reusable napies

[jazz412]

now I know they're supposedly much more effort than disposable (understandably) however as this is my first I'm figuring I won't know the difference in the work load if I don't let myself :)

On MoneySavingExpert.com it states that you save a considerable amount of money doing things this way (honestly this is my main reason...!) but it also helps the environment :)

Just wondering whether anyone has any experience of reusable nappies (I'm not really looking for the clip it together with a safety pin sort more the sort you can whack on easily!)
Really interested in using them but worried that I might be wasting my time/upfront money, is it all worth it??

any advice greatly appreciated! :)
xx

Love them! Go to
thenappylady.co.uk
for advice and info. If you live in the Teesside /n.Yorks/Durham area, I'll gladly meet you for a drink to tell you all about it!

unfortunately DrSeuss I live in Bristol!
I'm really interested in these "smartipants" ones, they seem very easy to use and are one size so seem the most logical for me I think, do you have any experience of those?

No, sorry, but do have a rethink on terry squares. Once you learn to fold them they only take seconds to do, dry easily and ours cost £48 for a two year supply.

Jazz I'm in Bristol too - you can get a voucher from the council to get £30 off a £50 spend on nappies. Try the www.babybots.co.uk website, the lady that runs it accepts the vouchers.

I have never heard of smartipants unfortunately - see what kind of baby you have before committing to expensive nappies though, as different kinds fit different babies depending on whether they're chubby waisted/skinny thighed etc.

moonUnitAlpha ta for the info :)
What nappies did you choose? The smartipants seem very adjustable, more so than others I've seen. Haven't lived in Bristol for very long - never lived in a city before - do they have mums and baby groups etc?

I use 2-parters generally, but with my voucher bought 5 or so different 1 part brands to try. Itti Bitti D'Lish were the ones that fitted my ds best - he's long and skinny. Didn't get on at all with Wonderoos or Fuzzibunz and thought Rumparooz were ok but not for the price.

Loads of groups/activities here, whereabouts do you live? You can pm me if you want.

Just to clarify, there is nothing that says you have to use dispos until the cord heals. It's just that DD's cord is a bit manky so I'm making that call this time round. With DS I put him in cloth as soon as the meconium poos had passed so about day 5 he went into cloth.

Will admit I'm partly holding off because getting DD out has messed up my pelvis and I'm pretty immobile atm, so laundry is not getting done as usual (DD was a whopper, just shy of 10lb)

Cloth is well worth it IMO. DS is in dispos now thought as he has outgrown most of his nappies and I can't afford to get more :(

I've tried the Smartipants and it was ok, but is very similar to lots of others, it wouldn't be the one I went for.

If you like the look of the Smartipants also look at the Bumgenius V3 or V4, the Wonderoo V2, the FuzziBunz V2 (I think that is the latest), or moving away from pocket nappies look at the Flip and the Close Parent Pop In which all share very similar features.

Like some of the ones I've mentioned, the Smartipants is just a pocket nappy but its unique selling feature is that it has an opening at the front and at the back, rather than just at the front. It says you can out the insert either inside the pocket or just inside the nappy, but you can do that with any other pocket nappy too if you wanted to.

It isn't any more size adjustable than the other types of pocket, its birth to potty with adjustments made by a series of poppers on the front, same as BG or Wonderoo etc etc.

The down side of the Smartipants is that, like the old Wonderoo V1, it is very bulky between the legs on a little baby (though ok past about 5 months imo) and unlike the other main brands it only come with one microfibre insert which whilst absorbant is huge, (very long) which is very bulky again on a small baby. If you went for something like a Wonderoo V2 or a BumGenius V3/V4 you get a two part insert that can be used separately or together to suit the different stages of your baby.

Price-wise it is quite good, compared to the others but when you add in the additional cost of the extra inserts that you will need it works out to be about the same price as the others.

Sorry to rain on your Smartipants parade , they are a good nappy, but don't go buying a job lot of them until you have looked at all the others.

We used Bumgenius (pocket nappy) for our DD. We initially got 15 (in a deal) then bought 4 more. We are still using them (DD is 26 months) but use disposable at night. The BG are not nearly as absorbant as a disposable and we have to change her every 2 hours or so during the day (that's with the booster insert) which can be a bit of a pain.

" it has an opening at the front and at the back, rather than just at the front "

I meant rather than just at the back d'oh!

I've used cloth since birth on DS3. Mainly use Little Lamb Bamboo nappies which i've taken the velcro off and use nappy nippas with, so i can get a good secure fit.

I use bamboo as it's more absorbant than cotton or microfibre, though microfibre is great as it dries very quickly.

Oh and also look at Cloth Nappy Addicts as well - a great source of information and the people on the forums are great and very friendly

At the time of us switching saving money was my main motivation though as the years have passed the fact that I've stopped lots of nappies ending up on landfill has pleased me more and more!

You will save money for sure especially if you have more than one child and if you don't get sucked into buying loads and loads of nappies.

About 7 years ago I bought 14 totsbots size 2s when my firstborn was around a year. I managed to borrow/have passed on tots size 1s when our second was born. Have used them all again on our 3rd. I've been doing it (with no more than a year off) for 7ish years flat. My original 14 size 2 tots are WRECKED but dd2 at 2.5 only now wears for nap and overnight.

We have saved a FORTUNE.

I haven't read all the messages, so forgive me if I repeat something.

We started using washable nappies after our son was about 2 weeks old and the poo had somewhat stabilised. I tried a few different brands, and had also made some of my own (with a free pattern off the internet - before the baby was born and I still had time to sew). We decided that the best fitting, and best poo-containing ones were Tot Bots. I like the old-style cover that has a gusset, but Tot Bots stopped making these mid-baby, so I sewed some more myself using PUL fabric.

Now TotBots have changed their nappies again, and use bamboo fabric and a polyester outer (which still takes a cover) and it is slimmer than the bulky cotton terry nappies. We like the new ones, called Flexitots, but we used the old style too.

Just now we're trying Little Lambs, and we like them as well. It is a kind of bulky nappy made out of bamboo terry, and I really like their covers because they have a bit of give to them, unlike the TotBots. So I often use a Little Lamb size 2 cover with a TotBots size 2 nappy.

If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered to buy that many size 1 nappies, because my son was 4.3kg at birth and didn't wear them very long before he outgrew them. However, it's easy to say that now looking back, and well, we're all set for Child Number Two.

As you say, it's easier to start out with washable nappies if you don't know the difference and carry on, than to switch. I'm the youngest of 7 and in those days, everyone used the fabric nappies with big safety pins, so the shaped nappies are much easier than what we had in the old days!

you rained on my smartipants parade!! tbh I still have no idea what I should get and whether we should like drseuss suggests perhaps I should look more at terry nappies? really £48 for two years???? Tell me more!!!

I'm looking forward to using cloth nappies again when DC2 is born - i used Easy-Peasy Bumbles (from thenappylady.co.uk) which are one size, from when DD was about 2 months old, with motherease airflow wraps. It's definitely worth seeing if you can get a trial pack with a few different kinds of nappies - I thought I would want the Bumbles that come with poppers, but actually found the ones that come with no fastenings so you do them up with Nappy Nippas much better as they are infinitely adjustable.

As everyone else has listed all the positives, I'll give you what I found to be the drawbacks:

• sometimes it does seem like too much effort to be honest, if I was having a really bad week or was ill etc I'd use disposables for a little while.
• if you wet pail and forget to wash the nappies within two days the bucket really stinks when you open it
• it can be hard to get trousers to fit over the top, although as I had a girl I did more dresses, and I got vest extenders for her vests.
• As I used a two part system, when DD got to around 18 months it was just too difficult to get her to lie down to do up the nappy, and impossible to do with her sitting or standing as I couldn't get the fit right. At that point I switched to disposables.

Oh one other plus that I don't think has been mentioned - in the summer I love seeing all the bright white nappies hanging on the washing line

Sorry again !

I wasn't brave enough to try terries but a close friend used them for the first 6 months and LOVED them. She switched to an 'all-in-one' nappy (Close Parent Pop-In) once baby was a nursery because the nursery said that washables were fine but that not all their staff could handle a terry fold! She still uses the terries at home though and is always trying to convert me!

www.babybots.co.uk are in your area, they say We are available for home demonstration, toddler/baby groups and ante-natal classes in the North Somerset, Bath, Bristol and South Gloucestershire regions Maybe give them a ring and find out what events they are attending soon. I've bought lots off Lynsey who runs it and she is very helpful.

Also, I think Born have a shop in Bristol, it'd be worth going and having a look what they have in stock.

Don't wet pail. It's utterly grim, and there's really no need.

DrSeuss which wraps do you recommend? And how many terries do you need? I have 12 already, looking to get 6 bamboo for nights etc.

Like Jazz, I was already fairly sure I wanted to use reusables anyway but this thread has confirmed it for me. So pleased to see so many positive experiences

I used terries a bit with my girls as newborns as didn't have quite enough size 1s. I did like them but they gave them the most enormous bottom! I tended to use at bedtime.

Motherease wraps all the way here, mix of popper and velcro.

ok DHisinthepub thanks for the info! I'm tempted by terry nappies but I don't know if I'd be able to get the hang of it.
I don't think I plan to wet pail... too much like hard work!
x

Terry squares, nappy nippas, Motherease wraps, mix of disposable and fleece liners.

My nappies were free (DH wore them as a baby!) I spent a bit of money on new wraps when DS was tiny but the council refunded 40%. I also use washable wipes (mini muslins from Mothercare, about 50 for £5). I have just bought six wraps in the next size up for £12 total from various secondhand sources.

I just stick my nappies in a bucket. If I'm away for a couple of days I either take the bucket or put them in a bin bag. I have about 40 and I only need to wash twice a week now. Terries also dry very fast.

If you want to save money they are the way forward. Join freecycle too, I see reusable nappies offered on our local one sometimes.

How do you cope with terry squares with a wriggling baby? Have you had any problem if you've had someone else looking after your DC?

Motherease Rikki wraps are great. for the childminder, we got Totsbots Fluffles (a shaped nappy which is just like a disposable to put on except that you put a wrap over it) and Totsbots wetbags. Wriggling can be a problem with ANY nappy, so you buy a Rabbitt mat. Minders etc, as far as I understand it, must comply eith any reasonable request. We didn't use wet wipes but gave them to our minder to use. She was 50+ so familiar with the concept of washable nappies!