Terry nappies- your experiences?

[lou19]

My local council is doing a promotion for reusable nappies where they give you one for free and there is also a cheap laundry service to go with it..I was thinking of giving it a go as the thought of the sheer amount of nappies each baby uses is terrifying, but I don't want to spend my baby's first two years bent over a sink!Are they practical or more of a pain than anything else in your opinion? First baby so clueless :)

This is a very personal issue. Some people love them, some people like them less.
Personally, I love them and can't imagine using endless disposables on my own children.
I have 2 DCs and have used almost 100% washables since DD was one month old.
I only use disposables when travelling or on odd days when I want to reduce my baggage when out and about.
There is no doubt that they are a little more work and hassle than disposables, but that quickly becomes part of your daily routine and you no longer notice it.
The benefits to your child, your bank balance, the environment etc definitely out-weigh the negatives.
You also get to choose cute patterns and colours rather than bland same-old-same-old disposables.
Try them and see!

Thanks that's useful feedback! I heard that you can get ones with flushable liners- do you know what they're called? Or what model do you use?

The flushable liners are not part of the nappy. You buy them separately and put them inside the nappy yourself.

I used to use them, but as I don't live in the UK I can't tell you which shops sell them.
On line, you can buy them from www.thenappylady.co.uk and also from www.kittykins.co.uk

After getting tired of throwing them away, I changed to washable liners, but they are good way to start in the beginning.

yes I think I might have to ease myself in!:) There are just so many types, still getting my head around it. Thanks for the advice :)

Yes, there is so much information and so many different types of nappy, it's really daunting isn't it.
before I took the plunge, I looked at lots of sites like the nappy lady and kittykins for information.
I filled out the nappy lady info form to get some expert advice that would suit my specific needs and I also bought a trial pack from Kittykins which included several different types of nappies and wraps which I could try before deciding which ones to buy larger numbers of.
The other thing I did was to break myself into it gently.
I started with only one or two nappies a day and only used them what DD and I were at home.
I later increased the number I used and then started using them when we went out and eventually at night as well as my confidence grew.
Good luck!!

proper old fashioned terry squares are excellent imo - so so cheap and endlessly reuseable - my mum still uses old ones for cleaning the floor!!!!

we used them for DD and will again for DC2 when it arrives, they're v quick to dry - we live in a flat without outside space and no tumble and never had a problem just drying them on a clothes airer.

You just take the dirty nappy off the child and instead of putting it in a bin you put it in a bucket with a lid, then each morning tip contents of asaid bucket into the washing machine! easy!