Are reusable cloth nappies practical, affordable and manageable day to day?

[DChesh34]

Question for parents who have used “Terry towels”/reusable cloth nappies please.

1. are they are difficult as they seem?
2. are they feasible for being out and about?
3. how do they compare money-wise?
4. does your washing machine end up always on (as though it isn’t already with a family of 4)?

Trying to be a bit environmentally friendly (used Pura nappies with my first to avoid plastic) but is having a washing machine on constantly that friendly??

Feedback/guidance appreciated!
TIA

We used them for our daughter, all bought very cheaply second hand, we used fleece liners and washable wiped as well. They can grow out of some clothes quicker as they are bulkier than disposable nappies, so you just need a few crotch extenders to stop that happening. Washables also mean there isn’t the really smell strong of urine that you always get with disposables.

When we were done with them we sold them, we had an additional two loads of washing a week, we used to wash our daughters clothes with them as well.

I used them for two children and then gave them to a friend who used them for her two children. No leaks. Fleece liners and solids just flicked off into the loo. Washed every couple of days and used the airing cupboard to dry them. So no tumble drier. The outer bit contained all poos even from a newborns and one of mine got nappy rash any time she wore disposables (eg on holiday). Would do it again in a heartbeat.

1. no. See some details below. The brand of nappies you use also makes a difference. We bought 24 BumGenius Elemental nappies and used them for both of our children. They’re very easy because you just snap them on with poppers and are size-adjustable (more poppers). Some reusables have Velcro fastenings instead but the principle is the same.
2. yes. You just bring a wet bag with you and zip up the dirties while out and about. There is no smell at all. Then bring them home and chuck them in the nappy bucket (ours is in the bathroom and is lidded so again no smell). You don’t need to soak them or anything; the bucket is lined with a net bag that also goes into the wash. Plus of course you clean the bucket at every wash.
3. about equal for child 1; you’re in the money by child 2 (depending a bit on the brand of reusables you bought and how many, and the brand of disposables you would have bought if not)
4. no but again it depends how many nappies you bought and how old your child is (they use fewer as they get older even within the babyhood years).

TBH I have no regrets and would recommend them to anyone; not just because of the environmental pluses but also my first son in particular had zero nappy rash with reusables whereas on the rare occasion we put a disposable on him it flared right up.
Even more than reusable nappies, I would recommend reusable wipes to anyone! They actually absorb the mess (as opposed to just pushing it around like disposables do) and you only need 1-2 whereas with disposables you easily use at least 4 in one go. They’re so easy to carry around (in a box with a spray bottle), you can make your own cleaning spray at home so no spends there, and we still use them years later for hands/faces now that our children are 7 and 3.

Using them now, we're still on milky poos so don't bother with liners yet. Chuck them in a dry bag and wash the lot on a allergy wash then line dry. Same with cheeky wipes.

Got almost all second hand, a few different types and fit does vary. Personal favourite is poplar and cheeky wipe pocket nappies with a booster insert as they're quite slimline. All in ones are super simple but give them a big fluffy butt.

Don't always use them when out, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Use them when it works for you.

Environmentally, when taking into account manufacturing, resource use etc then yes they always come out best. People like to say "oh with all the washing and drying I was doing it wasn't environmentally friendly" as a nice get out clause when actually they just don't get on with them, and you'll find some studies that look at specific elements (eg water use) which may try to argue that disposables aren't that bad but overall reusable are environmentally superior.

They're also better for skin health and I definitely see a difference. Pretty much only get nappy rash when using disposables (even the posh ones).

So in short, yes they're easy and better for baby and planet but give yourself grace and be flexible, having a baby is hardwork however you go about it!

I used to love seeing my brilliant white nappies hanging on the line. That was over 40 years ago and the premium brand was Harringtons. Disposable nappies were very new to the market then and my first experience was using them in Spain.

Easy and an extra 3/4 load of washing every two days.
When out put used nappies in old bread bags before popping them in a wet bag.
Nappy bucket with fitted lid. Napisan.
Only ever dried them on clothesline.

Bought 12 terry squares and 12 flat cotton squares for first child. Used flat nappies for milk spills and under baby's head in cot.
Bought plastic over pants, pins, washable liners.
Used 2 terry cloth nappies inside outer flat nappy and waterproofs as night nappy.
Used disposables on holidays.

Early self initiated toilet training.

There was a time we all used them. I had two dozen and used a disposable liner with them and plastic pants. You have to change more often than with disposables. You need a bucket full of sterilising solution and you throw the liner away and put the nappy in the bucket. You have to wash a bucket full every two days. Nappies are very hard on your machine. And of course then they have to be dried.

Adding to the chorus. Yes, great, no bother at all once in the routine. I used them on both my kids. No leaking and no nappy rash. Only got leaks when we switched to disposables on holidays.

I used Tots Bots Bamboozle nappies. They are shaped, so putting them on was just like using a disposable.

I ended up with loads (12 I think) from Mothercare closing down, so I didn’t have to wash all the time. If I had enough, I’d do a wash of just nappies, but if it was just wees, I put them on a rinse cycle, then put them in with everything else.

I used liners with them to help manage the poo.

I used Bambo brand disposables for night and holidays. Really £££, but very absorbent.

My children are now in their late 30’s. I used cloth nappies on both (folded terry squares). We still have the terry squares which have been used for many things over the years - hand towels to take to camp, wiping the bath down, garage sink towel. I, eventually, had to buy a new pack last year as many of my originals had gone into holes! They were quite difficult to find as so few people use them now.

Absolutely swear by them. I used close pop-ins, which look like chunky normal nappies, with Velcro tabs, and wash all in one. Never had a poonami in them

I did disposables for the newborn and meconium by then switched at about six days

I live in Scotland (admittedly east coast so less rain- but was able to dry them outside easily 9 months out of 12) and did just over two years in cloth nappies (it has made toilet training a lot easier). Washed them every other day, and had twenty two nappies, mostly from vinted , and then paper liners once the wee one started on solids. Soiled ones went in the bin, wet ones in the compost bucket

I did when dd was wee - used muslins as the nappy inside a waterproof outer and with a liner and it was fine as the muslins dried really quickly. I did try proper reusables when she was bigger but we have no tumble dryer (and no space for one) and our radiators were constantly covered with nappies so I gave up.

Still use the muslins as cleaning cloths daily so they were a good investment!

Used them with all 4 of mine (3 in them at one point!), reusable wipes too. We had a radiator that ran on the hot water so used that for drying - now I'd use a dehumidifier. Nursery had no problem using them. Wasn't precious about using them on holidays. Loved the wraps - I did spend a fortune on matching wraps to dresses! No issues with nappy rash or leaks - well no more than when using disposables.

The biggest issue was the wipes escaping the mesh washing bags and getting stuck in the washing machine drain, and one made its way around the heating element. We probably went through two washing machines in that time but then I had 4 kids under 6 so it wasn't just the nappies.

I sold most of mine on and made some money back there too.

Used them with three kids. Much better than disposable. The smell of disposable ones is horrible. With the last one I used almost entirely Terry squares. Easy to fold and adjust for different sizes, so quick to dry. Never used a tumble dryer even in Scotland. Much earlier to toilet train as well.

They do last really well, and you can pick them up second hand or unused on vinted /Facebook marketplace for really not that much- so your only major outlay is the washing machine, and with a wee one you’d have the heating on anyway in the winter
Nurseries are getting used to them, and if you’re currently squeamish about poo and wee, you’ll get over it by sheer immersion therapy

The stats I've seen say you save £500 per child, assuming you buy new and tumble dry which I don't. However, as with all things parenting, people love to make out like you're one tribe or another and actually it's fine to do both. I'm on my fourth cloth bummed baby and I have done it full time in the past but that's not always manageable at the moment so it's probably 4 days a week. It still saves some waste and for the most part I've used the same nappies all the way through (or been given second hand) so cost literally nothing. If you put the word out at baby groups that you're looking for nappies then some will likely find their way to you 😊 you could always just do it at home until you feel confident. On the other hand, having a routine is probably what makes it easier; just know you're doing a nappy wash every other day or so. I dry mine on a socktopus over a door 😁 I would say, cloth nappies have pros and cons but cloth wipes are just all round better, definitely do them if you're considering nappies anyway

There was a time we all used them. I had two dozen and used a disposable liner with them and plastic pants. You have to change more often than with disposables. You need a bucket full of sterilising solution and you throw the liner away and put the nappy in the bucket. You have to wash a bucket full every two days. Nappies are very hard on your machine. And of course then they have to be dried.

Sorry I'm not sure I've replied correctly, but you don't need to soak modern cloth nappies; they are generally made of bamboo or microfibre and soaking would damage them. You can pop them in a wet bag and then open the bag, stick the whole thing in the washing machine so no handling soggy nappies required 😊

Another voice saying give them a try- it doesn’t have to be all or nothing

i never did completely give up disposables - I tended to use them overnight and if we were out for the day or on holiday. But probs around half the time we used reusables and that was a compromise that worked for us as a family Washing never felt overwhelming - but think it was worth it financially (used same nappies for both kids) and environmentally

We 100% clothed our two kids from birth to potty. My little girl has just potty trained last week (at 2 years 2 months) and it's strange how emotional I felt putting all of the nappies away like normal but then realising that they won't be used (by us) again.

1: Are they are difficult as they seem?

Not at all. We used fitted nappies that popper at the sides (Motherease Sandies) as I liked that they weren't as bulky as other sorts. Inside we used one Ella's House hemp booster (these are shaped and thin and amazingly absorbent) with a fleece liner on top as a poop catcher. For the outer layer we used a waterproof wrap (Motherease Airflow aka the GOAT of wraps). The combination is bomb proof. Nothing escapes an Airflow/Sandie combo. I didn't have to deal with a single poonami which also meant I wasn't taking extra outfits with me everywhere.

What specifically are you worried about being difficult? Happy to go into more detail if you let me know :)

I think the thing that made it easiest for us was to go start as we meant to go on. Cloth nappying straight from birth means you don't know any different. Having a supportive husband who also got stuck in and changed and washed nappies was definitely vital though, especially when I was recovering from surgery after having my eldest.

2: Are they feasible for being out and about?

Yes! We have clothed on trains, planes, ferries, the boot of a car and all across Europe on holiday. You just bring a wet bag and chuck the nappy and cloth wipes in there (after tipping/wiping any poop into the toilet) then sort it out at home like you normally would. It's no different than using a plastic one out and about in that regard surely? Except that you bring the nappy home at the end of the day.

3: How do they compare money-wise?

Honestly, I'm not sure as we never bought plastic nappies so I have no idea how much they cost even. Here are some costs I do remember/can guestimate:

Terry squares set of 20 for my son: £30
Bought birth to potty Easy Peasy Bumbles for my son £100 (Ultimately not as robust as the Sandies and weren't in great shape after two years of my son using them. I did still use them loads for my daughter, specifically as night nappies)
Rented newborn size Sandie nappies for my daughter: £80 (Plus £100 deposit which I got back).
Bought second hand hemp liners and fleecies: £50 (these will be sold on in a few weeks)
Bought second hand size small nappy bundle: £100 (sold these on again for £60)
Bought second hand size large nappy bundle: £100 (I can sell on some of these but some have worn out)

I also bought wraps and wetbags and cloth wipes second hand but can't remember how much I spent. It wasn't lots though.

There are some great buying and selling groups on Facebook which is where most of our stash came from. 25 nappies did our daughter for five days so you really don't need many. There are also nappy libraries where you can try before you buy.

4: Does your washing machine end up always on (as though it isn’t already with a family of four)?

We're a family of four and I do a single wash load most days BUT nappy wise I was only washing on day three/four. So maybe twice a week when she was going through more nappies per day as a newborn but one a week since she moved up to the large size nappy.

In spring/summer we dried the nappies outside on the line and during the winter we either used the tumble drier or the heated airer/radiators. We're also on a renewable energy plan for our electricity which, I imagine, offsets the environmental impact even more.

.....

I am intensely proud that my kids contribution to landfill in terms of nappies is zero. If you have any more specific questions please feel free to PM me as I (clearly lol) love to talk about reusables and how they worked for our family.

Eh? In what way is that a response to my post? I don’t care how soft a flannel is, it’s not a practical or comfortable solution to managing periods.

I used them with all my kids.

I mostly used them part time, so I'd use cloth at home but took disposables if I was out for the day or if they were at nursery etc.
I didn't find it difficult at all. I actually got quite into it.

I started off with a free pack of prefolds that I got given, and then I bought some shaped nappies and seperate wraps, but actually I really liked using terry square nappies. Learning different folds. I used a nappy nipper to fasten them and I used breathable covers that had cute prints.
I used a fleece liner plus a paper liner inside, so easy to flush the poo away. The wet nappies would go in a bucket and I'd wash them every couple of days.

I actually found them to be more reliable against poo explosions and leaks, so that was one benefit.
I think I did stop using them as much when I had two in nappies at the same time, but really I think they sound more complicated than they are

Yes they are great, it’s not like in your granny’s day when you had to handwash them, boil them on the stove, put them through the mangle and then dry in front of the fire.

I used them for all 3 of my kids so it did save me money on buying them and also hasn’t resulted in thousands of nappies going to landfill. If you are happy to try second hand you can get lots very free or cheaply nowadays as well.

Washing wise I stored them in a zipped up wet bag and did two extra loads a week because I had lots of nappies. When they are still only having milk you can just put them straight in the washing machine, short rinse cycle then cotton wash at 60 with normal dose of washing powder (bio works much better) then hang on a sock octopus which I hung above the stairs or outside.
When they are older I put a reusable fleece liner in the nappy and held any pooey ones in the toilet while I flushed it and most of the poo would plop off but actually I only realised by my 3rd child that it made sense to pop them on the potty when I saw them pooing so we rarely had dirty nappies after a while and it also meant they were all used to sitting on a potty so potty trained before they were 2.
I’d also just put a couple nappies onto a quick wash (my washing machine does a 25 minutes wash) and then added clothes etc as normal if you’d rather keep on top of them with ordinary washing.

Even if you decide not to use cloth nappies I’d highly recommend cloth wipes. I’ve never bought baby wipes and I’m still using the original ones I bought 9 years ago daily so they have saved me a fortune. Some people just use them for wet nappies and hands and faces or some people wipe the majority of poo off onto the nappy when taking them off and then use toilet roll for a quick wipe before using a cloth wipe which can just be chucked into the wash with clothes/ towels etc.
Out and about I keep them in a small sistema sandwich box.

Also it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Lots of people use a disposable overnight or on holidays/ long days out etc. but cloth the rest of the time so it’s manageable for them. Even if you just use one a day then thats still 365 less nappies going to landfill a year.

Well, they used to be, with fewer household amenities, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t be now.

I had a twin tub, a washing line and radiators and managed fine as a working single parent in the 1980s.

I used terries in the early 2000’s. Nappy nippers, Fleece liners and wraps. I had stuffables for out and about, which were all in one so no different to change than disposables. No issues at nursery.

dead easy once you get a system going. I had a nappy bucket which collected all used nappies. Nappy bags for out and about which were also chucked in the bucket. Anything particularly stinky went in the machine, rinsed at the end of the day, then in the bucket.

washed every 3-4 days. Sometimes a bit longer if I didn’t get round to it. Line dried. Terries dry really quickly. Sometimes I’d tumble for 20 mins to soften them up a bit. Once dry I’d fold them into shape- I used the “Jo fold” from nappy lady. Then it was just grabbing one and putting it on at change time.

that was it.

i got my money back on the wraps and stuffables. I think I passed on some of the terries too. Kept half a dozen or so, which were well used as general cloths. 20 years later dh is still using them as sweat rags in the gather when he does his peloton thing!