What kind of nappy?!

[sausagenmash]

I'm pregnant with baby number 1 - I'm only half way, but dp and I are looking ahead and working out budgets, want to be hyper prepared etc, and we are trying to work out which kind of nappy would be best to use. Clearly would like to go down the cloth route, but we have no idea where to start - how many to buy, how much it costs, where to get them from, what other bits and pieces would we need, whats the best make, whats the deal with those local delivery pick up things that we've heard about etc etc. Most of my other friends who have had babies in the alst few years seem to stick to disposables. Are they any good, if so, which ones? We're going to the baby show at the end of Feb to get some ideas, but thought I'd see what the experts have to say (ie, all you lvoely helpful MNers!) Soz its a boring thread

I would see if you can hire a trial kit from a nappy retailer to see what you prefer. WHat sounds good now may in practice with a real baby be terrible.

I would say you need to think about what you want from a cloth nappy and what you are prepared to compromise on e.g. cost, absorbancy, slimness, how quick it dries and possibly whether you want a birth to potty or if you are happy to change sized nappies.

The Baby show would be an excellent place to actually handle the nappies and speak to people and get good advice.

IME disposibles are ok for a while after birth and on holidays and things, but for my 2 boys they leaked a lot and results in several clothes changes a day and I changed their nappies every 2-3 hours.

Thanks tutu - you've given me some food for thought. Will definitely scour the nappy stands at the baby show

I've found that with ds2 nappies that weren't any good on ds1 have been great and ones that I thought were my fail safes have leaked so I really would reccomend trying as many different ones as you can before commiting to any big purchases.

However if you want something for when the baby is born which is cheap and will tied you over, I can thoroughly reccomend terry nappies as long as you don't mind folding. They can be folded down as small as necessary to fit, they are cheap, they dry quickly and can be used for stuffing in pocket nappies if you decide to have any of them later.

Terry nappies - thats what my Mum did for me and my brothers! Is that a usual mothercare job? Am going shopping with my Mum next weekend to look at baby stuff (she's too excited!). Thanks so much for your kind help! xx

There are pluses and minuses with all types. There is a all in one type which is getting popular. Most nappies are a nappy and cover. All in ones are just like a disposable. Down side is that if you have to wash the whole thing rather than just taking out the nappy. Also, they can leak, depending on baby shape

all in ones: wonderoo, Bum Genius, Pop Ins

Alternatively, the separate nappy and wrap system os quite good. Personally, I like Motherease Sandy's. Not glamorous, but effective and reliable.

I wouldn't actually buy nappies before the baby arrives, though. I ended up with a ton of unsuitable nappies as my DD was really skinny...

Try getting some second hand - there are a few places on the net where you can (including classified here) and then you can try a few different kinds.

A good wrap is important, I reckon Motherease Airflow (the poppered ones) are the best.

Good point ilovelovemydog re: potential skinny or small baby. ninja - didn't realise / think about 2nd hand jobs - will definitely have a look at the classifieds on here! Wooo for MN!

the nappy lady does a geat advisory service. you fill in a questionnaire on line and they email you back with suggestions. no pressure, up to you if you want to buy or go with their choices.

I'd agree with waiting until the baby is here, especially as newborn poo is very sticky and staining in the first week or so and can ruin a washable nappy in one go, so disposables until that's done I'd say. After that I'd say go with washables all the way - we may have had a few wee leaks before I discovered Motherease wraps (thanks to MN!) but I've never had a pooey leak with a washable nappy, had quite a few poo explosions in pampers on occasion. I'm using flexitots and loving them on my ds. Had bamboozles for the first size, and found them ok too, apart from taking a long time to dry.

Thanks everyone - have taken all your v sage advice on board!

I bought a load of second hand bimbles (mix of size 0 and size 1) before ds was born. Also bought a new sandy´s, bamboozle and some diddy diapers. They are all 2 part systems. I LOVED the bimbles, they were fab although he was out of the size 0 before he got to 2 months old and the size 1 by about 3 months but as they were cheap it wasn´t a prob, and they have now been passed on to my sis and will prob go round a couple more times. So well worth it in the end.

Didn´t get on with the sandy´s or the bamboozle, just didn´t seem absorbant enough for him so i was glad I hadn´t got loads in. Diddy Diapers were a good basic nappy but bimbles still the best by far. Used all of these with a rikki or airflow wrap. Loads of people prefer airflow but i liked the fit of rikki better..again I had both and then bought a couple more when i figured out which i liked.

After he outgrew those I more or less abandoned 2 part nappies for pocket nappies, i liked wonderoos when he was smaller, never really got on with fuzzi bunz, and then when he was just under a year i sold all my wonderoos on and bought a load of bumgenius when v2 was on 50% sale just as v3 came out.

In short, I think next time round i would stick to bimbles and rikki wraps for when they are small and pockets when they start getting wriggly. Just couldn´t keep him still enough to get a nappy and THEN a wrap on him

I tried a lot but i think a lot of people do and if you buy in the sales and are ok with 2nd hand (and try to sell on what you don´t use) then it doesn´t have to get expensive.

Am now trying to pick up a few swaddlebees as pull ups in the run up to potty training.. once a nappy addict...

I would agree with the advice of getting terries - at least a few anyway. They are so quick to dry and can be used for so many other things; stuffing pocket nappies, boosting, as changing mats when out and about etc. I use shaped nappies mainly but terries are so versatile. I would get some nicer ones than the mothercare ones though. I bought these when pg with my 1st DC and had no idea where to begin with cloth nappies. They lost shape more quickly than the slightly more expensive ones I have bought since. I now have chopped them up and use them as washable wipes .

I did get some through lollipop. They have advisors and some do hire kits - my advisor did. It was handy to try a few so I could get the hang of cloth nappies before buying any.

I also agree that motherease wraps are really good. DH finds the popper wraps fiddly though but they do last well. The velcro ones are easier to do up but can look worn out after a while when the velcro looks scruffy at the edges. Popper wraps have no 'waistband' either so are less likely to dig in when baby is propped up.

terries are great backups, as are prefolds. We use wraps from nappyelite as they work with most types of washable nappy, are comfortable and you get a good choice. Plus there's a sale on at the moment so it is a good time to buy. They are really reliable and would give motherease a run for their money.I agree with wait till your baby is here before buying all your nappies and don't just go by other peoples recommendation- what works for one may not work as well for another.Little ewe terries are quite good, but if you have a savers near you, they sell flat terries for about £4.00 for 6 and they are surprisingly thick and fluffy!

Well, ive decided that clothe nappies are not for us so if you are interested in bumgenius, kissaluvs, bamboozle and flexitots and a few wraps and liners email me at [email protected]
my baby is 9 weeks only so i havent used them much