I'm PG & keen on real nappies...where to start!?

[FlirtyThirty]

I'm pregnant with my first child and the environmentalist in may says we must use real nappies. I have looked on a few websites, but the choice is baffling! How can I possibly know in advance of the child being here, which size/shape/manufacturer is best?!

Any advice would be great!

Check with the websites to see if they do a rental kit? These kits usually include a few different types of nappies so you could try out a few for probably a small amount rather than buying lots of different ones. If they don't do rental kits, see if they do special starter packs for reduced prices? I'm not going to tell you which ones to use, because my favs might be different to yours and it will only confuse you further.

hth!

I would recommend checking out the nappy lady website. You can do a tailored questionnaire and then get some no obligation suggestions. I found it incredibly useful when I first started researching cloth nappies.

Hiya, you can get tailor made advise from many websites inc, myself Nappyzone and Bumfluff who are both mumsnetters and advertise inthe small business classified section and can both put together some sort of trial pack. Its best to not buy a batch off all one type as it may not suit and better to get a few different ones to try once little person arrives. If you can find a local agent all the better as you will get to see the nappies for real and get a real feel for what will suit. What are do you live in?

I would definately either give a nappy trial kit a go so you can sample different kinds of nappies, or buy some second hand ones. Sounds disgusting I know, but I went down this route and the stuff I have had from various places is pretty much pristine and hardly looks used, I guess because newborn/ size 1 nappies aren't used for long and many people use them in a large rotation of other nappies. When the last bit of my stash arrives (just ordered some more second hand today), I will have 38 nappies (opps, seems the bug has bitten me hard!), 12 different brands/kinds so I can fingure out what works best for my little man when he gets here.

heartmumtojamie - at first I was thinking '38 nappies? Nah bug hasn't bitten that hard' then I realised your baby hadn't arrived yet.......

In all seriousness though - that is the best thing to do. IMO far better to buy second hand and experiment with them while using disposables in the main for a while, make an informed decision and stick with it, than choose something almost blind and be stuck with it.

Bear in mind that trial kits are fab but they cannot provide you with every nappy available. The nappy market changes very quickly so it is hard to keep trial kits up to date sometimes. If you see something you want to try that isn't in your kit, the second hand market is a great bonus IMO.

plus a nappy may look great, but when your baby arrives and has skinny legs, it's back to the drawing board...

Try getting to a Baby Show - a few coming up in Manchester and Earls Court, London - all the big companies are there and have deals on.

I agree with looking at the Nappy Lady website, but to begin with you could always just buy a few good old fashioned terry nappies with plastic pants from Boots or Mothercare,and experiment for a while, the outlay should'nt be that expensive? Do you have anyone in the family, mum or MIL that can give you the benefit of their wise experience?

I disagree, sorry, If you want a nappy that is guaranteed to suit your baby then either go for flat terries or kiwi quick flips. Nippa fastening. The quick flip is designed in such a way that it suits the skinny and chubby babies, it can be folded wide or narrow to suit and can be pulled tighter round the legs for those who need it. Combined with their wraps you wont find a better combo to suit virtually any baby. If you go down the flat terry route then do try the little kiwi wraps over the top. They're well rounded in the bum. If I had to stick my neck on the line they're what I'd recommend. You can have a full set for newborn for under £100 too.

I'd just buy a couple of totsbots & a couple of prefolds (eg. cotton bottoms) 2nd hand & give both a try! IME stuffables are better left till later, so it's really between shaped nappies, prefolds & terries.

I've had 3 dc in cloth & mostly bought 2nd hand, or been given nappies (just given a load of surplus cotton bottoms away on here or you could have them).

Don't buy new ones until you know what kind you like best, & ruthlessly sell on/freecycle any you don't get on with - someone else will be glad to have them .

I would seriously advise finding a local nappy agent and getting advice that way. THis is what i have done, although baby isn't quite here yet. I felt that it would be best to get the nappies, knowing how DP and I are, if we'd left it till after baby was born, We would just end up using disposables and never get round to buying cloth. However, everyone is different. Nappy agents really help because they'll sit and discuss one-to-one what your needs are, and also you can see and feel the nappies, it really makes things easier. A local agent would probably also know whether there is a nappy library in your area, so you could hire trial kits of different types of nappies beore choosing HTH.

I think one of the main things to consider is how much your first set of newborn nappies will cost compared to even the most eco-disposables (probably Moltex) - DS was in disposables for first 3 months then I bought Itti Bitti D'Lish medium set - I don't think you'd spend more than £100 on disposables for 3 months to make it worth it, economically, for a newborn cloth set. It depends on your motivation for doing it, economy or the environment. I think if/when I have another baby I'd just go for cheapo terries and wraps as it's not worth the outlay for anything more as they grow SO quickly.

Have a look on eBay. You can get loads of stuff very cheaply. I've seen 6 x Junior Joy terry nappies and 3 x pairs of plastic pants, all brand new, for under a fiver, plus a bit of postage. Not bad, if you just want to try out some different types of nappy and waterproof covers.

I wouldn't recommend just going for the cheapest ones you can find tbh - could put you off for life - find your local nappy advisor - personally would recommend Lollipop - www.teamlollipop.co.uk.

there are a couple of lovely mumsnetters who run businesses, and mn, and give good advice. personally i have had lovely dealings with flamesparrow, who does bumfluff nappies, but i think nappyzone also does good stuff.
cat them directly. they will advise you well, and will not charge you a fortune for anything. otherwise, online, before mumsnet, i bought from twinkle twinkle, another lovely lady who gave good advice

having tried so many. I would recommend a pocket nappy as they are the simplest to use. I would also recommend a irth to potty such as Bumgenius, as they are very reliable and of course birth-potty means you will save money as no need to buy again when growing...

I use fuzzibuns and bumgenius. they are both incredibly reliable and i've been more than happy with the inserts they came with, so didn't need the other inserts i'd bought!

I used a website called kittikins which had a great range, fast service and great over the phone help.

So, back to what a pocket nappy is... basically a waterproof outer, with fleece lining, stitched in a way the creates a pocket. you stuff the pocket with something absorbable, anything really. I like the micro fibre inserts as they do soak up a lot of pee... you can use a paper liner too to catch solids, which just makes it easier at changing poo time. I don't always bother as it shakes off easy enough. doesn't stain the fleece and also, the fleece absorbs fluid so well and doesn't let it back through so bottoms really stay dry. using a paper liner kind of defeats that object....

Hope that helps.