Part time with washables - some specific questions - please help

[Chuffed]

I have been trawling the archives and active conversations and still have a couple of questions I am hoping to get a bit of help with.

I have bought 1x fuzzibunz and wonderfulls booster and 1x totsbot + booster and have a wool blend wrap already at home. I haven't used either yet.
I will only be able to use washables part time as dd's nursery (15mths) will only use disposables...so:

I I'm only using washables at weekends and for sleeping. I was thinking of using totsbots for bed as they are supposed to be the most absorbant and as they are bulky it will be easier to use a slimmer fit for weekends such as fuzzibunz and maybe slinky minkis.

So how many nappies do you think I will need of both say the tots and slim fits?
We are in a flat with no outside line, but do have access to a dryer but the 'mild' dry is quite hot so would avoid it for things that shrink.

totsbots take quite a while to dry - so maybe if you are using them at night have 3 or 4. During the day you want to have between 3 and 6 I guess (depending on the age of the child), so may 3 times that to allow for washing and drying.

The wool wraps are best for nighttime use - they can wick if sat on for a long time (eg in a carseat).

Better not to tumble dry (or at least not for long) because it uses so much energy.

just noticed you only said weekends - so maybe you can get by with enough for 2 days plus a spare - given that you will not use them again til the next weekend - plenty of time to wash and dry.

Work out how you will wash them - and how often - if you are only doing it part-time you won't get a full load very often.

thanks throckenholt - I was thinking maybe 4 tots and then say 8 fuzzi with a couple of extra boosters. I could do a wash on Saturday evening as they dry really fast and as the boosters take a little longer have a couple spare for the first couple of nappies.
For weekly washing I normally do our swimming towels from the weekend during the week so could do those on say a Tuesday have 2 left for Wed/Thurs, then the first two would be dry for Fri/Sat and we are back to the wash for Sat night - good point though about the washing I was originally thinking 3 tots but it wouldn't work for washing. (God I sound like I'm semi organised???)

if you are only washing one nappy a night generally it would be probably quickest and simplest to hand wash it. And then wrap it up in a towel and squeeze out the moisture, and then line dry, or stick over a radiator.

Or if it is just wet stick it in a normal wash (but fold the velcro tabs over - they can really catch on other clothes. You could also hand rinse a pooy one and then bung that in too. Depends on the bowel habits of your child .

Why won't the nursery use cloth? You are paying them to look after your child so they should use what you want them to use! It is saving them money in clinical waste disposal and after they have been shown how easy it is (especially fuzzis) you shouldn't have a problem. Fear of the unknown is usually the reason they say no at first.
A friend of mine said her dd was allergic to dispos. so had to be in cloth and they couldn't say no. The whole nursery has now converted to using cloth on all children (they wash them in house as well!) and if people want them to use dispos. they have to take them home to dispose of!! Big turn around!

Hi Chuffed,
I was looking at the labels in some tots that I have and it says not to tumble. I got some 'tumbled' tots from a friend and they have no elasticity left at all. Plus it does seem to age nappies very fast when they are tumbled.
I think a quick 15mins when they are nearly dry is ok for a fluff up, on a low heat.

Maisiemog - what sort of tots have you got that can't be tumbled? Just checked mine (white & unbleached, nippa & applix) and all can be tumbled. Used to have some rainbow ones too, and fairly sure they could be tumbled as well.

Do agree that 'tumbled' tots aren't as good though - they do lose elasticity & fluff over time. I tumble for 15 mins at the start to fluff and then line dry.

If you do wash them in with other clothes, remember not to add fabric conditioner, as this decreases the absorbency.

Tots will take a few (up to 3 sometimes if no heating on in house) days to dry if not tumbled. Motherease one-size and multifit dry a lot quicker (and are also a lot slimmer fitting than Tots)

As throckenholt said, wool wraps are only really good for nighttime use, so you'd need something else for daytimes. ME Airflow are fab with Tots. Avoid fleece wraps for daytime for the same reasons as wool.

Good luck with the nappies - once you get started washing them just becomes part of your routine.

Hi Laura, I've got some size 2 white nippa tots and there are care instructions behind the soaker flap. They all have the tumble dry symbol (the square with a circle inside) with a cross through it. They are over two years old though, so perhaps Tots have been improved since then?
As you say, it does make sense, but I also do a quick fluff every so often on a low heat. The thing is the elastic in Tots is rubber (I have removed it myself) so it perishes in bleach or high temps.
I have had to replace quite a few with lastin: which can tolerate higher temps.
It's quite easy to do, so whenever your tots wear out give me a shout.
Chuffed - I would say, allow for at least six for a whole day. My ds has about four or five dirty nappies a day, sometimes immediately upon changing. Also there are those tummy bug times where the nappy needs changing pretty frequently.
You could always have some flats - terries or prefolds as a cheap back up. They are pretty straight forward, you secure them with a nippa and they work pretty well on babies over 6 months, and dry overnight - and you can stuff fuzzis with them.
If you are planning to wash every other day, then as Throckenholt says I would say 3 or 4 tots for night (to allow for drying time) and about 10 fuzzis.
If you want some prefolds, I have an unopened packet of six 15-30lbs Cotton Bottoms you could have for a fiver plus whatever the P&P is?

Doh! I'm embarrassed now, I have just worked out that the symbol with the cross through it is the dry cleaning symbol.
Oops! Apologies for misleading everyone!!
I don't think we need telling not to dry clean nappies - imagine the weekly cleaning bill!!