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Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Reusable nappies - The dark arts!

44 replies

wawabear · 25/10/2014 09:44

Hi all

We want to use reusable nappies and despite doing a fair amount of research on the matter, I really can't work out what we need to buy.

I have looked in Mothercare at the Mio range but can't work out if we need an inner nappie and an outer nappie, or an outer nappie and a nappie liner, or what they call a 'booster'. How many do we need and will they see us through from birth to potty training? Is it cost effective to buy reusable, if so why don't more people do it?

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

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bagofsnakes · 26/10/2014 14:27

Back as promised and I'll try and answer your question wawabear and let you know what we did with our newborn (now 28 months and still happily in cloth).

Unfortunately I can't comment on the range you are looking at as I haven't used it. From taking a look at the Mio range, it seems to be similar to the idea of prefolds and covers that we use, so maybe telling you how many we had of those for our newborn will help. Boosters tend to be extra layers of cotton/bamboo/fleece that you add to increase absorbency, but you're not likely to need that for a newborn. A liner is almost like a thin piece of kitchen roll which makes it easier to dispose of solid waste. You probably do want to buy these.

Cloth nappies are coast effective and more environmentally friendly but how much more really depends on some choices you make. If you go for the cheapest options (terry squares/muslins/prefolds with covers), wash in an energy efficient washing machine (most in the UK are these days) and line dry then your nappies will have minimal environmental impact and you will save a lot of money. If you buy them second hand and/or use them for a second and third child, then you're saving a small fortune. going to the other end of the scale, if you purchase new all-in-ones (say Bumgenius) and tumble dry, them you're saving a lot less money and the environmental impact is only marginally reduced. All-in-ones, anything with elastic and fleece materials tend to fare less well over the years and so won't make it through quite so many children. I will say that, as a poster above pointed out, that fleece does dry quickly meaning you'll be less likely to use your dryer. We use all cotton so I must say that we do occasionally have to put a load in the dryer over the winter.

We've found prefolds are the way forward in terms of cost/durability/effectiveness and they're our 'go to' during the day at home. We have Bummis prefolds and some prefolds purchased from a local cloth nappy laundry which were really reasonably priced and very good quality. We also have quite a few Motherease fitted nappies (all purchased second hand) which are great for other people to use. Our DS has a childminder who doesn’t want to do the prefolds but will happily do the Motherease. This is actually a really important consideration. If you or your OH will be at home with your baby for the years that they are cloth nappies, then you can just go with what you're happy with, if other people (family, child minder etc.) will be doing a lot of care, then you’ll have to have something that they are happy with too. We’ve found that everyone who looks after our DS is happy with fitted nappies (like Motherease) but not so with folding nappies.

How many nappies you start with depends on how often you want to do laundry. For our newborn we had:
18 prefolds type (this included some muslins)
8 fitted nappies
4 pocket nappies
5 or 6 covers

You’ll change nappies 10-12 times a day to start. We did laundry everyday but we only really need to do it every other day.

As for birth-to-potty sets, this really depends on your baby, and unfortunately you won’t know if they’ll work until he/she arrives. A good friend of mine had a newborn and 9lbs 8oz and she had no problem with a birth-potty-set. Our DS was 6lbs 14oz but only 6lbs once we got him home and as he was super, super long his body was more in the scale of a 5lb baby. Birth-to-potty didn’t come close to fitting him until he was a couple of months only. Luckily I’d got hold of some cheap second hand preemie cloth nappies that worked for him, and folded muslins make a good newborn folded nappy.

I second the above recommendation for the Nappy Lady, check out her online videos. She has some on folding and fastening folding nappies if you’re interested. These days you use a cool little Nappy Nipper, no more scary pins. It’s not necessarily straightforward but, if you watch some videos, that’ll give you a head start. Also, as I said, you’re changing 10-12 a day, so what every nappy you choose, by the end of day two, you’re an expert.

bagofsnakes · 26/10/2014 14:33

Ok, I took a break and had a closer look at the Mio range. I like the look of them but my concern would be that because you simply fold and place what is essentially a prefold in a cover, I'd be worried about newborn poo escaping. It really does shoot out and so I'd say you want a folded inner piece or a fitted nappy under a cover. Also consider looking for newborn covers with leg gussets, these are great at holding in newborn poo.

It might be good to hear from someone who has used Mio nappies... anyone?

bagofsnakes · 26/10/2014 14:35

Please excuse all the typos! Like I said, really not well this weekend and my functioning is pretty impaired Smile

Bearsinmotion · 26/10/2014 14:43

Another vote for tots bots :)

We used disposable for the first couple of weeks, then I went to see a nappy consultant, tried a few and ended up with those. Started with just the nappies and liners, added nighttime boosters and wraps (motherease) after about 6 months, she's now 2.5 and we've spent about £400 total.

I think people don't use them because they don't like the thought of washing them, because they think it's too much effort and because the nappy companies bully stores into not selling them as they don't make much profit so they are just not as visible as disposables. I hadn't really thought about them until a colleague told me how easy she'd found them, and I really don't think it was much more effort than disposables. All in ones like tots bots are q long way from the terry towelling monsters I grew up in!

Gr33dyeggs · 26/10/2014 19:50

Hi
I used lollipop nappies with my son 5 yrs ago and we found them easy to get on with. We had 2 parts - the fabric shaped nappy and waterproof outers. Didn't get on too well with all in one's though.

Good luck!

alteredimages · 26/10/2014 20:49

I am using cloth nappies for DS. I used the nappy lady too and spent ages reading her reviews. They were really useful. She also has a questionnaire which she uses to offer recommendations. It is much easier once you have narrowed down the options.

I was on a really tight budget so I bought 12 terry squares, 2 motherease airflow wraps, some nappi nippas to fasten the nappies, 10 little lamb one size pocket nappies and 6 bumble birth to potty nappies. It cost me about £150 and has been absolutely excellent. It has saved me a fortune and i am sure i could have saved more if i had had access to a nappy library to try stuff out first.

First thing is that for night time, there is nothing better than a motherease airflow wrap. I adore them and this is the only thing i wish I had more of. They are puffy depending on the nappy underneath but completely leak proof. I don't think the nappy underneath matters half as much as the wrap, so invest in good wraps.

My LL one size pocket nappies couldn't cope with tiny baby poo but are excellent now he is on solids. I thought they were rubbish when they first arrived, turns out they just suited DS once he got a bit older. They are super cheap and mine have withstood 6 months of 60 degree washes in normal detergent which you aren't supposed to use, so a big thumbs up from me. We use these as DS's daytime nappy.

The terry squares were amazing and my favourite thing ever until DS started crawling. I don't think there is a better option for babies under 6 months though, they are super cheap (12 for £20) and they are still useful as cleaning cloths etc once your child is out of nappies. I find them a bit tricky now though because DS just crawls off mid change.

I am still not sure about the bumbles. They are not as absorbent as the terries but are bulkier and generally a bit of a pain. I think I would buy bambinex bamboo shaped nappies for night time if I ordered again, still with the motherease wraps.

The only other thing I would say is I wish I had bought fewer of each type of nappy and tried a few more brands. I think it would have been better to buy three of a few different kinds, or even just one, rather than trying to have 'sets'.

Sorry about the essay, I just wanted to say that cloth nappies can be really cheap. Blush

Castlelough · 27/10/2014 09:45

Really enjoying reading this thread!

Am 30 weeks pregnant and hoping to use cloth nappies (despite raised eyebrows, shaking of heads and patronising comments from everyone along the way).

I bought a set of barely used nappies/buckets/liners from a local secondhand website. The girl had ordered the whole lot from the NappyLady but hadn't gotten on well due to her little one being hospitalised in the early weeks.

So I have 21 TotsBots bamboo Stretch Bamboozle in Size 1 and Motherease wraps in 2 sizes.

Then I bought 9 BumGenius from somebody else. Can't remember the size but she says they should do until approx 6 months.

I've spent a good bit now, so I hope I get on well with them.

I'll need to reinvest once baby gets past 6 months but at least I should know if I like them enough to continue using them...

Any more advice gratefully received!

What detergent should I use?
To prep them before my little baby comes how should I wash them? (considering they are secondhand?)

RetroHippy · 27/10/2014 15:02

hoping to use cloth nappies (despite raised eyebrows, shaking of heads and patronising comments from everyone along the way).

This! Oh my word, why does absolutely everyone seem so determined that our cloth intentions will go tits up?! Driving me bonkers. Most think it's hilarious I'm even considering it.

bagofsnakes · 28/10/2014 13:30

We've successfully used cloth nappies on our DS for 28 months and people still ask us if we're going to use the same kind of nappies for DC2 and when we say yes they do the whole -

raised eyebrows, shaking of heads and patronising comments

I just don't get it.

Interestingly, before we had DS I told my dad that we were going to use cloth and I started the sentence with 'I know you're going to say we're crazy but...' he was the only one that thought quietly after I'd finished and then said 'Actually, I don't remember them being that much harder than disposables' We we're on Skype, but I could have hugged him. My mother was very ill when we were small so he certainly did a awful lot of changing and washing of nappies, he said they used cloth for me and a mix of cloth and disposables for my sister but said he thought that only really finally switched to disposable when my sister was a year old because it was what wealthier/more fashionable families were doing - of course mum wanted to be one of those! :-)

avocadotoast · 28/10/2014 13:50

I'm dreading telling people we're going to be using cloth. That said, I'm pretty sure both me and my sister had terry nappies the whole time, so hopefully my mum might be on board. It is all so overwhelming with all the different choice but my local council do a cash back scheme/free trial pack and there is a nappy library nearby, so hopefully we'll be ok.

Artandco · 28/10/2014 13:56

Avocado - you don't really have to tell anyone though do you unless you are leaving baby with them and you can just show them how to use the nappy quickly then.

bagofsnakes · 28/10/2014 14:12

Castlelough there all all kinds of special detergents out there for cloth nappies and we used Rockin' Green to start with but then realised that our regular Ecover was absolutely fine... and a good deal cheaper! We wash them on a setting on with a pre-wash (well, we do when I remember) and a couple of times a months we'll use Bio D nappy sanitiser.

All this said, rain water is the best nappy softener/freshener and sunshine the best stain remover so if you can leave them out on a rainy/sunny day, you'll be doing them the world of good. Luckily we get plenty of those in the UK and accidentally leaving your laundry out all day (erm, 48 hours) is commonplace once you've had a baby Smile

bagofsnakes · 28/10/2014 14:14

And, yes, as they're second hand, I'd give them all wash first and I'd check the Totbots and Bumgenius websites for washing instructions specific to those bands.

jeee · 28/10/2014 14:19

I used reusables with my four dc (one lot - rags rather than nappies by the time dc4 was potty trained).

I really, really wouldn't buy them until you've had the baby. They are more work - not much more, but when you're shattered even the tiniest bit of extra work can seem like the final straw. And if you've got a pile of reusables which remain unused you'll end up feeling guilty.

FWIW, I'm really glad I did use them - for the astoundingly shallow reason that there's nothing cuter than a baby in a reusable nappy. And I used to actively like seeing the nappies waving on my clothes line.

MarchEliza · 28/10/2014 14:29

I am 24 weeks pregnant and (perhaps insanely) purchased the birth to potty range by Tots Bots at the Baby Show (there was an offer.)

I was determined to use reusable and just wanted to have a look at the various options and how they work so I'm really pleased to see that Tots Bots get good reviews here!

Tomkat79 · 28/10/2014 23:01

Big fan of itti bitti all in ones and snap in ones here. One piece nappy (plus inserts/boosters) and super fluffy. Also using totsbots easyfit that are great absorbency and fit, cost effective too as birth to potty. I got these half price on tesco website otherwise wouldn't have afforded them.
I'd give the mios a wide birth, never met anyone that has got on with them. I do have a large hamper of lovely one life nappies, same as motherease for sale. They're mostly new and are birth to potty 2 piece system. Feel free to PM me.

NoMilkNoSugar · 28/10/2014 23:27

I loved the bambino mio nappies and I mixed them with cotton bottoms wraps. I did buy extra wraps as DS was a very explosive baby and the poo would wick onto the wraps. They were easy to make up and they could be bulked up with fleece squares or micro fibre clothes. Of a night time I would use the wrap the next size up and double up on the happy inside. I also used a disposable liner which just flushed away to catch most of the solids.

For DD I needed to replace the wraps and I got talked into buying a load of bum genius pocket nappies by a rep. From the first day I hated them with a passion and gave up using them after a week. By this time I didn't have the lump sum to buy new mio wraps so I turned to disposables. I hated the pocket nappies because every time DD did a big breast fed sloppey poo, it went every where, including inside the pocket and the waist band. They were designed to be birth to potty so the elastic waist band was all ruched up and the poo stuck in creases and after repeated washing I couldn't get the staining out. I couldn't face scraping them out, which was the only way I could see if cleaning them.

alteredimages · 29/10/2014 10:23

Wow, it's good to see so many with positive experiences with cloth nappies. I too don't really feel like it is any extra work. At least I am not constantly emptying the bins! I also feel like DS really smells on the odd occasion I put him in disposables.

I found people came round really quickly when they saw how easy they are to wash and how much money we are saving. And if not, who cares? It's none of their business!

Agree with those saying it is a good idea to wait til baby is born before making a major investment. You could just use folded muslins under a wrap for very tiny babies until you have an idea what sort of shape the baby will be. Some nappies, such as totsbots, are better for skinny babies, others need a bit of chub to fit well. Even with my second, it took the first month to get settled with breastfeeding and I really wasn't free to think about anything else during that time.

Cuppachaplz · 29/10/2014 10:43

Find out if there is a cloth nappy library near you, and/or if your local authority have an incentive scheme.

The nappy lady offers great advice, as others have said. However I think possibly a better place for advice might be the forums on cloth nappy tree; www.clothnappytree.com . They have loads of reviews, opinions, and you can chat to other users.

As many have said it is about finding what works for you, which is why libraries are great, but another option is to try a couple of systems pre-loved, either try cloth nappy tree again, or some Facebook groups. Many of the groups offer advice and support for new users too; have a search.

Personally I loved a 2 part system of a nappy (either fitted or flat) and a wrap, but other options are stuffables, all in ones (or all in 2s).
Personally I love 2 part because I find leaks are better controlled, they are cheaper and they dry quicker, but as I say this is personal.
Many people have at least a couple of different types in their 'stash' for different needs, for example with DS1, I had flat tie ons mainly, but had a couple of much thicker fitted nappies for nights once he was bigger. I plan to have a couple of stuffables for babysitters this time round, as once you have made them up they go on like disposables so super easy to use.

If you would like to PM me about anything else, please feel free, rather than me rambling on for pages on here!

Good luck x

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