cloth nappies....

[ARV1981]

I'm planning on using cloth nappies. I have been given some, second hand, which is great. I have a good range, some bambino mio, pocket nappies in funky colours, babooty, little lambs and mother eaze nappies...

However some of them look enormous! What do I use on newborn?

I will get some disposables too for the first few night changes (not sure if we can cope with lack of sleep and complicated nappies at the same time!), but was wondering if this is the way to go for the first month or so until baby is bigger? The very last thing I want is for baby to be uncomfortable.

I want to make cloth nappies work because I worry about landfill. I do not have a tumble dryer which as I understand it is when the environmental benefits of using cloth nappies is negated by the washing/drying of them. I also understand that cloth nappies are cheaper (not to start with, but I've been given a load so free for me) in the long run than disposable ones, which is something I need to consider.

If you are using nappies I definitely recommend the washable wipes as well. We have used cheeky wipes, (but you can easily make your own) and they are so much better at cleaning poo than baby wipes and hardly take up any room in the washing machine.

My baby is three months and we've yet to start with the washable nappies we have in the loft! but have used the wipes from day 1.

Well done on becoming a cloth bum mum!

We didn't start until ds was about 7 weeks old and they fitted fine. We did use a disposable overnight as he flooded any combination we tried.

We used pocket nappies we bought new on eBay, very very reasonable. Easy to wash and adjustable.

I've still got unopened liners we won't use, pm me if you want I'd be happy to post them.

Hi there,

Are any of the nappies you have Birth to Potty? Does it say at all? Might be worth taking some photos if you can, so we can see?

My babies are all out of nappies now, but I used cloth for four children over seven years, and from birth with two of them, and never had any particular issues.

Are you on facebook at all? If so, have a look for Cloth Bum Mums, fluffy advice and chat - that's a great place to get info and help from.

Most cloth nappies come in size 1 (smallest), size 2 (larger) or one size with poppers to adjust the size as they grow. I used cloth nappies from about 12 months with my first, as I wanted to get to grips with a baby first, but from day 2 with my second. I used the size 2 right up until pottey training so about 2.8.

I found the microfibres ones came out of the washing machine almost dry, and a half day on the line or radiator was fine. I had 20 nappies and managed fine without a tumble dryer. By the time number 2 arrived I had two in cloth nappies and did get a tumble dryer for my own sanity. Number 2 was in bamboo nappies which were fabulously absorbent and lasted much longer than the microfibres ones, even overnight, but they took forever to dry, 2 days on the line in the winter, so I did have to tumble them. Also I only had 10 of those so I had to tumble to have enough.

get a tumble dryer for my sanity.

Cloth nappies do look bigger than disposables but are still fine from about 7/8 lbs. Both my DC were under 6lb at birth so we used old terry towelling and disposables until they were big enough. The main problem with them is getting them dry. Any where the layers are sewn together will take ages to dry, so pocket nappies are much better.

My babies were too skinny to fill their cloth nappies (birth to potty size) until they were about 2 months old, even cranked down to the smallest size. I used Nature Baby and Bambo Eco disposables in this time, and on holiday. Ironically, ds grew out of the nappies before he was potty trained.

Sorry, didn't mean to repeat that sentence!

Wow, I thought I'd get the same reaction I do in real life when I mention cloth nappies! My brother-in-law actually laughed at us for considering them...

Sizes:

Bambino mio: small (these look like they'll fit a new born!)
Bambooty: small (again, these look small enough for a new born)
Pocket nappies: I don't know the brand of these but they have poppers to make them bigger/smaller as baby grows. I assume these are birth to potty.
Little lamb: size 1
Mother eaze: size 1

So, does this mean they'll be ok from day one? I also have lots of muslin squares and have read these work on newborns, but seems like a faff with all the folding...

I have got 50 cheeky wipes (lovely colours!) And plan on using those from day one. Both me and my husband get terrible eczema so I'm pretty sure the baby will too... as well as environmental consideration, I was thinking of all the nasty chemicals baby wipes have in them (I know about water wipes, but they're so expensive) - I want to minimise the baby's discomfort as much as possible and hopefully avoid eczema entirely (I know, tough ambition!)

Thanks for all the comments - it's nice to know I'm not alone in wanting cloth nappies!

We are using cloth too. I've got 25 of the birth to potty pocket nappies with a variety of inserts. We've not got the wipes yet but I plan to.

Im going to latch on to this thread if you dont mind.
We hope to use cloth nappies, and posted the other day about them.

My OH is only just got on board with this so going to use our small stock of disposables first then get cloth nappying

Now if only I can persuade him on the benefits of cheeky wipes.......

I'm going to look up that fb page though. Thanks

DD is 3.2. We used cloth until she potty trained at 2.2. We started to use cloth when she was about a week old and gradually phased over so that we were using them full time by the time she was 2/3 weeks. We now use a disposable pull up overnight now as dd doesn't find the bulk of cloth nappies comfortable now that she's used to wearing pants.

Cloth nappies are naturally bulkier than disposables but it varies on type and material. The bulk doesn't bother babies and big cloth bums look very cute!

We used a variety makes and styles but the bulk were little lambs nappies with mother ease wraps. DD was 91st centile so the little lambs fitted fine from birth. Most sized nappies will from birth but most birth to potty nappies will fit from about 10lbs, it depends on the size and shape of your baby. Likewise some brands will suit better than others.

Sorry this is so long! Ask if you have any questions.

Can I jump into this thread and ask a particularly stupid question? How do you actually clean a pooey cloth nappy?

I've not really thought about what I will use yet (first timer). I like the eco route but we live in quite a damp, small flat with no tumble dryer. I'd worry about it adding to the damp issue and nothing would dry in time.

If you use paper liners they can all just go down the loo with the poo. We didn't as we preferred fleece liners. As it is the poo can be shaken off into the loo and flushed. Nappy into nappy bucket to be washed.

We used to live in a small flat and dried nappies on the airer. The time it takes to dry depends on the material - and the time of year! Microfibre is quickest and bamboo is slowest. Cotton somewhere in the middle. We had a combo of all 3.

Ok thanks for that, interesting. I'm tempted to try them if you can get quick drying ones.

The nappy lady website is very good. You can fill in a questionnaire about your requirements and they'll suggest the most suitable makes

I did that ages ago, before I really knew what our plans were (originally planning to go back to work at around 6 months...)

I've since been given a load so thinking I'll try those first rather than buying any more.

Good tip though, the nappy lady got back to me really quickly. She seems to know her stuff!

I would definitely recommend using paper liners. Can just drop into the loo if its pooey or wash and reuse if just wee.

We used birth to potty ones. Started from about a month old though as found a bit too big from tiny newborn, and allowed us to ease into new babies. Used the wipes as soon as home though

We're planning on using gnappies, mainly cos they're so adorable I also like the whole liner/wrap concept and they seem to get decent reviews.

I think I remember reading somewhere (here?) that it's recommended to use disposables for the first month as some of those newborn poos can be a little, er, explosive. But when things calm down and you're more used to everything, that's when you can switch to cloth.

I totally get the skin thing - I suffer from psoriasis, my DH from eczema, so this kid is going to be lucky to escape some kind of skin problems! I'd much rather have cotton next to his skin if I can manage it.

I also bought some cheeky wipes - using with my own tupperware and essential oils, though.

"I would definitely recommend using paper liners. Can just drop into the loo if its pooey or wash and reuse if just wee."

Did this with both DC, and will do again with new baby.

Cloth nappies are much better at containing runny poos than disposables so no need to wait from that point of view. Pre-weaned poo will just wash off. When it's more solid, either shake off the liner down the loo or use disposable liners (be aware that there not supposed to be flushed) We used little lamb size 1 when DS was little. Now we use Little Bloom pockets from Ebay. You can buy newborn sizes or use flat nappies that you fold. It doesn't have to be a complicated fold either at first. You can just make a flat pad shape like the Bambino Mios. I second contacting the nappy lady and joining the FB group. Also see if there's a nappy library in your area.

Cloth nappies were the best thing I ever bought for my babies - definitely worth persevering with! We use Totsbots nappies (bamboo ones) and although they take quite a long time to dry, we had quite a few and got into a routine so that in winter they would be hung up on the airer to start to dry overnight and they would be dry 24 hours later.

Cloth wipes knock the socks off disposable wipes - it's worth using cloth nappies just for the benefits of the wipes!

Totsbots ones are adjustable for smaller babies as they have poppers on the front - I started using them on my daughter once the cord had dropped off (about 9 days in I think) and she was 6.5 pounds and was fine in them.

We got a Totsbots pack that claimed it was birth to potty, but both my children needed the biggest size (size 3, sold separately) before potty. Thought it was a worthwhile investment as we have DC3 on the way very soon and the nappies will still be fine to use.

Good luck!

So much info from you all. Thanks. That's given me a lot to think about over the next six months!

Yes, thank you all for so much advice. I've just bought 10 baby bloom nappies from Amazon, along with some extra booster inserts. I don't think I'll necessarily use them from day 1 (if baby's small) but it's good to have the option. They come in lovely colours and patterns!

I mean little bloom not baby bloom!