Cloth Nappies - I'm Lost!

[Cheiusa]

Hey ladies, I'm new to the site so bear with me..

My son is 32 weeks old and I really want to make the leap and go cloth! The only problem is I really have no idea where to start. Google is my friend but I'd really like some advice from Mom's who know what they're talking about..

I need a nappy that is easy to use and quite absorbent as my son is still nursed often. I also really want nice coloured/patterned cloth, whilst still being friendly to my purse.

With it being summer I'll be using the line to dry the cloth when I can but I do have a dryer that is used all day.

Any advice would be much appreciated, which type/brand to get, where to get them, how many is needed..

Thankyou very much!

I have been using the popin nappies from close parent - the microfibre ones as they dry super quickly - they're basically an outer nappy, a thick liner and an extra liner for big wee-ers (like my DCs), and they all pop together. There's also extra night liners to pop in overnight, although these take longer to dry.
Chuck 'em in the washing machine at 40 (or 60 if really messy!) and no tumble drying, and they're dry by the next morning. I got mine from here bambipur website hope this link works: here Oh, and I bought 20 and it's plenty.

Hi - I'm in the same osition as you are and have found The Nappy Lady very useful. There is a detailed questionnaire to complete and an advisor gets back to you quite quickly with suggestions. There is also no pressure to buy anything.

There is a good guide to narrow down what sort of nappy you want here

I'd suggest stick to popular well known brands such as Tots Bots, Motherease, Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, Itti bitti, Nature Babies - they have great prints on their wraps and the bamboo Loveables are lovely and quite quick drying for bamboo, Uk made too - and you can't go far wrong

I'd definitely recommend having a nappy trial to see what suits you and your baby. You'll then get a real feel for how you (and DH/DP?) get on with them. Some nappies need separate wraps and some don't, this might sway it for you. We use Itti Bittis, they're quite expensive but compact and easy for DH (you just popper in the inserts and off you go). They dry ok but we need use the tumble drier or airing cupboard if they can't go on the washing line.

Also check out second-hand sites for nappies, you can supplement your supply or buy it all cheaper than new. Useful if you're torn between a couple of brands and want to try them for longer than the nappy trial allows.

You'll also need a nappy bucket (or similar) to put dirty nappies in at home. We use a mesh bag in our bucket so it's easier to sling the whole lot in the wash. Plus, you'll need a wet bag to go in your change bag (I'd recommend a zip-up one rather than drawstring).

Would add that the Itti Bittis are sized so we've bought small (new), medium (second-hand) and large (new).

For the large size we have 6 outers with inserts and 10 extra sets of inserts. I also use 6 medium inserts with the large size nappies. This is fine for DD now she's pooing less frequently and she's mostly on solids - I can often re-use the outer with clean inserts.

I need to do a nappy wash every other day or so.

Contact a local nappy advisor - she'll come round and show you loads of different brands and you get to touch and feel them and have the pros and cons of each type explained.

I've become an evangelist for good old terry towelling nappies since I started using them- they are dirt cheap, they dry really fast and you can fold them in different ways to suit your baby. They aren't pretty, but the wraps over the top are cute.

terrynappies.co.uk is a website I found useful.

You don't need a bucket for the pop-ins ones as you don't soak them overnight - the packs of nappies come with a stripey nappy bag, and you can buy a trial one from Waitrose. Size wise you only buy one set and they go from tiny baby up to my big fat toddler who's 20m old as you pop over the outer wrap according to the age of the bottom you're covering.

Thanks very much for all your replies, some really great advice given.

I had a look around to see what kind I thought looked suitable for us and I bought a Coolababy one from Babybots (recommended by a friend) to try out!

I received it this morning (only ordered it yesterday afternoon) and I'm really excited to try it out! It's a lovely baby blue, has a really high quality finish, has loads of poppers so will always fit little man snugly and it came with 2 rather thick liners.

Should be trying it in the next few days! :D

Yay! Welcome to the addictive world of cloth nappies Cheiusa, let us know how you get on

Some of the nappy shop websites have good guides to the different types of reusables out there, for example:
www.fill-your-pants.com/
www.cheeksandcherries.co.uk/

www.clothnappytree.com/ is full of good advice (though a little daunting) and is an excellent place to get some second hand ones to try.

Have fun!

sigh Still not managed to try it out yet! I did try to put it on on Wednesday night, but couldn't get it to fit right and little man was getting fed up and wriggling everywhere so I gave up..

Hopefully be trying it tonight!