m) but when she arrived the convenience of disposables took over. Naughty I know . Now that dd/ds2 is on the way I'm thinking about it again so thanks for the recommendations. Has anyone who's switched from disposables to cloth experienced more problems with nappy rash? dd1 very rarely suffers and I'm worried that switching now might not be good for her little bum!

sorry for ignorance but are they easy enough to use for new mums (who have, er, never changed a nappy in their lives) with brand new teeny babies? I really want to try ... got until may to decide

For just one child, I reckoned I spent close to £300 from birth to potty, and that includes the washing powder, wear n tear on the machine, electricity, gas, the lot. To get him thru on disps I reckon I could have done it for just over £300; I don't think I saved more than £50...

BUT, I have had 2 more children since then, using the same nappies. And they will still have some resale value at the end, so, I'm sure I'm quids in, just not a huge amount.

Piece of, ahem, p$ss oliv!

If you get totsbots with applix (velcro) they're as easy as a disposable - you just have to put the nappy on & then a wrap over the top, so same process twice.

oliv, congrats on expecting & good luck in may !
Actually I would say that changing nappies for the first time is a palaver no matter what nappies you use. At least a newborn doesn't roll over and try to crawl away just at the critical moment (it always amazes me how ds can twist and levitate his whole body from the mat when I have one of his feet firmly in my hand) . Having had first child in disposables (always meant to do the washables, just never quite got round to it..) and second child in washables from the word go, I think it is more fiddly to use washables, but only slightly. For me the key thing was to have everything in place before birth, ie to have a nappy bucket all set up, and work out literally where to put the wet/dirty nappy and pooey liner when you take it off before you can walk away to the loo etc. Once they are on they are so much softer, and the amount of leaks has been dramatically less - maybe 2 or 3 leaks in Ds's whole first year with washables, bearing in mind that the first couple of months (esp with a breastfed newborn)are characterised by the squirty poo.
you can get very good nappy demonstrations from companies like Lollipop or Cotton Bottoms, and you can borrow or buy trial packs to practise on a doll. Or you could get a selection of second hand-ones and sell them on again.
don't let your good intentions fade!

thanks hovely and carrie, fills me with hope! I'll get myself some trial packs ...

In terms of a rash when switching from disps to cloth, I have heard it said that some babies do get a rash, but it is just due to the change, and once the skin gets used to cloth, it's fine.

My ds gets a terrible rash in disps - just something different I suppose, and then is fine once we are back in cloth!

Probably over £200. I got some off ebay, but to be honest you don't seem to save much when buying second hand unless they are pretty tatty. The wraps are really expensive, and unlike my birth-to-potty nappies, need replacing as dd grows.
I probably spent a bit extra working out which sort to go for. I've ended up with about 7 nappies I rarely use.

Thanks Laura032004!
Suppose the only way to find out about the nappy rash is to give the cloth nappies a go...

I spent £50. Terry squares, nappy-nippas, nature babies wraps and booster/liners (which are fantastic BTW ). Did it on a budget as I'm not intending to have more children/DD2 is already 5 months/I love folding the terries and they're really versatile.

this is all in aussie dollars

$24 for 12 terry squares
$12 for 6 flannelette squares
$10 for 7 covers/plastic pants
$2 to make 3 muslin nappies
free - make fleece liners + 2 fleece wraps - left overs from friends sewing
about $10 to make 10 prefold squares
$5 for pins and nappy nippas

Not bad...

$9 to make almost 100 reusable wipes.

had some wraps and liners left over from dd1 that really did not get much use.