Re-usable nappies

[JenniferR]

Hi there

I'm thinking about trying re-usable nappies when baby arrives in May but have no idea where to start with this!
Has anyone used them and do they work? Which brand is best? All seem expensive and don't want to buy and then get fed up using them! So far the Mothercare Smart Nappy seem to be affordable but just don't know.
Any thoughts/tips advice really appreciated.
Best wishes
Jen

Hello!

They are expensive to buy initially, but they can save you about £700 if you use them for one child, even more if you plan to have other children.

Different brands have different advantages & disadvantages. A great place to start is to visit www.thenappylady.co.uk - there's a questionnaire to complete, and then a real person will recommend brands based on your responses (and explain them fully to you, and give an alternative recommendation). They'll price up their recommendations too (from the same website), but you can then take their recommendations and look around on the internet or even direct anyone who wants to help you out to buy particular brands (my parents wanted to buy the pram, for example, but we'd already bought it - so they've got the nappies for us instead!).

As my first-born is still unborn, I haven't used mine yet! But I've got plenty of RL friends who have, and there are lots of people (who will be along in a minute, no doubt) to give you proper testimonials of their experiences.

Good luck!

If you can buy second hand then do. We got a huge number at bargain prices at our most recent NCT nearly new sale.

Like Petal, our DC hasn't arrived yet so can't say anything else useful.

I'd leave buying them until after the baby's born, you have enoughto contend with getting used to being a mum, without the extra washing. Then I'd buy one or two before buying a whole system as you might not like it or it might not fit your child well.

www.thenappylady.co.uk/ indispensable source- she'll tailor advice to your needs- extremely helpful

you can buy great unused bundles on ebay- basically well intentioned parents who bought big starter packs but never got, well, started

find out from the nappy lady which type suits your needs best first before buying, I find it's best to decide on 2/3 varieties and make up your stash from these

I love the bamboo nappies- silky soft but long dry time

Flexitots are a great two-part nappy with much quicker dry time

Microfibre nappies dry the quickest but are a bit bulky (I like the big bum look on babies)

I think if you leave buying them till after the baby is born, you'll probably wind up getting used to disposables!

I have used reusables for over 2 years, currently with DS2 who is 2.4 and planning to use them for DC3 (due tomorrow ) too.

They are fab - a whole new world of accessorizing awaits!!

The best advice I can give you is to try as many different types as you can - some I love, others hate, and vice versa.

I started by using a trial kit for a month - it was free via our county council, I just searched on their website under 'real nappies' and called the number. I ended up with an entire kit, including bucket and liners, with about 10 different types of nappies to try, for a month. It was great, I tried terry nappies, various pocket nappies (including BumGenius which I mostly use and which nursery like too), 2 parter nappies, bamboo, cotton, hemp etc - really fantastic way to start. Some counties offer money off instead, but again I would buy second hand until you find the ones you love.

Join in the nappy chat in products section on MN too!

Good luck

there is a whole board dedicated to nappy chat and it is mostly cloth nappies that get discussed. You may well get more responses if you post there.
I would probably recommend you don't get a complete set of anything but get a couple of different makes, types and brands to start off with and see what works for you and your baby.
You will never get a consensus on the best cloth nappy as everyone had different views.
I have no experience of the Mothercare ones. Most of the big chain stores know sweet FA about real nappies. Your best bet is to try and find a nappacino/nappy demo in your area or some of the big sites have local agents that will come round and show you their stuff. There is nothing better than touching, seeing, feeling the nappies to get a real idea of how they work and what the differences are.
Nappies I personally like to use on my girls are
Bumgenius birth to potty pocket nappies v3/v4,
totsbots easyfits v2 (birth to potty - all in one)
rumparooz - like the BG but bold colours and nice prints - BirthToPotty pockets
Itti Bitti D'lish - sized all in one nappies / or snap in one

I could go on (and on and on!)
Oh and although they are expensive to get in the beginning you can sell on the ones that you don't like or don't work for you and you will make a big saving on buying disposables especially if you use them on more than one child.

BTW the kissaluv newborns are too cute

Our local council does a nappy trial scheme
you give them £150 cheque as gaurantee
they deliver the trial set of different makes etc
you then wash & return & get your cheque back

not sure if its nationwide?

BTW kirstyJC I'm due tomo too!!

I have used loads and loads while nannying.

Have LOVED many (and have some for my own) and have hated others with a passion to the point where i wont even let myself be given them as spares!
Mothercare smart is one of my hates as are bambino mio and cotton bottoms (all 'prefolds)

already i have ove 50 cloth nappies for 1st size ... and that is far far far more than i need.... but have bought and been given a few by friends etc, and some myself, and then i just have to have those too.

My favourite type of nappy is a shaped nappy with a wrap.
I think Motherease airflow is well known to be one of the best most 'bomb proof' wraps, but the ricki is almsot as good, and some will argue better when they are tiny.

I have some newborn Sandys (I LOVE Sandys, have used them lots)
some small Sandys (from 9lb so maybe from birth)
some little lambs
some lollipop softees (SOOOOO cute)
some fleece lollipops
some MEOS... i doubt ill use these when baby is tiny or more than 15 months ish depending on size / shape of my child... (these arnt my favourite nappy but ok as a spare / to keep in car / change bag / at MILs etc)
a cotton tots bots
I have got a FREE Bumgenius (birth to potty pocket)
and a FREE Popin (when they were new about 2 years ago i found a link for a free sample and kept it)
(thats makes over 50 nappies)
I havent got any newborn kissaluvs but they are a lovely nappy, probably the cutest / best newborn nappy

I also was given some terry squares (useful to mop up sick and for nappy free time so i accepted them) and i have some nappy nippers... anyway just for fun have been practising folding terry squares (I like bat fold) and might use some of them as well, just cause i can, but then that means i have about 75 cloth nappies

Id like some tots bamboozles but think i need to wait for size 2 to be allowed to buy anymore.

I have a couple of completely free packs of huggies newborn disposable nappies, and some individual pampers / nature baby samples, which i might use, if i have to go to hospital.

Am hoping for a home birth though in which case baby will be in cloth from hour one!

I figure although so many is rediculouse, and will be doing lots of washing anyway in the early days, i wont feel pressure to wash now due to fear of running out! I plan to line / air dry, so doesnt matter if its raining and they take a while on the airer.
and once i see how many are really really spare will sell some on again!

Wow nannyl you are well prepared!

PS I also really dislike bambino mio - they were in our council free trial pack and that put me off for 6 months!

I can tell you what we're using. We've got Close Parent Dream-Dri V3 and they're great. They're made of micro-fibre so dry overnight, which means we don't have wet nappies round the house for days. It also means you need fewer as you can wash them in the evening and have them back in use the next day.

We didn't get them until DD was a few weeks old because they're one size and don't fit very tiny babies very well (they have poppers on the outer to change the size).

We have 11 because we still use disposables at night and when reusables aren't convenient. A friend has 21 and uses them all the time.

I love my reusables. I started with bambino mio which weren't great but soon discovered tots bots which is mostly what I use now, with motherease wraps and fleece liners.
my nappies are currenly being used by DS2 and will mostly still be ok for DC3, so given that I will use them for 3 children they have saved me a fortune!!
I also discovered washable wipes when I had DS2 and these are great and also save lots of money (they just get washed with the nappies and are much more effective that normal wipes I think)

nappy lady has lots of good advice and also demo videos on utube

mummysleepy can i ask what wipes you use?

In the past i have used "proper cloth" wipes
flannels (I think really old thin flannels are my favourite)
cut up bits of terry cloth
and cut up bits of fleece
(& all have been washed with the nappies)

They have all worked fine but not looked very pretty. i am reluctant to buy proper cloth wipes when i have so many old ikea fleece blankets, and terrys that could be cut and hemmed into wipe size pieces, but am still undecided!
Have looked at the cheeky wiped system too, but never used it for real.

Any ideas

I use tots bots bamboozles, they are very good. Tots bots also have an eBay store for clearance and slight seconds, called bargainbots,worth a look.

Friends recommended bumgenius and I thought I'd try a few different brands just to see (used nappylady etc) - but wish I'd just followed their advice ..

bumgenius are AMAZING. no leaks, dry fast - it's a big initial outlay but def worth it. we have 12, use a disposable at night, and used disposables for maybe the first 3 weeks until she was big enough for the bumgenius on the smallest setting (also helped not to have extra washing pressure in those early early days).

Nannyl
I think I got my wipes from the nappylady . They are fleece one side and cloth the other and they just work!
I'm too lazy to make my own ( ditto fleece liners) but I am sure it could be easily done

I'm old fashioned and love terries!

thanks for that info mummysleepy

I used TotsBots and loved them, as they're shaped & fit the same as disposables (just a bit thicker/big baby bum!). Only downside is drying them in winter as you either need them on the radiator for some time or in the dryer. But otherwise, not too expensive compared to some. I used mine on DD for over 2 years and they were still really thick and absorbent and I've now given them to someone else.

With regards to wipes, i just went to insert local cheap shop of choice and bought 15 flannels for a few quid, would soak 5 or so at a time in very dilute bubble bath solution & store in a zip-lock bag with the nappy changing stuff until needed, then wash them in with the nappies. Job done! :)

And sorry if I'm repeating anyone else, but you can get lots of second hand stuff on The Nappy Site

Thanks so much to everyone for your tips. I'm going to look at the Nappy Lady site and also keep my eyes open for bargains coming up on Ebay!

All the best to everyone expecting their babies soon- May 2nd for me and time is just flying in :)
Jenx

I've been using itti bitti d'lish for 14 months with DD and love them! They do have seconds and clearance items to watch out for on their website. Also, I'm not sure if you're having a baby shower but for mine everyone bought me one of these as we had a lot of the necessities already bought or from hand-me-downs.

OMG, kettles, I was given a free sample of an itti bitti d'lish and it was fabulous!! But they're about £15 each so way out of my price range!!