Reusable nappies

[GlamourBear]

Hello,

Just wondering if people could share their experiences of using reusable nappies and offer any recommendations? It's something I'm considering at the moment....currently 20 weeks so plenty of time.

I've read that they tend to come up a bit big for a newborn so planned on getting some disposables too for when the baby is first born.

I also thought about carrying disposables when we are out and about all day as it might be a faff taking all the reusable stuff out and disposing of/holding on to dirty ones. Any advice on this too would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :-)

I use washable nappies 95% of the time.

We started washables at about 12 weeks, so went straight in to birth-to-potty (BTP) nappies. If I was to have another baby, I would use washables from birth, but would buy newborn ones preloved, then sell them on when outgrown. The BTP nappies really do swamp a newborn and are likely to leak because the fit isn't so good.

We use washables when out too. It's no more hassle to pack a bag with washables than disposables, and I just have a wetbag with me to carry the dirties home. Unless you're going to change in to a disposable before leaving the house each time, there will always be the dirty you take off at first change to carry round, even if you then switch to disposables. Also, I find My washing routine breaks down if I start using a mix of washable and disposable; I don't have a full load by the time I am worrying about how long the oldest ones have been sitting waiting for a wash. It all works more smoothly for us if we are full time in cloth.

I said at the start that we're 95% in washables. That's because we do have disposables in the house, and use them for some nights, for flights when going on holiday (though we use the cloth ones once actually on holiday), and for speed if i need to change baby in a hurry and haven't got any nappies prepped and ready.

Our system works best if I prep the nappies once they're dry. I use close pop ins, so have two inserts to snap in, then a fleece liner and a disposable liner. It takes me about 10 mins to set up enough nappies for 2 or 3 days.

Good luck! I enjoy using cloth nappies (especially seeing them all blowing about on the washing line in summer!). If you buy preloved, then there's very little to lose by trying them :)

We use tots bots bamboozles and motherease airflow. Not the prettiest but bombproof. I used a disposable at night as it lasts 12 hours, so no night changes once baby was about two weeks.

Our bins get emptied fortnightly. Two weeks of dirty nappies would hum. Much better to rinse and wash every other day.

Thanks I'll have a look at those, I don't think they are a brand I've seen before. Our bins are fortnightly too and don't fancy smelling that in the summer!

We started using tots bots when DS was 5 months as he was having some skin issues on his little bottom which doc attributed to disposables. I loved them! I used the all in ones during the day and a bamboozle (with an extra booster) at night. I also got a free pack from my local council - worth £100 with different types to try out...that was a great starting point for us. They worked grea for us, but I didn't have to deal with newborn poop on them as he was a hit older.

I use Pop-Ins too and they're brilliant, there is lots of info on the web too, I watched a few YouTube videos to start with. Osfm (one size fits most) nappies are generally too big for newborns and most experienced mums seem to suggest waiting a bit before starting, I didn't start till DD was five months, for the upcoming baby I'm going to hire a newborn pack for the first bit.

I've bought reusuables, about £50 for 30 odd pre-loved ones on ebay. A mix of terry cloth, bambino mio and little lambs in a variety of sizes. DS is 3 weeks old and the 'newborn' ones are still too big, so using disposables but plan to switch this week sometime. I got a dry bag from ebay for £5 for out and about.

I am also mostly reusable unless away for more than a day or have failed to get the washing done.

Went BTP (TJs and little lamb) at 12 weeks with long slim 25th percentile child. Barring user error they are more reliable than disposables as you can adjust the level of absorbancy separately from the waist and leg size - helpful if they're scrawny and poo a lot!

For out and about I have dry bags - sold by nappy sellers.

Definitely worth getting vest extenders.

Consider a nappy library if you have one in your area. They may well have a newborn kit you can borrow and you can try before you buy - fit is very individual! The ones that "should" have fit my DD and appeared to fit well leaked consistently.

I also find DD is happier in cloth - she doesn't demand a change for every tiny little wee!

Also nappy mountain reasons - we were having to take nappies to the tip ourselves the bin was so full!

I used them from birth on my 3. My oldest is 9 and there was much less on the market back then so I had tots bots 2 part nappies and a stack of bog standard terry squares. Squares are actually fab. cheap, quick to dry and can be folded in a variety of ways so you can change the fit as your baby grows. Love them.

By the time number 3 was getting to be a toddler the old squares were rather worn down and were not staying together with a nappy nippa so I did a swap with a friend and got a load of cheap ebay/varied brands pocket nappies like these and used my squares to stuff them. They are fab, really fab. If I were starting again then I'd go straight for a pile of pockets. Cheap, easy, quick to dry because you separate them out and they go on just like a disposable so great for nursery/grandparents.

Whatever you go for I'd suggest getting a variety of brands so you can see what you like best and buy more over time. There are an ever growing number of nappy libraries now too (usually volunteer run by an enthusiastic mother) that will loan out nappies for you to try. A number of the online shops sell trial kits too that are low cost and have 1 each of a few different nappies.

We use BumGenius and Blueberry, but started out when DS was about 6 months old by doing a nappy trial. You get to try out lots of different brands and types of nappy, and it all starts to make more sense!

I've used paper liners, which catch the poo and can be flushed away, so you're not carrying a pooey nappy around. Out and about, if I'm in a changing room with no toilet, I put the liner and poo into a normal plastic nappy sack and put it in the nappy bin.

Thanks so much for the replies they are all really helpful. It's always useful to hear about what other people have experienced. Will look into not committing to one brand to start with I think and have a look on eBay or at some trial packs :-)

Check out your local council too, they often have grants for reusable nappies and washing services.