Cloth or disposable nappies? I need opinions please!

[BeHappyAndSmile]

Hiya,

I'm just looking for some opinions good or bad on cloth and disposable nappies please. I found out recently that I'm pregnant and to take my mind off worrying I'm trying to plan instead haha.

I keep going between wanting to use cloth and not, other half is very anti cloth but I think that's more because he's worried about poo going everywhere and having to wash them.

Thanks in advance!

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Poo goes everywhere when you have a baby whether you use cloth nappies or not

We were happy to give cloth a go, but they ended up being our only option really as all disposables seemed to give him nappy rash. Also we couldn't find a disposable which would hold his explosive poos (CMPA baby). I don't understand why disposables don't have elastic at the back?!

Anyway we have loved using cloth. We bought a few different types to try, and now pretty much use just Mio Solo AIO nappies. They are easy to put on as are velcro (so basically same as disposables) and we wash every other day.

My top tip for washing is to have a separate airer just for the nappies so they can be kept separate from your other washing and you don't fall behind washing clothes because you are waiting for nappies to dry Etc.

I would say, you probably both need to be on board with cloth though.

I'm planning on doing half and half. So using cloth if we're at home and disposables when out and about.
I'd love to say I'm going to do 100% cloth but I'm trying to be realistic!

Cloth, was apprehensive but gave it a go and once you have figured out a system it’s really easy. I’ve found the nappies with a separate wrap best for no leakage. They’re much better for containing poo explosions than disposables. The only (minor) downside is that most clothes are made to fit disposables, but you can just go up a size or get vest extenders etc.

I use cloth for the first 6 months or so when the poo could go in the washing machine but I couldn’t really stomach it after than. All the articles seemed to say ‘just plop the poo into the toilet’ or install some kind of hose in your bathroom and I just couldn’t find a way to make it work without getting poo everywhere. But I think even using them a bit means less in landfill.

@sunshine1235 I agree on the whole plopping it in the toilet thing... Has never worked for us. We use disposable liners once weaned and just chuck them. Not as environmentally friendly but better than disposable nappies I guess, and much less work for us.

Did cloth full time with ds1. Cloth at home/nursery with ds2.

My suggestions would be:
-use disposable for newborn. It’s a crazy period especially with your first. And it’s hard to find osfm nappies that will fit a newborn well. If you buy newborn sized cloth nappies you will literally use them for 3 months and then they will have outgrown them
-I like all in ones. Have tried two in one (snap ins, cover over fitted) and then tried all in one and they are just so much more convenient. And it’s easier for other people (dh, grandparents) to use an aio as you don’t need to know what goes with what/which way the insert goes etc.
-washing is easy especially before they start solids. Just throw it in. Follow the clean cloth instructions online (there’s a specific website that is science based that tells you all about how to keep them clean)

After weaning I bought a silicone dish scraper to scrape the poo into a bin. Then throw the scraper into the washing machine to clean it. Didn’t like the idea of washing the poo off into the toilet; imagined there would be a lot of poo sprayed everywhere/aerosolised and the toilet would then need a good clean! Using the scraper makes it super easy.
Once you’ve had a baby you kinda get over being squeamish about poo. Well I did anyway

You don't have to be one or the other. We use both, because sometimes it's easier... Most of the time cloth is just as easy. My son is a heavy wetter so disposables for night time, clth duri f the day.
We love cloth ans recommend it to anyone!

I used bamboo terries and wraps. They were really good. My oh never loved the idea- but I used to leave him a pile of pre folded ones and he soon picked it up!

Oh and also using water to spray the poo off defeats the environmentally friendly argument for cloth nappies. Even if you don’t do that, it kinda just breaks even using cloth nappies full time for one child (due to the amount of resources that go into washing them). If you use the same nappies for two children then you start to get ahead environmentally

I used disposables with ds1, mainly as I thought cloth would be too much of a faff. Ds2 started in disposables too. I put ds1 in cloth nappies when he didn't show any signs of being ready for potty training by nearly 3 as I thought they would get wet and it would encourage him. I was wrong, they were super comfortable and very absorbent, so I put ds2 in them, and then ds3 had them from birth.

They're not difficult, although you might have to try a few different styles to see what fits best (get sample packs). Just flush the worst of the poo down the toilet, rinse it out by flushing it in the toilet, and store in a lidded bucket until washing. Add a few drops of tea tree or lavender oil to take care of any smells and make sure the lid fits tight! I used to do an extra wash (on 90 degrees) every other day to cover 2 children, every 3rd day when it was just one baby's nappies.

Disposables were much more foul and they sit round in the bin for a fortnight between collections.

Used only terries for first two babies, for the third I did weaken and used disposables when we were away on hols or out for the weekend. I had a nappy bucket and would wash them separately.

Cloth nappies we have way fewer poo leaks, we use pocket nappies during the day and a fitted bamboo nappy with a wrap at night which lasts 12 hours for our huge 7 month old.
When we go on holiday or away for the weekend we switch to disposables so I don’t have loads of laundry to do bit will try to use a reusable at night for the last night as they work so much better for us.
If you choose cloth then to be even more environmentally friendly - and save some money - check out buying and selling / advice groups on Facebook including the nappy lady - cloth works out so much cheaper, especially as you can use for multiple kids and sell on afterward.
It might be worth using disposables for the first few weeks though until baby fits - buying special tiny newborn nappies which are only worn for a few weeks makes less sense (unless you use terry squares or muslins).

I've used cloth for all 4 of mine. They contain poo so much better! (More nappy washing but way less emergency clothes washing) This baby is in microfiber teddy nappies with mother ease wraps for day and cotton terries, with a hemp booster at night. Fleece liners which I swish around in the flush. Not a single leak. I wash every 2 days and after the rinse cycle I shove shirts, towels etc in to fill up machine a bit. I use these nappies because I won't tumble dry them, that seems to negate/reduce some of the environmental benefits. I have a Lakeland peg dryer thing that either hangs off the bannisters or on the line that takes a full nappy wash. They dry so fast its it's unbelievable. I love a big fat cloth bottom, excellent for patting! I love cloth wipes to, much better at getting a bottom clean quickly. The nappy lady has excellent advice.

Absolutely loving cloth! No regrets.

I did use disposables for week 1 and at night until 4 months but that was because I had a super skinny baby and the night nappies took a while to fit.

I keep emergency disposables in for if I cock up the washing, but rarely use them (maybe 3 or 4 nappies a month) and DH got the hang easily.

I had to use a disposable wipe earlier-they are so crap compared to cloth. Could not imagine going back.

What ever you do don’t get a massive cloth stash before the baby... if you’re in Scotland you get a free cloth nappy and 5 inserts with your baby box.
I got a full birth to potty kit, liners for weaning and all (fleece liners and disposable ones so I had options).. hundred quid odd worth of them.. the heat/friction brings up DS’s eczema without fail.

So even with the best intentions he’s in disposables. However the flat nappies make excellent burp cloths. So they’ve atleast lived a life of some purpose

Are you near a Nappy Library? www.uknappynetwork.org/find-a-library.html

I got reusables but I hate using them now! I find them such a faff, take longer to put on the baby making sure they fit properly and then you've got to wash and dry them, put liners on or put the insert into the pocket.
Anyone who says they aren't a faff are lying!
But they definitely do contain the poo better.

Also noticed our baby's bum is much better in the premium pampers nappies which have a kind of net so everything gets absorbed into the gel and is absorbed behind the net so not much touches his bum. With reusables they are just sitting in wet filth...nothing to take the moisture away off their skin and you're not meant to use a barrier cream with them.

@Horehound I genuinely don’t find it a faff! It’s easy? and I enjoy it!

I also think the chemicals in disposables are awful, I hate having to use them in emergencies- horrid things.

I used to use cloth at home and disposables for out and about. I prefered cloth as shaped nappies plus a wrap were much better at containing explosive poo.

We use a combination - cloth at home, disposables when out. (Cloth means more to carry around - when DS is older and needing fewer nappies in a day I will try to use cloth when out and about too.)

We did use disposables for the first two months as some PP have mentioned. We used cloth wipes from birth though - definitely recommend this, they are way cheaper and much more efficient than disposable wipes, which seem to smear everything around

We have only ever had poosplosions with disposables. The elastic at the back of cloth nappies contains everything so much better. We have had one wee leak in cloth which was my fault because I forgot he had a cloth nappy on

We used a local nappy library to trial different types, makes and sizes (found it all very overwhelming before I could actually see the nappies in front of me and try them out), then bought some second hand off eBay - both a cheaper initial outlay and much better for the environment! We will sell on any that are still in good condition when we've finished with them.

We went for Little Lamb bamboo fitted nappies, with a mixture of Little Lamb and Blueberry Capri wraps. Totsbots Bamboozle for night time. DS is slim and long-ish and these felt the easiest system to us. I liked some of the all-in-ones but they seemed to take so long to dry.

Wash every other day, store in nappy bin. Have found it all very easy and no more "gross" than disposable. (Though we haven't weaned yet - ask me again in a month )

Echo PP about waiting til baby is here as different brands of cloth nappies fit different shapes of babies, and it can be expensive if you bulk buy and then end up not using them. Really recommend using a nappy library if you have one near to you.

Cloth all the way here too. DD3 is now in them too. Sadly DD1's nursery doesn't work with them, but none of our children have ever needed a change during the night, which IMO contributed to their sleep, we've never had any leaks and, added bonus, poo doesn't smell as much as it does in a disposable.

I don't understand either why they're supposed to be 'a faff'. At least you can adapt them to your needs which meant less faff overall.

Why you even thinking about that? I said it long time ago that whoever invented pampers, deserves a Nobel prize!

@megan2018 compared to disposables they are much more work. I seem to be doing so much more washing just for baby clothes that dedicating basically a day of the washing machine to wash a few nappies is something I can do without. A prewash, a super long wash and a rinse. Plus dealing with the stench on opening the bucket..blech! But mainly it's the time spent getting them on and making sure the fit is correct. Maybe it's just the body shape A is but it seems to never be quite right. Like, I am using them but when I use the pampers it's just much more efficient and A's bum is definitely a lot better in them.
Chemicals...well yes there is that too, you're right.

Ah yeh @MermaidPants that's what we do. Cloth at home, pampers when out.