Reusable nappies, good or bad idea?

[ShiftyEyes]

This will be our first baby, due in July and I'm looking for some advice on reusable nappies.

I have researched brands cost etc and it seems to be the way forward. Less chemicals, less landfill waste and cheaper in the long run.

But I'm worried I may be setting myself up for a fall. I mentioned reusables to my Mum and she had to contain a smirk / giggle and said "see how you go on with disposables for the first month or so..."

I'm trying to be realistic, from what friends have told me I can't begin to understand the tiredness / zombie like state I will be facing when baby is here. I wonder if I would be taking too much on with new baby and all the stress that brings combined with loads of extra washing and drying of all the nappies. I don't want to fork out approx 350 to find I just can't be arsed to use them and end up sending OH to supermarket.

I don't know anyone who has actually used them, so has anyone had experience of disposables and are they more trouble than they are worth?

I'd love to use reusable but it doesn't seem practical, plus when you factor in that you have to wash the nappies on high and do possibly a couple of loads a day aren't you damaging the environment in other ways?

It curls my stomach to think how many nappies end up in landfill. But can you expect people who offer to babysit to also use reusable and wash those nappies?

I'd be interested to know what's worse, the carbon footprint increase from having your machine on non stop high washes or using disposables...

Another one without a tumble drier: I started using them when PFB DD was a month old, and had a similar negative reaction from friends and family. I'm very lazy, and have found it really unproblematic. My advice would be to try a few different types (clothnappytree is a goid website for second hand nappies) if you can, to get an idea of what sort you like, before buying loads. I also really like the flushable paper liners, because that way the poo goes down the loo, where all civilzed poo belongs. I also find that reusables are much better at liquidy breastfed poo containment, and I've rarely had the poo up the back problem.

Hannah I did a wash every other day. Often at 40, sometimes at 60. My nappies were mainly secondhand and are still here to use for another baby. I have folded nappies for babysitters, preschool also used them without issues. I have no doubt whatsoever that they are environmentally much better. You have to factor in the manufacture and distribution of disposables too.

There are a lot of myths about resusebales because of a study sponsored by a disposable company which aimed to prove that they were environmentally equal.

The impact of reuseables is heavily impacted by user behaviour. The study assumed frequent, very hot, washes, tumbling, etc. The reality is that most modern nappies should generally be washed at 40 most of the time. I only ever washes every couple of days. And many people rarely tumble (bad for the elastic).

There are many very valid reasons to choose disposables, but false environmental equivalence isn't one.

Pocket nappies are also no different to use than a disposable. Just put in nappy bucket after instead of the bin. And you'd need to be sitting for a whole weekend or whatever for washing to even be an issue.

I used them with ds1 after about 4 months. Unfortunately they give ds2 horrendous nappy rash so we've not used them much and I feel very guilty. And poor. Although my washing machine thanks me for it

Sorry if this is obvious, but did you try a strip wash? Powder build up can cause nappy rash.

We are expecting our first baby in the next 3 weeks, and are going to try washables. We did buy some new Little Lamb size 1s plus a couple of Close Pop-ins initially (went to Great Expectations in Brighton for advice, and they were so cute so we bought a few!). Since then however we've discovered how incredibly cheaply you can find 2nd hand nappies on EBay, including Little Lambs. We've saved TONS of money this way and now have a huge stock. Obviously you might worry about hygiene from 2nd hand, but we bought from several sellers and everything so far that has been delivered has been clean, unstained and perfectly fine to use.

We are going to try washables from birth, including first few days at hospital, with the extra inclusion of small pieces of cut-up old fleece to catch the meconium, which we can chuck if unable to wash out.

If you buy second hand you can get so many cheaply, so that the drying time issue is resolved (except maybe if you live somewhere really tiny where space is the issue).

Good luck!

InFrance- you sound really organised! Just bear in mjnd that storing used nappies in hospital isn't always easy. You might have to be prepared to bag them and your partner take them out to the car a couple of times a day.

Penguins I think that study also assumed ironing. Who the hell irons nappies?

I think I did a nappy wash a day when DS was under 3 months as he pooed loads and often went through 10-12 nappies a day Generally washed at 40c though and only did an occasional 60c wash. I probably used the tumble drier half the time. After 6 months it was more like every 2-3 days.

Lots of great advice on here.

I'd recommend trying a few different brands / styles of nappy before committing yourself to lots of one type. The pre-loved boards are great for that. Fill Your Pants does a 'try cloth for £10' scheme, it gave me a good idea of what I found easy.

Like Little Lamb on Facebook and you'll get to see all their flash sales, next is 7th Mar. Their sized pockets are great, basic but work well and can be very cheap with the deals.

Real Nappy Week starts last week in April this year, last of bargains and competitors so worth following.

It doesn't have to be all or nothing. I started my DS on cloth at 4 days old and gradually used more until we went full time at 4 weeks when most of our nappies fit him.

Hi there, I hated the thought of all the nappies in landfill, but didn't think that I had the time for reuseables, so I actually use biodegradable nappies and they are absolutely fantastic. They are called NATY nappies by a Swedish company called Nature Babycare, they also do 100% biodegradable wipes and nappy sacks, so no guilt there either. You can buy them from waitrose or amazon, but I order mine off of the Boots website and then get all my advantage card points too! My ds is also the only one of his peers to have never leaked, even at night, or to have had nappy rash. For us they are a totally miracle product and I love them!!!

You've had loads of good advice there, just wanted to add my experience.

I used reusables from 4 weeks with DD. It was a big mistake for us. I'd researched and bought new, because they were on offer, and then they just didn't suit her at all. I dreaded everything to do with nappies because I hated the way they fitted her, the great bulk of them and the way all her gorgeous little clothes just did not fit. I ended up selling them so lost about £100 in total as I had got a whole load for birth to potty.

It was also January and nothing would dry. I washed every day, then hung indoors on an airer with a dehumidifier running 24/7 next to it, and the 20 nappies I had were not ever dry. And despite soaking them, using liners which I rinsed first and being careful with detergent etc, I ended up with a sludgy brown buildup in the washing machine every single time. I honestly lost track of the times I sat with DD crying and myself crying, because I 'couldn't do it'.

It was only when DH came home and found me like that, demanded to know what was wrong and I told him that I hated the nappies and everything to do with it, but I'd spent £££ on them and felt such a failure, that he went out and bought a load of disposables and said, problem solved. Of course there's the environment to consider, but it was getting to the point that I was becoming unwell and unhappy with DD, over something so silly.

So by all means try it. But I would go slowly, don't spend a load, look at second hand and different brands to find what suits you. I would also avoid the first few weeks as meconium is truly something else! Not to mention, you don't know how things might go with your birth and yes, you will be completely lost with regards to day, night, feeds, sleep, even if all goes smoothly. It's one less thing to have to deal with, which might sound trite but in those early days even the smallest thing to make life easier is worth it, IMO.

I would also be cautious about using reusables in hospital, purely because there is zero space in your bed area. Yes your OH could remove dirty and bring fresh daily, but what if you're in for some time? Newborns get through 8+ nappies a day easily, and they are really sticky, gloppy, nasty things too. It just feels like a lot of pressure that can be avoided when so much else is going on.

Good luck whatever you decide!

We waited until DS1 was big enough to fit into birth to potty size motherease (£350) nappies. So that was maybe 3 months, I wasn't paying for two lots of nappies! We lived in a small flat with no outside or tumble drier at the time and got on fine. DS2 was due and DS1 was still in nappies so I topped up my stash with some ebay pocket nappies from China, I preferred these and they were so much cheaper. The little lambs link 10 for £50 look great to me. I use disposables at night, also when we moved house and I didn't have a washing machine and when we all had terrible D&V and were very, very ill, even though washables soak up liquid poo much better than disposables.
Handing over an AIO or made up pocket nappy is no more complicated than disposable for helpers IMO.

Tumble drier not required if you have radiators. I have used TotsBots on my son since 4.5 months, now 16 months, I have 20 of them (all in one type, no separate wrap) and I wash every 2 days, hang them cloth side down on the radiator, and fold them with a flush able liner the next day. Into a canvas bag that sits beside the change mat, easy! I think tumble drier shortens their lifespan.

Only drawback I have found is that when he went from breast feeding to formula, the volume of fluid intake on formula meant I had to change him every 2 hours or we got leaks. I did buy bamboo liners to boost the absorbency, that helped, use those for first thing in the morning when he tends to have mega-wees. And I do use a disposable at night, or if going on long journeys.

The nursery he goes to cope with them too, I send in 6 per day, and they give me the dirty ones each evening in nappy sacks. Easy!

Good luck!:)

Swifey -I use naty too when I use disposables. However, I have also read that even supposedly compostable nappies don't break down in landfill conditions. Not sure how true that is.

I've stripped and stripped

FY anyone near Leicester's I, Fill your pants are opening their new showroom soon (? this weekend) and will have a nappucino and some big discounts apparently.

Don't worry about the PFB thing - we used them for our first(&only) and got on just fine. We have a washing machine, no tumble-dryer, and we managed just fine: drying racks on the heaters in winter, outdoors in summer. We managed when we were out camping. That's how doable it is. We'd end up with roughly one load a day at 60 degrees, and it was not just nappies but assorted things (cloths for the changing table, terry wipes, Mummy/Daddy bathtowels, teatowels).

The only thing I'd do differently is probably not bother with teeny-size nappies, or velcro. But even then I didn't pay too much for the c.5 I had of them. So, unless your DC is teeny size, you can probably go straight to "birth to potty" sizes. We got loads of them off ebay (do a search for "reusable nappy") for anything from 1.50-5.00 each (depending on how ravenously I wanted that particular colour or pattern). I ended up getting about 20 of those, but didn't need to - 10ish will do. The kind we bought had the poppers to shorten the rise, and poppers around the waistband, so they were really adjustable from almost newborn to when he was done.

In the early days we'd use just one booster pad, later we went to two booster pads for overnight. As his bladder got bigger, we used two booster pads during the day as well. And then he toilet trained!

Get the [paper] liners, too. The main nay-saying you're going to hear is about nappy rash, and that's what the paper liners help with. Junior Joy was the cheapest, I think, and worked just fine. Tip: ensure the liner is entirely tucked in the nappy, or you will have wicking issues.

Oh, I'll go one further, we generally also didn't do disposable wipes. We found a huge bundle of terry squares in - of all places - the automotive aisle of Costco - something like 40 for 16ish, and kept a pile of them (folded in 4) in the bathroom. Come changing time, we'd run the water to warm-hot, get it on the innermost corner, shake off the excess and then fold it back. So you have a corner that's really wet, a bit of surrounding area that is damp and the rest of the towel that is dry, all in one. And those went into the wash as well.

Your local council might do free sample packs.

I loved them - they are brilliant. And I am able to look my kid in the eye and say "I did what I could". And, to be perfectly shallow - his bum looked really cute in them.

As to babysitters, etc, the nappies with with the poppers are every bit as easy to manage as disposables. Every nursery or childminder DS went to, they were completely OK. We'd pre-prepare a few (put pads&liner inside the outer), and gave them a drawstring bag (Oh, how we loved CEX!) for laundry. The nurseries would even do the terry- squares-with-the-water thing.

As to out&about laundry, I used to keep little carrier bags of the sturdier plastic in my nappy changing bag. I'd collect them from places and people and the quirkier the better! It was such fun doing a change and then dropping the used nappy in a bag from the House of Commons gift shop or Tiffanys or Fredericks of Hollywood. (and I'd rinse those out and reuse those too.)

Thanks Penguins, we are only five mins drive from the hospital, so can bring stuff back home easily. Also buying a few zipped wet bags to store dirties. Being in France I'll be in a single room for at least 48 hours (until they let us go home following 1st medical check), so shouldn't be too problematic or bothersome to others.
That being said, I do have one pack of newborn size eco-disposables in case things go wrong somehow!

We used reusables from newborn with ds and will be with this one, due in a few weeks. I think with your first it's such a big adjustment whatever you use, that getting straight into cloth is probably easier than getting used to sposies and then switching. But that's us.
No tumble drier here and 2.5yo ds is in cloth at night only now - but even his bamboo little lambs dry in 1-2 days so it's not an issue. When we were full time cloth I did a wash every other day and they usually dried on the rack overnight.

Started off with lots of pretty pockets and all in ones (just bought 1-2 each of different brands when I was pregnant), but soon ended up in terry's shaped one size with motherease airflow wraps as they were explosion proof. Downside was he needed changing every 2-3hrs, but believe me ds could wee for Britain!

I've actually just today started using his cloth nappies during the day again (felt guilty after reading freeourkids.co.uk, great read btw) although only when we're at home for now. His rumparooz in particular look so cute on his toddler bottom

Also, I recommend fill your pants and funky monkey pants for cloth websites :)

Sorry to disappoint you Swifey but Eco nappies still are only 70% biodegradable, and takes up to 50 years for that 70% to compost. Better than pampers etc but still not really a substitute if you are looking at environmental impact from your choice compared to reusables.

You guys are brilliant
So much advice here and I'm finding it really useful hearing the good and bad stories and those in between.

I had read (ok skimmed) mixed reviews on the Naty nappies but will look into it more, I do seem to have a strange obsession with all things Scandinavian at the moment too so it works quite well.

I need to read all your posts in more detail later as I'm reading this at work. But provisionally thinking Naty for hospital / zombie / I can't do this anymore days and some on standby in case those days turn into weeks. Going to order the Little Lambs one size 10 for 50 as that seems a good deal and the paper liners too then will scour ebay for deals for others. That way it isn't too much of an outlay if I find I just can't cope with it all.

I just need to work out the tiny baby bit as the Little Lambs all in one say from 10lb and I really do hope I don't have a 10lb baby as I'm 5 foot.

Pedant thanks for the tip about the wipes, I will look into cheap bundles. So are nappies ok to wash with other things, bath towels & tea towels etc? Is there a hygiene issue? I assumed I would have to wash them separately.