Would like to use reuseables with DC1 - a wrap question and another do I have enough question!

[Anglepoise]

Hello wise MN ladies

I'm afraid this is another "do I have enough reusable nappies" question - I realise that there are quite a few on here but no one seems to have quite the combination that I have!

I have bought a bundle of secondhand reusables and then topped up with one or two things (to be perfectly honest, I am getting slightly obsessed with this already! ).

The bundle that I bought said that it was appropriate for a six months + baby, so for six months onwards I have:

10 Motherease AIOs
2 large Motherease Sandys
8 large Lollipop fleeces
7 large prefolds (might just use as boosters)
3 other large random nappies (think one is a Totsbots and one is a Bamboozle)

I am not sure whether we'll use the prefolds (they confuse me a little!) but that gives me 20ish nappies for a large baby. We also have what seems like lots of boosters, plus I'm happy to use muslins/terries/old t-shirts etc.

Then in an attempt to fill my under six months gap I have also bought five Motherease Sandys in small size. For the newborn stage, I'm also planning to get some eco-disposables and am sorely tempted by some Disana tie-ons. I'm also thinking of improvising with muslins etc. I've been told that the Motherease AIOs might be a bit big on a newborn but they are supposed to be birth to potty and I think my family tends to have reasonable-sized babies. I've been eyeing some Fluffles as well but I think DH might throw me out!

Any advice? Does that sound sufficient?

I am hoping not to get a tumble dryer but should have drying space. I'd like to do laundry as infrequently as possible DC probably won't be going to a childminder or nursery. We will be in a hard water area.

Finally (!) my wrap question. At the moment I have nine Motherease wraps - six large and 3 small. I'd kind of assumed that you only needed to change them once or twice a day but have just read something that suggests it should be with every change. Please can someone clarify?

Many thanks for any help or just for reading this far!

Ditch the disana idea.
Buy more motherease covers - I have some mediums you can have if you want them. You will need a few more small too.

Ditch the eco-disp idea - nothing decomposes in landfill esp in a nappy sack. Might as well go for normal disps.

Fluffles are cute but discontinued so would need to buy second hand or get lollipop ones.

Apart from that you seem sorted!

Good luck - I have been using cloth for 7 years, I have tried nearly every nappy conceivable, been a nappy advisor, tester and still work for two of the main uk suppliers occasionally ...

It is very addictive - beware!!!

i have about a dozen terry squares, and 6 shaped terry nappies. also 14 tommee tippee wraps which are great (hardly ever leak, unlike disposables, ime!) i used muslins, folded like terries when ds2 was newborn, simply because terries looked so enormous on his little bot! when he was about a month old, i started using the terries, and have been ever since. I don't change the wrap every time, but beware - you will normally need to change the wrap with every pooey nappy cos they'll need a wash iyswim! And babies, esp newborns can produce a surprisingly large quantity of pooey nappies!!!!
I manage fine with the quantity i have, and usually wash every 2 to 3 days. i don't have a drier either, and get them on the line outdoors when i can (sunshine is great for bleaching the stains), or on an airer in the bathroom. terries are usually dry in 24 hrs, or overnight if the heating's on.
Good luck with your venture into re-usables. If nothing else, you'll find it saves a packet, you lessen your input into landfill, and there's nothing nicer than a line full of nappies drying in the breeze!!!

Oohhh what an interesting bundle!

Firstly - and Octo is going to have me shot for saying this twice in one day - IMO the lollipop microfleece nappies are next to useless as they hold very little liquid.....but on the other hand they are nice and soft . The others should be fine if they suit you and your little one. Prefolds are sometimes better suited to younger ones who don't move about too much - they work well inside a Motherease Rikki (velcro) wrap and dry quite quickly. They can be pinned for better containment - google to see how. I'm currently using them in preference to bamboozles for DS who is 3 weeks old.

For six months plus, muslins and old t-shirts won't last long at all but terries would be fine. You could always look into buying second hand to keep your DH on side - I think you'll need to replace the fleece ones for so,ething more absorbant but try them first. Have a look at the easy peasy range - bimbles, bumbles or bambeasies as they are very good indeed and quite cheap - they are also birth to potty. There are a few recent threads on this topic about them so have a look if you want more opinions

Newborn wise, sandies are fab but the disana tie ons won't hold much so you'll need to change them a lot (more washing). Muslins are likely to only work for the first few weeks as they aren't incredibly absorbant. Fluffles and other microfibre nappies are good apart from their bulk - they are very bulky so bear that in mind if you want to dress your DC in trousers a lot - dresses and dungies work well with cloth. If you bought some easy peasy nappies for 6+ plus you could use them from birth.

You only change a wrap when it is very sodden (and thus smells a bit) or dirty - DS currently gets through two a day at most. Wet ones can just be rinsed under the tap and hung up to dry (v quick) so you don't really need more than 4 usually. You'll need some mediums - maybe sell or swap 3 of your large. They are excellent wraps btw.

oh yes, cloth nappies are strangely addictive

just to clarify - the microfleece lollipop nappies now have an absorbant core so ignore my last comment as that was based on the older style which was just fleece.

Thanks - knew I could rely on MN!

Octo why ditch the Disana - is it because they don't hold much? I was planning on boosting with something else (maybe the prefolds). Do I really need medium wraps too and how much do you want for yours?

BigBadMouse thanks for the tips! All my nappies and wraps are secondhand so far so at least my obsession isn't costing too much Trouble is, every time I google I find something else I want to try!

When I say old t-shirts, it was because I found a great site about making your own nappies, so I'd be layering them and sewing them into squares - though I think we got something like 14 terry boosters in the bundle, so might not need them!

With one ds (11m) and one on the way, I already have an obsession with reusable nappies. And have tried a variety.

My favourites are Bumbles (Bimbles are their little ones which should fit a newborn). When ds was very small I used muslins initially until I got hold of the size 1 nappies.

Motherease wraps are definitely the best. I needed at least 4 small ones as the poo tends to be quite explosive, sometimes leading to lots of washing. I tend to rotate between 2 wraps at any one time, leaving one to dry off while the other is on. Now he is bigger (into the ML sized wraps) he gets through fewer - less soggy and solid poo! With 20ish nappies, you will probably be washing them about every 2 days (that's what I find). Can't leave it much longer anyway because it'd get too stinky!

Drying nappies indoors can take ages and they always smell nicer if they've been on the line. Tumble drying makes them soft, but reduces their shelf life - I've only ever done it in an emergency. Bamboozles are particularly slow to dry because of their super-absorbency. Cotton nappies are much quicker.

Octo is of course right about no disposables decomposing in landfill. However, if you have a big compost bin, or your council will let you put them in a green bin, then fine. Regardless of whether you can compost them anywhere, the eco-disposables are mostly made of recycled material so you're still doing some good. I like Bambo the best, which I use when we go away and I can't be doing with buckets of smelly nappies.

Good luck in your nappy experimenting!

Thanks! I'm about to buy a set of five Eco Bumbles (I think they differ from the normal ones in that they're a pocket nappy) as I didn't realise that Bimbles were smaller - the listing says they fit from newborn though.

I was really worried to hear that eco-disposables won't break down in landfill and have done a bit of googling, but it's reassuring they will break down in a compost pile, as that's something we will definitely have access to!