soon to be new mum needs reusable nappy advice

[Thandeka]

I have my £54.15 voucher from real nappies for london. I was thinking about spending it on:
www.nappyeverafter.co.uk/starter_kit.htm

Yay or nay and why!?

Am due in 4weeks and need to waddle fairly sharpish to get them!

I have not heard good things about pre-folds, but have no personal experience of them. It appears from the blurb (but I am happy to be corrected) that you would need eventually to buy two sets of nappies, the 8-15lb size and the 15lb plus size, and you would end up spending £220 and having 42 nappies, and only ever using half at a time.

I would ignore all the extras such as wraps etc - I think you would need to buy more of those but you can get plenty of good quality wraps second hand

I would recommend having a look at birth to potty shaped nappies (I use bumble nappies from Easy Peasy)

If you bought them all new you could buy around 20 nappies for less than £200 - and save some space!

Happy to tell you more about my nappy choice but will wait until someone comes along to tell you more than I can about prefolds.

Nay to prefolds they are known for being leaky and unreliable. I would go with a starter kit from Twinkle or Nappywardrobe and try a few different fitted or pocket nappies to see what suits your baby.

Nay. I would agree with previous poster.
The product is well marketed but prefolds are not the easiest to use and it seems a lot of people give up using prefolds.
There are so many better products on the market It might be worth using your voucher on some pocket or fitted nappies ?
I like Motherease Sandies banboo.
Do you have a nappy advisor in your area. Most will give advice even if you are not buying from them.
Also, do not buy 20 of the same nappy. Buy a few at a time to check they work for you and your baby.
Good luck!

Hi there

Prefolds do have their place - but many people do find them too leaky (they can move around inside the wrap), and there are so many more comfy, and funky options available.

I started with Totsbots, and moved on the hard stuff... love Sandy's Bamboo too, also pocket nappies like Fuzzi Bunz.

If cost is a big consideration, then go for One Size options, or buy a few teeny Sized nappies for when baby is tiny, then get the rest One Size.

Definitely only buy one or two of each type at a time to see what suits. Not a disaster if you use some eco-dispos to supplement at first.

When you are addicted like the rest of us, buy Itti Bittis, Cushie Tushies, Bambooty, Pop N Gros... (And then, start your own nappy business!)

I'd advise against the prefolds also tbh.

We always recommend a nappy and wrap system for newborns.

Also have a look at nature babies Diddy diapers and classic wraps, these are great for newborns and make a bomb proof combo. But the trick is to not buy loads of nappies and shed out too much cash until you are sure what works for you and baby.

Thandeka - please stay away from prefolds - they are a false economy and disliked by so many people.

If you want a starter kit you culd get several different nappies for £54 and try out a few. Then make a decision and buy a full set of whatever you like.

Alternataively you could borrow a trial kit and try out the nappies for free. Many Lollipop advisors have trial kits and there are several Lollipop advisors in London, although I'm not sure exactly where they all are.

Or I also lend out trial kits for free, although you'd need to pay the postage to get it to you - look at teh Trial Kits page on www.thenappyshed.co.uk

We used pre-folds on DS since birth and really got on well with them. We had the Cotton Bottoms birth to potty kit which contained three sizes of prefolds and wraps. I think Bummis are pretty much identical to Cotton Bottoms.

We've had to supplement that with more wraps and boosters.

I've bought a few shaped ones along the way too much generally not been too thrilled with them as they are bulkier and slower drying than pre-folds and I haven't found them any more absorbant. The only other nappies that I've liked as much are BumGenius which DS uses at nursery.

If I was in your situation, I'd buy that pack and a few shaped and pocket nappies and see what you like. The wraps can be used on other nappies and pre-fold pads may be useful for stuffing or boosting other nappies, or even as general use cloths.

I initially used prefolds from a nappy service. They were terrible (leaky, ill-fitting, what everyone said above), and we quickly moved on to shaped nappies with wraps (totsbots, then motherease bamboo sandies, which are still going strong).
I got good advice from The Nappy Lady website - you can put in all your details and preferences and they come up with recommendations, no obligation to buy anything from them - though they do take the vouchers IIRC.

Nappywardrobe accepts the RNfL vouchers and does the Nappies2GoGo kits too - also has an ebay shop with different ones listed. Or check the Go Real site for your local place/advisor and don't forget they have a discounts page

But we, Nappy Ever After, are advisors too so why not give us a call or come and see us to talk about what suits you. We sell other nappies and accessories and while we love prefolds and have been selling them and successfully using them with our laundry service for the last six years, we know they don't suit everyone. If you can make it into our shop, then we'd love to see you!

Hello NappyEverAfter

Hello [wave]

Hi nea- the plan always was to come in on a tues arvo to you guys but am a big grumpy huffing and puffing lump with 4 weeks to go and the thought of getting the tube to kings cross and a waddle to the shop is filling me with dread!

Call us and let me know where you live and maybe there is a Nappuccino closer to you. We're here most days and you can come in at a time other than Tues as long as we know to be here. Wouldn't advise today though as it's snowing outside the shop as I type! Speak soon!