Should I go real???

[drfox]

My DD is 11m and I've been thinking about switching to reusables for a while. Brought about my lugging yet another massive rubbish sack out for the binman, which is at least half nappies. And I've been doing this every week since she's been born. The waste is mind boggling. I really can't understand why the propaganda says that reusables are not any better for the environment thinking about all that waste???

Anyway, I just need someone to tell me I'm to mad to start it at this stage, now i've missed the relatively easy breastfed bit. My friends all use disposables, so I won't get any support there. I wanted some impartial advice from people who aren't trying to sell me stuff.

I've got a few questions:
-DD is big and on the 91st centile, which nappies would be best? And are her clothes not going to fit her now because of the extra bulk?
-What about overnight, as she frequently overflows out of the top of her disposibles?
-She also poos about 3 x day on average, and its often loose, so no rolling the turd down the toilet, so to speak . How do you get it off the nappy? Just shove it in the machine and hope for the best?
-Will it really be worth it cost-wise at this late stage, as i'll have to shell out a lot for the nappies. Will def use the on no 2 tho
-Could do with them being quick-drying as i probably won't be organised enough and end up washing at last min. And they also need to be DH-proof, esp as he's sceptical about the whole thing, to say the least

There seems to be so much choice, I'm going cross-eyed. And also started typing in Bumgenius into Google and got some interesting suggestions...And this was on my work computer

Anyone out there to help?

haha that propaganda was flawed, very flawed. not least because it didn't take the landfill situation into account at all!!

if you're going to use the nappies again for your next child then it's definitely worthwhile. also, see if your council do any incentives. ours (west sussex) give away about £100 worth of nappy!

my favourites for reliability, not horrendously bulky, and reasonably priced are motherease one-size. birth to potty, you'll need outer wrapos though- you can't go wrong with a motherease airflow
(i speak as a mother of 3 cloth-bottomed children! who has tried almost every nappy going lol)

if you want a more disposable-looking one, ie, just one piece to put on for your dh then i would highly recommend real easy by hip hip baby. they're very slim fitting, lots of adjustability.
not that quick to dry tohugh cos the inner is hemp

Thanks thisisyesterday. I admit that I conveniently believed the propaganda myself, but after months of throwing away that much rubbish, I can't believe it true.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think i'll get a few to try and see how it goes. Must admit that all those pretty colour and designs are quite seductive. God, getting excited about nappies... I need to get out more

I live in a city that has one of the highest birth rates in the country therefore we put more nappies into landfil than most areas and my health visitor told me that using reusables was no better for the environment! Its rubbish (pardon the pun) Every little helps so even at 11 mths switching to cloth can make a difference.

Youll get your moneys worth if you are having another baby esp if you use birth to potty, i use bumgenius on DD whos almost 3 and i love them! Shes only in them at night time now but through the day they were brill too. They are as easy as a disposable so dad will be able to change them, my DP didnt want to use them until he realised theres no difference to changing.

If this isnt enough think of the difference youll see to your lo skin when you take away those chemical filled disposables! I actually noticed no more redness when switching to cloth.

As for leakages my DD has some explosions and i find cloth to contain it better than disposables, not as many leaks. Just use a good liner and you should be ok. Good luck

apparently the research that said cloth = disposables in whole life cycle analysis assumed that people IRONED (LOL) their cloth nappies and used them for just one child etc. So very flawed

I mainly use coolababy nappies during the day which are very slim fitting and have microfibre inserts which are really reliable and dry just on an airer (not even radiators) in a matter of hours. I have not needed to buy different clothes for him. They are not only DH proof but also nursery proof as they are pocket nappies with poppers so go on and off like disposables (I make them up in advance once the inserts are dry)

Am loving not having to CONSTANTLY buy bloomin nappies EVERY TIME I go to she shops so I say go for it

p.s. am quite new to it, switched when LO was 9 months - about 3 months ago

Peachybums- I have noticed that DD always has a red bum, all over the nappy area. Thought it was just par for the course with nappy wearing, but has now dawned on me that its prob a reaction to some hideous petrochemical in the nappy.

Salbysea- its great to get the opinion of a late switcher. Thought most people decided early on to go real. Thought I might try a coolababy one, esp as they are CHEAP. Can't quite believe that some companies think they can charge £ 17.99 for one nappy!!

How do your nappies hold up at night? Or do you use another type. Have been reading some old posts and Motherease ones get mentioned quite a lot.

ok I'm even newer to night nappies, as in, the last fortnight, but I've opted for breathable so 2 part with fleece wrap, fleece shorts or fleece PJs rather than anything plastic over the top since he is in them for so long. I did try a super boosted pocket nappy once but didnt like it because I felt the water proof layer was too sweaty for all night. I've ordered a Wee Notions Night Notion (with celtic angel embroidery to watch over him when he's sleeping ) and at the moment am using a lovely tots bots strechy bamboozle (which BTW has the most amazing poo catching abilities!) with some extra boosting and a fleece liner

BTW tots bots are manufactured in the UK so I guess that gives them extra eco brownie points!

Can I suggest some websites that sell a range of nappies that would be good for a beginner and have good service/knowledge - have a look at babybots, cheeksandcherries, lizziesrealnappies and greenjelly.

I would suggest a quick dryer like lollipop micro or softee with a air rika cover or a pocket nappy like bumgenius, fuzzibunz or coolababy. I have used all these nappies on my three and they have all been reliable. Dont go for bamboo if drying is an issue.

I would go for adjustment on legs and tummy if your baby is particularly chubby or popper covers as velcro can be an issue when you try to make the tummy bigger, the legs can gape - if that makes sense!

There are specialist websites too like nappygarden, weenotions and jabulababy who do some different stuff but are also very good - nappy addicts tend to shop at them!!

I use bumgenius, coolababies and itti bittis for daytime and little lamb with wrap at night. there is a voucher in the back of mother and baby april magazine for free little lamb nappy and wrap if you want to try one for free. (it doesn't say anything about it on the cover but it is there i promise.)

Also i wouldnt worry too much about the cost as you can always sell your nappies once u finish with them on clothnappytree.com you can usually get about 70% of what you paid back

RE washing, i store all my dirty nappies in a bucket with a lid, with mesh washing net inside, and a few drops of teatree to stop any smells. I simply lift the mesh net out and put it in the machine (don't have to touch any dirty nappies) then wash on 40 or 60C with a prewash and 1/2 cap of detergent (no softener) i do this every other day - easy

Thanks for all the help! Have trial on order to try them out and see what works best.

Where's the best/ cheapest place to buy boosters and inserts? The ones designed for the Bumgenius nappies seem to be £6 each, which seems quite expensive. Any recommendations? And are fleece liners better than paper/ disposable ones?

coolababy inserts are a bargain and v reliable (plus quick drying). babybots sells them

nappylady.co will give a personal recommendation for free

sorry didn't see the liners Q:
paper liners are great for nursery. I use them during the day and use fleece at night. Didn't buy the fleece ones, just chop up any old fleece you have at home

I got extra booster for bumgenius from cheeksandcherries for about four quid, if this helps.

shop around... you don't need to use bumgenius boosters for the bumgenius nappy - im sure the other types work just as well. In the past ive even just used home made boosters that I put together using microfibre cloth!

If your DD is pooing a lot, and they are loose, then you might prefer paper liners as it's easier to just pull the liner out and drop everything into the toilet. Getting loose poo off a fleece liner can be a bit grim...