Confessions of a cloth nappy newbie

[GothAnneGeddes]

So I started my nappy library trial this week and I thought I'd do a thread on what I found so far. Plus some newbie questions.

Current progress

Test subject:
Dd - 4 months old but about the size of a six month old, with a big chunky bottom and thighs.

Wees a lot.

Previously tested:

Tots bot + little lamb wrap. Both on the small side. Leaked in two hours.

Nature's babies stuffables + 3 boosters. Big leaks after four hours.

Kushies All in Ones. Used overnight. Dd swimming in her cot the next morning.

Bumgenius + one booster. Survived between changing times (four hours) including a poo. Not sure if they would last longer though.

*Tots Bot bamboo + Motherease Rikki. Lasted three hours until next change. No leaks but the tots bot was completely wet.

Sandy's + Booster + Rikki. Lasted 4.5 hours (until next changing time) with no leaks. I'd say about 2/3 of the nappy was wet but the back was dry.

So I'm liking two parts so far, but my question is:

For a shaped nappy, how wet is too wet?

If you take it off and it's completely wet under the wrap, does that mean it's been on too long?

Hope this isn't too long and boring!

I would change every three to four hours, and use extra bamboo boosters at nights.

Motherease wraps, both Rikki and Airflow, are fabulous. The OneLife wrap is excellent too.

If you are used to disposables it is a shock to discover how sodden a cloth nappy gets. But that's because the cloth is absorbing moisture, whereas a disposable contains absorbent granules. They're the white crystals you see if you cut one open.

A fleece liner inside the nappy helps to keep the baby's skin dry.

Two part systems last longer than pocket nappies before leaking, but Bumgenius are lovely for change bags and babysitters who aren't used to cloth.

A nappy is too wet when it leaks! If it hasn't leaked then it's doing it's job just fine - soaking up all the wee.

Thank you for your input.

Update:

Minki pocket + 1 booster pad. 3 hours. Bottom of vest felt damp, but the nappy felt dry. Odd

I think its to be expected for a shaped nappy to be wet throughout as the urine wicks throughout the nappy?
Try an Upsydaisy pocket if you get the chance
Ime they fit chunky thighs better than BG's.

Duvet Heaven - I will look into that. I've heard their night nappies are good too. Is soy a better material?

Update:

Motherease + booster w/ Rikki wrap.
4 hours ish. No leaks but this motherease does not fit as well as the Sandy's.

I haven't tried soy but would like too. Supposed to be very absorbant.

Like you I have found Sandy's a good fit for chunky thighed. Just treated myself to the bamboo as had pre loved cotton before.
Tots bots wraps seem fine and also LL
Do you have many more left to try?

I have Upsy Daisy side snap pockets and they fit Blake brilliantly - he has very chunky bums and thighs. I also have their soy fitteds and soy night nappies. Soy is very absorbent and dries quite quickly. I use fleece wraps at night (UD's are very nice too). The UD fitteds and NNs are fleece lined, which keeps babies feeling dry. Dangerously (for paypal accounts!!) Upsy Daisy have 10% off at the moment.

I wasn't at all fussed on any cotton nappies I tried, but recently got some bamboo sandys and they are more absorbent than the cotton version (and of course much softer) - lasting 4 hours without being sodden. I have ordered more as they are such a bargain at £5.40 each at treehuggermums, but I think that could just be until 31.05.09. The airflow wraps are £6.40 on the atm too. The bamboo sandys do take ages to dry though.

Wonderoos leak for lots of people but fit Blake really well - they are good for chunky bummed LOs. Because they leak for lots of people I have been able to buy them preloved for £5 or £6 each. I prefer 2 parters but he wears wonderoos at nursery and dh prefers them.

Is it sad to enjoy reading about nappies so much? I'm loving reading your replies. So much to choose from.

Update:

Large Nature's Babies Stuffables + prefold (as stuffing as it felt rather cavernous) + bamboo booster. 5 hours (bedtime until dream feed). No leaks. Possibly ever so slightly damp around the legs. Possibly. Dd must really wonder about me prodding her legs.

Off to look at Upsie daisies!

What do you do about poo?

I had a go at trying to scrape it off the nappy (I used a liner but half of it missed the liner). Then I tried to shower it off down the toilet, which was a mistake as the poo got soggier but remained firmly lodged.

So in the end, I stuck the nappy in the machine on a rinse cycle, before adding the rest of the nappies. Is this wrong?

Update:
Swaddlebees + Tots bot wrap. The wrap wasn't as good a fit as the Rikki, so there was some slight leaking around a leg after four hours.

Used Bumgenius again. It lasted 4+ hours, so am very impressed.

GothAnneG

The tots wraps are high in the leg so work well over higher nappies but not over nappies like motherease sandys or onelife etc. BG are really good nappies - suit most babies.

The poo thing depends on you inner strength really - most people use paper liners and flush, some use fleece and sluice - I just sluice as it saves an extra layer - rather than putting nappies on an extra wash (extra energy) swish them about in flush and pu tthem in bucket with others. In fact I have been toilet training DS3 this week so my nappy wash load has almost stopped.

I apologise over our minor flap over the baby show - if you would like to try a new all in one pop n gro for free - please do email me at [email protected] (its an ebay thing not my sales lol)

I hated TotsBots PUL wraps. They always leaked but I do use their fleece ones at night because I think they help ward off nappy rash by allowing more air near the skin.

As Octo says, you can use paper or fleece liners. I prefer fleece because it helps keep the baby's skin dry but paper is a lot easier with messy, unweaned baby poo. When they start eating solids it is much easier to shake the poo into the loo.

Octo - I think I missed the flap as the thread had been deleted not long after I'd left my comment.

Thank you for your kind offer. Is it a fairly quick drying nappy? I don't have a tumble dryer.

The pop n gro is an all in one but the inside is fleece/wellsoft so will dry quite quickly - it comes with two boosters for when they get bigger - a wellsoft one and a bamboo one. It isn't fluffle wellsoft - it is more like smooth fleece. It is birth to potty so adjusts in the same way as a bumgenius.

I would change DD every 3 hours (unless she's pood) and never had any leaks. Maybe just go for nappy changes every 3 hours and the leaks wont happen so often.

Vests were a nightmare, I always bought a size or two bigger than she needed so that they didn't ride up the gusset of the nappy and wick. After about 6 months I gave up on vests and just used normal vests or t-shirts.

Octo - I've sent you an email. Thanks for your kind offer.

Pop n Grp test nappies in post to people

Pop n Gro lol

Pop n gro received, many thanks!
Am about to try it now on DS power wee monster with the bamboo insert, will report back.

Tried pop n gro today, great fit (better than BG imo and lasted 4 hours on wee monster with Banboo insert, am very pleased. Do they come in other colours Octo?

YEAH can I braodcast that to the world???!!!

Cerise Pink, fresh green (celery!), aqua, yellow and white.

Email me if you want some as stock not due in for a few weeks but I have some

Yeah - you have made my day!

GothAnne - please make sure you wash yours 4 times before trying it out!

Thanks

Will do. Looking forward to receiving it!

Octo the girls on the nappy thread want a link so they can see what the pop n gro looks like but I can't find one, have you got one for them!

have posted pic - not on site yet - SO new!

Octo - Received it yesterday, It's gorgeous! Have washed it four times, will be using it tomorrow.