Finally taken the plunge - some advice needed on cloth nappies please!!

[spongebrainbigpants]

I wonder if any of you lovely MNers can help me?!

Before I had DS I was adamant I was going to use cloth nappies - then he arrived 2 weeks early before I had time to get them and he's been in Pampers ever since .

However, I went to The Baby Show today and finally had time to talk to someone about cloth nappies - have now ordered a starter pack of some with wraps and some all in ones from Lollipop.

So two questions really just to get me thinking: who prefers all in ones and who prefers ones with the wraps on top and why?

And, where's the best place to look for 2nd hand ones to add to my stock?

Thanks. Am ridiculously excited about my new purchases and can't wait to get started!

ok, best places for used ones, here and the used nappy co

I used motherease 2 part sysem for my older 2, and am using pockets for the goo monster. me were great, hardwearing, lasting dried on rads. the couple of AIOs i've tried took ages to dry, which was no good for me. ppockets re a good compromise, and are a little neater/more streamlined.

I've sure wiser ones will be along in a bit

ive tried imse vimse blojans and they are quite good and have millions of terrys and prefolds which are great for wearing at home but mother ease birth to potty are my faves, dry much faster than AIO, i had khushies aio and took forever to dry even in hot summer sunshine. motherease are very easy to use,no pins or nippas plus you only have to buy enough of these to see you till potty training. these are brilliant with fleece liners also. you can get boosters for night time and heavy wetting or i used outgrown prefolds, andmost wraps fit well. ive some if you are interested as ive way to many nappies! email me on [email protected]

Any shaped nappy with a separate wrap over the top (known as shaped 2 part nappies) is going to be more reliable than an all in one (aio) - I use a mix of both. My Sandy's and Ellas House (two parters) are fab all rounders are super-absorbant - I use pocket nappies for when I need a thin fit and aios in the changebag for convenience

very active second hand board here - you can play 'spot the MN cloth nappy addicts' on there too if you get bored

You're doing the best thing though by trying out different types before you buy loads.

Lollipop are good. Their bamboo ones are excellent.

The main advantage of a wrap system is that you don't have to wash the whole nappy. For instance, baby wets nappy. Change nappy and reuse wrap (unless soaking).

With an all in one (aio), you have to chuck it all in the wash.

I like totsbots, but agree with BigBadMouse that it's worth having a few pocket nappies - good for leaving 'made up' for babysitters.

Haha classic! I've seen a couple of the MN faithful on the UKPL site that BBM linked to, I myself have got an XS Sandy's, 3 Wonderoos, a Bumhugger and a Close sling off there all in the last week!

I've just read your profile, congratulations on your miracle baby I would recommend UKPL too but there is a buy/sell forum here too.

I would recommend 2 parts because they are more reliable and quicker to dry. Be careful with pocket nappies as they don't suit all babies, I had heavy wetters and found them useless.

I've got tots bots size 2 to sell that are in very good condition and some motherease wraps and motherease all in one nappies if you fancy any of those.

I would recommend trying out via 2nd hand, rather than buying new.

spongebrain - meant to add I like your name

hello spongebrain! Hope all goes well with cloth nappy. I've been using two-part nappies on S and getting on fine with those. No leaks.

Wow! Thanks for all your responses - what a lovely board, think I may hang out here more often!

Thanks for the useful links - and tips.

lilysmummy, have emailed you.

Cargirl, thank you, yes he really is a miracle isn't he?!

BBM, thanks - sums me up perfectly!

Hi BDQ!

Can't wait to get my nappies now - come on postman!

Can see myself becoming one of those nappy addicts you talk of . . . . !

ime 1 part ones only fit if the leg holes are just right for your LO (?is this the case with little girls; I only have boys!).
Flat ones dry faster if you don't own or want to use a dryer, so you need fewer.

Out of the ones I've tried I like Motherease one size the best - simple, no nonsense, fool-proof, easy to dry, v v hardwearing and well made. Motherease wraps in my opinion are way superior to other wraps. I still use some bamboozles but they take about 3 days to dry. I also bought some flexitots for the new baby and they're ok but I just think the simple motherease design is fab - and natural materials better for planet I suppose!
And motherease do a FAB nappy bucket - completely toddler proof and smell-witholding. You can get it from little green earthlets although don't know if it's in their catalogue yet. Quite expensive at £25 ish but much much better than standard pails.

We use Motherease onesize, plus airflow wraps. v good combination. we had 19 with DD, got 10 more when DS came, all good unless we have three days of rainy weather! two buckets, one for wee nappies, no soak, one for poo nappies, soak. we use napisan simply because DD got rashes when we didn't. alternatives are Miofresh, Borax (though that starts to attack the cotton quite a lot) or lavender or tea tree oils. 60 degree wash is fine. don't bother washing wrap too much, just rinse under the tap if nappy is very wet, or just keep on if not too bad. soak and then wash if pooey, but not too hot or too often: that makes the membrane less effective. Very important: if your toddler gets too big for the onesize to fit with two poppers done up on either side, write off to the company and complain, and they will send you some handy little extenders for nothing. The nappies are great but a wriggly toddler will not keep them on with only one popper done up on each side.

Good luck. XX

Cargirl, just noticed you have some Motherease to sell - v interested please. Can you let me have your email address?

Thanks for the further tips added - Motherease really do seem to be coming out on top at mo.

Can I even it out and say I think the Motherease Onesize were truly awful for us - appalling fit and no way near absorbant enough. Definitely worth a try nevertheless

Motherease wraps are excellent - I think that is the only thing all cloth nappy users can agree on .

We dry pail everything. Can't be doing with all that soaking - I've never got the hand of transferring the wet stuff to the washing machine without soaking the floor I wash at 40C with washing powder at nothing else - many people do. Some people wash at 30C with just soapnuts.

My advice would be wash yours in the way you feel happiest with - obviously the lower temperature and fewer chemicals you use the better off you will be financially and the environment will benefit more.

Didn't like motherease either, thin and not particularly interesting. More droolsome nappies are here and here

Good luck with trying cloth when you do you wont look back and may even wonder why people choose paper nappies over cloth

LOL - it's such a minefield and everyone seems to like different ones.
I was advised that Totsbots fluffles were brilliant - the best thing ever, and bought three, prewashed them, used 2 and HATED them - far too bulky for me. Also bought tots fleece wraps and didn't like them either. Keep meaning to sell these things but only to fans of fluffles or fleece wraps.

I found ecover powder was good - and always pour some vinegar into fabric softener section of washing machine. Oh and I have rubber gloves which I use specifically for rinsing poo in the toilet. Sounds horrendous but it isn't.

Oohhh fluffles are selling well atm - I'd advertise them soon (although there are loads of nappies finishing on ebay next weekend after free listing weekend this weekend, so maybe wait until after then ). A few MNetters were asking about fleece wraps too....

Really?
I thought you weren't allowed to sell nappies on ebay - shows how much I know!
Will put them on the mumsnet 'for sale' pages one of these days. Thanks for that!

You can ebay them if they are unused.

Thanks Cargirl, will email you.

I'm having DS weighed on Thursday but would guess about 18lbs, maybe a little bit more.

Ooooooooo i much prefer pockets or all in twos for my older baby/ toddler. I have bought alot of used pockets from cloth tots which is part of a spin off of the babycentre cloth site. Other than that i just nick them out of my own stock . As another mumsnetter said a few weeks ago 'you gotta picka pocket or two '