Wondering about advice on nappy forums

[imgonnaliveforever]

I love cloth nappies and have found nappy forums a good source of advice. But a big problem I've found is not always knowing the age of the child(ren) of posters, and therefore not knowing whether to fully trust advice.

I've seen quite a few posts from people recommending nappies which they are getting on really well with on their 3 month old. But nappy requirements change over time and what works on a tiny baby might not work on a toddler and vice versa.

Anyone else found this?

And has anyone had to completely change nappy system as children got older?

Yes - loads of people change the types of nappies they use over time - espcially if they have a sized system - many choose a different combination as they grow and I have always advised different nappies. Also lots of new nappies arrive on the market all the time. I think maybe the 'birth to potty'/one type of nappy days are becoming limited now as there are so many choices.

I think it is important to note also that no particular nappy will suit every baby.

I think reading what people say and getting a broad opinion before buying is a good idea - also I tend to ignore random and very negative opinionated comments. Or if concerned about which ones to get go to a site which sells starter kits or a wide range of different brands and try a few out.

If you get advice, maybe ask age of baby tested/used on.

If you probe a bit deeper you will often find that a lot of the people who give advice have had more than one child in cloth so have been through the gamut of stages.

My first clothbot is six now and cloth nappies have changed beyond recognition since he was in them. I have been amazed to find that BTP pockets like BumGenius really are just that unless your baby is teeny tiny or your toddler is quite large. DS2 and DS3 were both in them at the same time for a bit before DS2 potty trained. And DS3 has been in them from about seven weeks. They work remarkably well but they are far from being my favourite they simply aren't fluffy enough.

I love Ittis, for example and would always have a few. But I have found them a bit unreliable when my LO is between sizes. At the moment, mediums aren't lasting very long (but look VERY cute on) and large are just slightly... large.

The best advice I was ever given was to try a few different types and get more of what suits rather than committing to a 'system'. And to buy second hand.

I find that really offensive, LittlePants. The main point with getting advice from a forum like Mumsnet is precisely because you get advice from mums in their particular circumstances. Mums who have used cloth on their own babies sometime this century. And if you get enough advice you can start to build a bigger picture to figure out what suits you best.

If I wanted advice from a nappy seller I'd ask a nappy seller. I wouldn't expect to come on Mumsnet to be given a link to 'a good free advisory site' whose raison d'être is to plug the selling website of the person who posted it.

Nappy advisors can be great if they are experienced but if they aren't they can give terrible advice!

I too have used nappies for a long time - nearly 9 years - have tried virtually every nappy on the market, been a nappy advisor, run a nappy website and distribute nappy products but the point of mumsnet is to guage advice from a variety of viewpoints not just one seller. Yes, the view points on mn vary wildly because they are other peoples views. I know myself and swampster like different stuff but it doesn't mean either of us are wrong or providing inaccurate advice. If you want experienced advice then ask the experienced MN users - ask on the chat thread - most of us on chat thread know alot about nappies, some of us are sellers so will be happy to advise you/sell to you but the point is you will get a rounded view overall.

MN won't put up a list of sellers like other sites because it is seen as advertising and we would have to pay. Maybe a list of experienced users would be good but that would cause chaos lol as everyone would want to be on it so would defeat the object lol

I think the important thing to look for is information about whether a nappy style will suit the style of baby you have and/or suit your needs. All too often people forget to mention enough about their own circumstances when asking for recommendations.

So for the OP if you're wanting only to buy 1 nappy to last through then I would mention that fact. Any good nappy retailler will actually mention this sort of detail in the description of the nappy on their site from a user point of view, as opposed to just regurgitating the nappy manufacturers 'we make this nappy so it's wonderful' description. I would recommend look on the makers site then copmpare with nappy sellers descriptions to get a truer picture of whether the nappy will work for you.

Likewise if you email a nappy seller with a question about a nappy you've been recommended on a forum, it's best not to just say 'I'm expecting a baby in a week and I've been recommended xyz nappy and wondered if you'd think it would be suitable?', it's best to also mention a little more about your expectations of the baby and your needs plus anything you need (like quick drying or no Velcro) otherwise you may not get the best information back.