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Original poster

How many people do YOU know who use reusable nappies?

102 replies

Alishanty · 11/04/2009 15:38

Apart from ourselves I know of 3 other people in person who use reusable nappies at least some of the time. Was just interested as I wonder if they are becoming more popular, there seems to be loads of people on the net who use them. I know of a few others who intended using them but then didn't for whatever reason. Hopefully the amount of people now using them is making a difference to the amount of nappies that go to landfill.

OP posts:
MollieO · 11/04/2009 22:02

When I used them I was the only one I knew. A friend tried for a few days but gave up and everyone else just thought I was weird!

PinkTulips · 11/04/2009 22:03

notcitrus, you've just reminded me.

ween mol came to see us after dd was born she was reminiscing about her own babies and she made a comment about 'you're lucky these days that you don't have to wash the nappies, i used to buy myself a packet of disposables as a special treat sometimes so i could get a break from the washing'.... imagine her when i told her actually dd would be in cloth as soon as she grew into her size 1's!

she was very relieved on my behalf that it was just a case of sticking them in the machine, not the hand washing and boiling she had to do for her 3 kids!

TheNatty · 11/04/2009 22:43

the only supportive person i have had actually has been my mum, as she used terries herself at home when we were babies. she thinks the new pocket sort are much nicer

everyone else truely thinks im mad, and if it wasnt for the support on this site i may well have switched back

tho the downside is being informed of yummy new things when they come out, and me HAVING to own one.. its terribly addictive isnt it?

Interested in this thread?

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Families General parenting
FrannyandZooey · 11/04/2009 22:50

i would love to be using cloth nappies
more to the point i would love to be using the very lovely cloth nappies i have sitting here, some unused
ds2 has eczema which gives him a chronic nappy rash and cloth nappies so far have made it much worse
just something to bear in mind when you are saying how hideous disposables are

sasamaxx · 11/04/2009 23:01

2 including me.
I used to get odd looks but often just change in private now.

juuule · 12/04/2009 08:45

treedelivery Have you considered Cloth sanpro and/or a mooncup?

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 10:54

FrannyadnZooey. have you pre washed then to within an inch of their lives and tried fleece liners? Or selling them on the wahasble thread for fun spending £££

TheNatty · 12/04/2009 12:48

FandZ, im my experiance the chemicals in disposables do more harm to skin conditions, it may have been the detergent you use rather then the nappy itself, i find it hard to believe natural materials that are in normal clothes would cause a problem.
what type were you using?

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 12:52
TheNatty · 12/04/2009 12:56

PMSL tree! didnt think of itti yummyness..

bet you a million pounds they are size one tots bots...

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 13:03

Or bambino mio's....

TheNatty · 12/04/2009 13:04

lol
bet u a tenner...

soooo.. what was it?

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 13:06

juule am to admit this but am a bit 'urgh' out at thought of them. Need to get overmyself.

On the tmi front - I have major torrents type periods, as in tampon has no hope type thing. Not convinced - yet as loving nappies. Makes no sense I know!

TheNatty · 12/04/2009 13:14

tree im the same, ergh. but then i have stupidly heavy periods, ie i have to wear a highest absorbancy tampon AND night towel to get enough time to go to the corner shop without flooding... (TMI i know!)

your not silly at all, blood and poo are totally different imo.

Podrick · 12/04/2009 13:22

I don't know any one at all who uses them although the majority of people I know claimed that they would whilst pregnant!

Most mothers I know work and are not SAHMs - I don't know if reusable nappies are mostly used by SAHMs maybe?

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 13:27

I'm on mat leave still but tbh I'll be fine when I go back to work. It's a washer load every 2-3 nights and hung on those 'many pags on one hook' thingies for 2-12 hours depending on the nappy.

i can't actually believe how little work they are. But dd is small, I might be ragged when she weans I dunno!

If anoyone out there has some they didn't use be aware they have great resale value!

sasamaxx · 12/04/2009 13:41

Where do you get those 'many pegs on one hook' things?
(I have string tied across the bath - it's ridiculous!)
Would LOVE a pulley!

sasamaxx · 12/04/2009 13:42

What's wrong with size 1 tots bots though?
I thought they were not too bad (although not great either)

Disenchantegg3 · 12/04/2009 13:43

only 1 ... ever.

And ive known alot of mums and babies.

TheNatty · 12/04/2009 13:55

nothing wrong with tots bots.. just that the majority of people who start with cloth either get:

MEOS
tots bots
bambino mio

unless they are very clued up, or are MNetters of course!

littlelamb · 12/04/2009 14:00

4 including me. It has made a difference with ds that I am at home. With dd I spent a fair bit on washables only to be told that the uni nursery wouldn't let me use them (they have since changed their policy on this) so I gave them away. I don't think I'd have got on wiht them anyway as I was a full time student, dd was at nursery full time from 2 mo and our flat was teeny with nowhere to get things dry. With ds, we are in a bigger flat, and though we still have no outside line, we have space to dry indoors and our tots bots do seem to dry quite quickly. I know that if/when I go back to work I will probably switch to disposables, just because I know how manic my life was working full time with one child who was potty trained!

chaya5738 · 12/04/2009 14:04

We haven't had our baby yet but I am really interested in this discussion.

We were thinking of getting a nappy service - it is 8GBP a week and they collect the nappies every week and provide a special bin so they don't smell in the meantime (in any event, we plan to keep it outside). It seems reasonable to me. Anyone else done this?

sasamaxx · 12/04/2009 14:04

Ah right...I noticed that asda are now selling bambino mio btw so many more people will be picking them up I expect.

HolidaysQueen · 12/04/2009 14:14

Out of the 6 good friends with babies, 2 do or did so I make 3.

It helped me know I wasn't insane when the other friends said things like "I hope you aren't going to be one of those mad people using washables". And it really helped DH be accepting as the DH in one of the couples using them is actually a very good friend of his and he was very pro, so DH saw it as reasonably normal.

None of my NCT group do though. I've only seen one stranger use them - mum at swimming pool - and have been a bit of a poster girl at the HV clinic for them after HVs cooed over DS' bumGenius. Think I've persuaded at least one mum to try them and have been asked plenty of questions when out and about with DS.

For me it was partly the environment thing, but it was st least as much because I didn't want smelly disposables hanging around for a week waiting for rubbish collection (and at the time the council were threatening to go fortnightly in their collection...) Also DS has only ever had one bad incidence of nappy rash - when on holiday and we were using disposables. So I definitely think they have been better for him.

treedelivery · 12/04/2009 14:18

I'm not down with bambino mio - the wee sodden cloth is just sat there right next to the baby bum. With a full cloth nappy it can wick away up the back and over the fron etc - so it is universaly damp but warm. Where as a big puddle in one pad under the nappy area is colder and uncomfy iswim?