Resusable nappies

[CaipirinhasAllRound]

Did you use them from birth, which ones do you use/not like and do you rely on them all the time or just at home?
I'd really like to be able to use them so would love to hear your thoughts and experiences please

I'm just starting with them, DD is 22weeks. Our local council send you a trial pack of 2 different nappies, liners etc or if you're defiantly going for them £30 cash back on £50 spend. Try googling 'your town real nappy scheme'. I've got a variety at the min (tots bots, little lambs, dotty bots, baby bum boutique), just one of each to work out what I like. I think our council also has an independent advisor who will come & see you to help.

I've used them from 14 months with DS, hoping to cloth bum from birth with this one - there are some good FB groups for info etc.

Birth with both my last two (apart from the hospital). I never bothered taking them out much, just had a pack of disposables kicking around for trips out and would put the reusable in a nappy sack to take home. I know plenty of people do use them out and about, but I am a bit lazy like that. My childminder wouldn't use them, my nanny would. There's lots of info around if you google. I will put my pitch in for two part systems rather than all in ones. They seem easier. They aren't. We used terry squares and even my idiot husband can fold them. Even my three year old could fold them.

I've used Little Lamb ones, bamboo for night time and microfibres for daytime. Bought second hand, which worked out about a quarter of the cost of new. They do size 1 which lasts til about 4 months, then you need size 2. I prefer to get the different sizes as birth to potty are very bulky on a newborn. It's a good idea to get a small pack of disposables for the first couple of days, as the baby's first meconium poo will not wash out of a reuseable easily!

From birth (well discharge from hospital). Terry squares at first then a mix of motherease one size, bum genius pocket and bum genius flips.

The problem wasn't the bulk in the newborn stage, it was the skinny legs!

We use cloth nappies with our twins, they are 15 months old.

I started using them when the babies were about 5 weeks old. We started with Little Lamb nappies and wraps, they were really good and size one lasted until they were nearly 12 months. We have a mixture of Bumgenious, Little Lambs (size two), Totsbots and Motherease.

I used them all the time, at home, when out and at night. I have to wash nappies every second day and we have 20 nappies per baby, which I find plenty. You have to be on the ball with washing them or you run out. I love babies in cloth bums.

We also use washable wipes too.

Also you council may do some sort of starter initiative. We got 25 pounds voucher per baby to buy nappies. I found The Nappy Lady helpful and because I knew nothing about cloth nappies, I watched a lot of Youtube videos about them :)

I'm only 20 weeks along with our first, but we've bought the birth to toilet bamboo pack from Little Lamb along with 10 OSFA (because they went on massive sale) and some reusable wipes. Thought I'd just give the tip that if you like Little Lamb on facebook you'll be the first to hear about their offers, which can be very good.

We're really looking forward to cloth nappying. So much cheaper, and we're not contributing to the landfill. And they're adorable!

Birth to potty kits are a rip off - they only fit 9lb+ babies, might not suit your baby at all, and you won't get 12+hours out of one over night.

Try various brands and types to find what suits you. I have 20ish AIOs of various brands for daytime and 10 fitteds for night time (ds wakes for a change when teething) and wash every 3rd day.

During the day, aim to change every 3-4 hours. For us that's a TotsBots EasyFit or Bambino MioSolo with a booster (mioboost in miosolo, bamboo in bamboo ef, hemp in minky ef) At night, a bamboo fitted with a hemp and a microfibre booster lasts 12+ hours (except when teething). That needs a separate cover, ds likes wool trousers (longies) but other people use a pul nappy wrap or fleece. Best to try a few different things to see what suits you.

You'll also need a lidded bin - mine lives in the bathroom next to the loo, handy for flushing poo away, then i keep a zip up wet bag in the lounge for ease - with a mesh bag to use like a bin bag. Modern nappies degrade if soaked so just keep them in the bag and shove them in the machine when you come to wash day.

Fleece liners wick moisture away from baby's bum. From weaning, flushable liners are good so you can just lift the poo out and flush.

99p shop baby flannels make excellent reusable wipes - they go in the wash with the nappies and will save £££££

Wash at 60* to kill bugs but use a scant tbsp powder - no softener - as it clogs up the fibres and messes with the absorbency. Most people i know do a prewash and at least one rinse on top to remove the soap. UV is a natural antibacterial so line dry outside where possible

I used resuables once the meconium had passed through. Even on my 10lb 6oz baby the birth to potty stuff was too large as she was still a slim newborn IYSWIM.

I definitely recommend buying lots of different ones 2nd hand to see what suits your baby's shape. My hugely tall dd did mega wees really young so only found that the easy peasy nappies boosted did the job.

I used them from birth. I find them pretty easy, and way better than disposables.

I would buy a trial pack my DD hated them and started crying hysterically the moment she has wet the nappy. Which made them impossible for us to use.

If no-one minds me interjecting, do you just wash reusable nappies in the washing machine? Does one normal wash get them properly clean? And what about the smell in the mean time - does it cause a problem? I'd love to use them (and thankfully got another 20 weeks ish before 'Thumbelina' pops out and I need to figure out what I'm doing!), but this is my first, I'm clueless, and we live in a small flat where smell could be a problem.

The lidded bucket means no smell. I didn't use cloth pre-weaning, but I understand breasted baby poo is water soluble and can go straight in the machine. I used a disposable liner so the poo can just go into the loo. We have hard water so I do a cold rinse wash, then a 60 degree wash with a full dose of powder (any less doesn't get them clean with hard water) and then another rinse to get rid of soap powder residue (which can affect absorbency).

Yes just throw them in the washing machine, I used to to do a rinse cycle first and then wash with detergent.

RaRa - even with disposables you will have them sitting around in your flat until the nappy bin is full. I've bought a couple of large zipped wet bags for mine to help seal the smell in a bit more!

I've yet to try out my nappy collection - still got another 2 months until baby puts in an appearance - but I've picked up a few tips:

If you look on eBay you can find loads of unused cloth nappies or ones that have been used only a handful of times for a fraction of their original cost. I've saved loads of money doing this, but it helps if you research beforehand how much different nappies cost so you know you're getting a big deal.

Lots of people use disposables for the first few weeks until the baby bulks up a bit and poo gets less tar-like. Means you don't have to bother with buying newborn reusables that they might grow out of very quickly and you don't have to worry about washing in the early days when you're both tired. If you do use from newborn though you can buy preloved ones cheaply. They will only have been used for a few weeks so condition will be good.

Go on mn nappies forum and read some of the old threads. I found this really helpful.

good not big.

Breastmilk poo just washes straight out, i don't know about formula I'm afraid. Weaning poo, use a liner and flush the poo. Most people i know do a maintenance wash once a month or so - run the machine empty on a high temperature with some white vinegar, this deals with any nasties.

A week's worth of nappies stinks to high heaven and takes up a lot of space, and i find disposables smell of chemicals after use. I'd hate to wait a week for them to be removed, mine get dealt with pdq!

I do a 60* with prewash first then at least one separate rinse cycle (see my previous post about soap build up) and have been using some of the same nappies for 14 months, which were bought preloved.

I worked out that brand new miosolos or easyfits (available from tesco, mothercare, kiddicare etc) cost 4p per use over the 2.5 years you'll likely need them. My wipes cost me £5 plus the occasional bottle of teatree oil (I'm still on the one i bought for post-birth baths!)

Stick a sanitary towel to the lid of the bucket and put a drop of olbas on every few days if it smells. My "bucket" is a £4 swing bin from Wilkos :o

We stick a sanitary towel to the inside of the lid with a few drops of lavender oil, works well. It smells more in summer but only for a little while when you take the lid off.

I was at 40 degrees and at 60 degrees every 4th wash. It is more environmentally friendly to wash at 40.

Also, the Nappy Lady has some wonderful advice www.thenappylady.co.uk/nappyinfoandtips.html

I do wash at 60 I'm afraid - and with biological.

60 and non bio here. I trust heat more than chemicals to kill bugs!

What do you do with reusable nappies to get the poo off, do you have to rinse them down the toilet and then wash them in the washing machine?

Mostly it just falls off when you tip the nappy up

I also turned to the Nappy Lady and got great advice. We started after 3 months as DC v small. Use bumgenius during the day - v easy and not bulky. They dry overnight on an airer too. A 2 part system at night - Bamboozle plus Motherease wrap. If you use thick paper liners like Bambino's poo rarely goes on the nappy so you're washing mostly nappies with wee on and a bit of poo occasionally. I do feel I've had to be more organised than just chucking disposables away for 2 reasons. 1. I have found I have to change every 2-3 hrs not just when hes pooed. Secondly the washing but it's worth it when you get a clean load of nappies out of the machine and you throw so little waste away! I do a cold rinse with tea tree oil to freshen them up and wash away any poo, then wash at 40 in non-bio. Sunshine in the summer bleaches and whitens them. Love it!
I had a period of leaks and doubting, but when DS was weaned and his liquids cut down it all got easier. Hope that helps!