new adopter needs nappy advice

[elif1]

Hi, am new to boards. Adopted 1.5 year old is about to join us. Any nappy tips would be appreciated (which brand, how to decide which size, how many per day needed, what to use for nappy rush i.e. powder or castor cream).

Thank you

i would use pampers

1.5 year old probably in size 5 unless tiny

i do not use any crams - no need - rash is very rare these days wit disposable nappies

a spotty rash could indicate thrush which needs an anti fungal but again rare

exciting - when will you get your baby?

Congratulations - I bet you are very excited.

There is a weight guide on the size of each nappy pack so when you know what they weigh it will be a lot easier but I agree with previous poster size 5 is probably the best.

I personally would recommend Metanium cream for nappy rash or Bepanthen, again its quite uncommon these days but its worth having some in just in case. I wouldn't bother with much else really.

Oh you might find it useful to have a toy to hand when changing them as 18 month olds get very wriggly!

thank you. how many do you think i'd need per day? she'll be here in few weeks. so nice to get edvice so quickly, i really appreciate...

i wouldn't say 1.5 yr old is in size 5. ds is 2.2 and by no means tiny and size 5 are too big. he's been in size 4 for about a year now. but yes you can just go by the weight. have you considered reusables?

best nappyrash cream is bepanthen antiseptic or morhulin (i have to order it from boots - comes in 24 hours)

Congratulations.

Are you having a handover period? I would just use whatever the foster carer is currently using. It's what I did when we adopted DS (at 10.5 months). I didn't use powder, I don't think it's recommended anymore anyway as it could be dangerous if inhaled by the baby. I did use Sudocreme because that's what his foster mother used. I think follow his foster carers lead at least to start with because the more familiar you can keep even the smallest things the easier it will be for your new little one to settle.

I can't remember how many I used to use per day, I do remember that DS used to do 3 poos a day, usually just after I'd changed a soggy wet nappy so it was probably at around 6 a day.

A handy thing to have is a little basket of some sort with 3 or 4 nappies, some nappy bags, a tub of sudocreme and a pack of wipes so that you can just pick it up when you need it.

we use a max of 6/7 a day but sometimes only 4/5.

Oooops sorry I meant on the side of each nappy pack

Some babies are prone to nappy rash what ever nappies you use, just careful to change nappy when ever theres a poo, and I change my 1.5 year old first thing in the morning, before she goes down for her nap, and then maybe again mid afternoon, then clean nappy for bed

Have some Sudocrem in for rash, use it if a poo has been left in the nappy for a while to prevent a rash appearing, and if your LO seems prone to rash then a dab before bedtime works wonders.

Good luck and have fun with your baby!

wipes wise i love huggies and find them much grippier than alternatives that just slide off the poo

Re-usables are very much an option nowadays

There are lots of threads about the different types you can use

The only thing I would say about re-usables is that I know several people who used them and then used disposable for a while and their child refused to go back into re-usables. If elif's new ds/dd is used to disposables then it might be best to stay with them for the time being, given that pretty much everything else in his/her life will change quite suddenly.

That's very true Bran (I'll get off my green soapbox)

There are fairly good biodegradable disposables too

Welcome to motherhood, elif1 .

Mine are adopted, I had two in nappies and did go for reusuables after a few weeks. Initially though we used the same nappies as the foster carer, one in Pampers and one in Huggies for some reason. If you get the chance ask the FC how much baby weighs, that will help you pick out clothes too.

Metanium is a good nappy cream if they get really sore, is quite concentrated. Agree Huggies wipes are worth the extra cost - if you ever see them on offer pick up a few packets.

You could also look out for your out and about kit now - changing bag with a small mat, wipes case or mini packs, some nappy disposal bags. You can get a plastic padded changing mat for home use too.

Dear all

Thank you so so much for all your replies. They are very useful; all noted but also so nice to see so many people welcoming me to the message boards and to the motherhood!

Love to you all.

hi elf, congratulations and welcome to mumsnet (it's a bit addictive, you may never leave )

Just to add to what the others have said, pampers and huggies are by far the "best" nappies around, but some cheaper alternatives are almost as good, certainly for daytime nappies when you are changing them regularly.

Check out your local lidl or netto for their own brands, it's worth giving them a try and seeing how you get on with them.

You may also want to try something like Little Walkers, if your lo is at that unsteady toddling stage, they may benefit from something less thick between their legs (it's quite possibly a load of tosh, but you might want to consider it...)

agree with bran = talk to foster carer and just rplaicate as much as you can. The fewer decisins the better for a while!

DS at nearly 2.10 is still in size 4! Though he is quite small but they go up to about 20 kilos. I think about 4/5 in 2 hours roughly - just buy a giant pack of whatever foster carer is using and by the time its finished you'll have a better idea for yourself. Own brand nappies can be significantly cheaper than pampers huggies etc and I always found them very good - Tesco actve fit and Aldi ones have been my staple.

Metanium is magic for severe nappy rash but many babies aren't that prone to it if you change tehm regularly unless they're teething. the only nasty nappy rash DS had was when he was teething. And you can use a thin thin smear of metanium on everything but the worst nappy rash.

I agree that for daytime, cheaper nappies are just fine. For nights we use the more expensive brands though, as they do seem to absorb better. Using a familiar brand at first is the best idea though. It's surprising (or at least it was to me ) how young children are very aware.

Congratulations and good luck.

I second Lidl nappies, i have a few mindees in those and they are fine. If you want to go green, the nature boy/girl ones are good.
I noticed in the poundshop, that they do an emergency change kit, with nappy, nappy sack, wipes and disposable change mat - I got one to keep in the nappy bag, incase i forget to put nappies in it, but havent used it yet so cant tell you if its anygood!! Useful to know if you get stuck in town without nappies....or is it just me who is that disorganised!!??

Congratulations on your baby, How exciting!!

oooooh, congratulations!

blah bah blah nappies but oooooooh, you're going to have a baby in the house! what FUN!

actually Aitch - I was thinking what I wouldn't give to be going through it all again.

och, you soppy thing. how are you keeping? i hope well.

m keeping remarkably wellconsidereing - velcro boy keeps saying "mummy all better now" peering suspiciously at the bruises but we have instituted "Bruise-Watch" every morning so he can see that they are fading - something concrete to set his mind at rest.

can you believe though that the cat is very very sick and I've had to explain that Lola has had to go to the animal hosptial! Poor DS thinks his family is jinxed I think and wondering what he hell he was signed up for!

i know exactly what you mean. we gad bruise watch about my cs scar, poor dd1 was really shaken up by my disappearance. these things hit them hard for a whie i think.