Leaking nappies - reccomendations for newborn

[colette]

Our new son Harvey is 5 days old and yesterday had 6 changes of clothes! We used huggies newborn.They seem to be leaking at his back . He weighs about 6lb 6oz and is quite long and narrow.Can anyone reccomend suitable nappies??
I can't cope with the washing and waste of nappies.

Try Boots - they are narrower round the waist, and saved us from leaking Huggies!

I had my dd3 now 13 weeks, in Tescos own brand at birth which were very good. But she was a bit bigger - 8lb 5oz.

If you can't cope with the washing and waste...

have you thought of a washable nappy like Totsbots ?

They don't leak, as they fit really snugly, they are lovely and soft on your baby's bum,they save you money and although they do need to be washed, his clothes wouldn't

I'll get in here before anyone else! The only nappies I've found which can cope with newborn poo are washable nappies. Just 2 loads of washing a week and no more extra changes of clothes - hurrah!
We've had huggies/pampers and various own brands in the first 3/4 weeks and whilst away - always leak poo or soak wee at night.
I use TotsBots nappies They're totally leakproof because they're elasticated cotton with a further breathable waterproof outer layer.

The only reason you've probably not contemplated washing nappies is because the marketing gurus who publicise disposables persuade us that it's extra work and it's not. Especially not when their product doesn't live up to parent's expectations.

Oooh Tissy - great minds!!!!

and if you use tots your baby will look like a fairy liquid child, and you save loads of money - but we're not really trying to hijack this thread

can I hijack too? we had this problem all the time until ds changed to washable nappies - I think I actually saved on washing time as ds was going through several sets of clothes a day - right up to the neck a couple of times. never had this since I changed to totsbots.

It's not a hijack if several mums know of a superior product which would otherwise be unknown.

Procter and Gamble et al have managed to achieve market domination in a relatively short space of time. New mums are never told of an alternative unless they have the time to hunt down mail order catalogues or websites.

Baby magazines have to shove any information or classifieds for washables at the back of their magazines because to advertise them on a larger scale would mean they risk losing out on revenue from the multinationals.

I'm sounding a little like a conspiracy theorist here, but it does really anger me sometimes that mums are never told about all the possibilities. My HV had never seen a washable nappy that wasn't a terry from the 1960s!

Washables. I couldn't believe how much my friends new baby leaked - even wees leaked out of his Huggies and Pampers. Totbots are great for weeny ones, but i found them too bulky for my 8 month old (also I dont like velcro and nappy nippas were too hard to fasten now shes bigger and wriggly) so I now use Motherease Sandys. They make a lovely newborn sized nappy too.

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Colette,
I am both a washable (tot bot) and disposable nappy user.

I found it difficult with my DD (now 13 months) when firstborn as the washable nappy seemed huge on her and she was 8lb 13oz at birth. So I used Tushies or moltex - both eco friendlier versions of disposables. Tushies were better for newborn poo containment.

Try The Natural Baby Company (email:[email protected]) or www.borndirect.com
Tushies Nappies are available in packs or in boxes (these contain four packs). The price of a box is about £33, with from 80 to 160 nappies, depending on which size you need. They also do Moltex unbleached disposable nappies. With Natural Baby Company I think the delivery is free if you order a box. You can also get a free sample (one nappy)

Another vote for Tots Bots here!

Washable nappies are so easy, contrary to popular belief.

I used Pampers Newborn (in the yellow pack) for DD and found that they were great !

I suspect that if the amount of washing is already getting to you then surely washing and drying washables would be just as infuriating/ time consuming ?

nope, it's not infuriating at all, because you expect to wash the nappies, but it's a pain having to undress the babe, wash the poo off the back/ neck/ legs/ wherever its gone, then wash the clothes!

Washable nappies only seem huge, because you expect the bum to be as slim as it is in a disp! You can get slim washables (Fuzzibunz for example)but nothing beats a Totsbot for containment!

totsbots could start a spinoff business marketing small nuclear bunkers or anderson shelters.

On average, 2 of my washing loads in a week are nappies and i do them last thing at night, so not really any extra work there. I bung in towels/muslins and other whites too, to make up the load.

Thanks for your replies I will look at the website re washables.
My reservations are the washing or rather drying (disposables are really not very eco friendly though )We live in a 3rd floor flat so access to a washing line is difficult, and it rains a lot here in the west of scotland . Also we don't have a tumble dryer.
I am interested in buying a small trial pack of washables . My friend had some and I was a bit taken aback at how many layers she had to put on him. So which washables sell trial packs and are one layer plus liner/ simple to use?

colette - if you don't have much space for nappies how about a nappy laundering service?

The Scottish Nappy Company have just won a small business award this year. They operate in west central Scotland and would do all the washing for you for roughly the same price as disposables. Worth a look?

Colette,
contact the nappy lady for best advice.

I didn't bother with trial packs, but bought one nappy and wrap of each type I liked the look of. Any unwanted ones I sold via ebay or ukparents website.

My favourites by far are tot bots (bought 6 size 1 - these have a fleece liner attached, then 12 size 2 with 12 separate fleece liners, bothe sizes velcro fastening) and motherease or tot bots wraps (3 in each size)

Drying can be a pain without a tumble drier, but motherease one size dry a bit quicker. You could always try muslins whilst bubba is tiny - these take no time to dry, but you have to learn to fold them.

Colette if drying is an issue then you can aloways try stuffable nappies. These use a wrap and some form of stuffing which can be a terry, prefold or even old tea towel. Because you seperate the two when washing they dry much quicker. There are a wide range of stuffables, many of which are made from work at home mums and the wraps are often fleece which comes out of the machine virtually dry. Used a shaped nappy with DS and found drying too much so trying this system this time. Also the terries will have loads of other uses if it doesn't work for you and you can sell the wraps second hand for only a couple of quid less than you pay for them. The nappies and wraps are gorgeous - you just end up spoilt for choice. You don't need to soak them (contrary to many NHS publications etc) and can put the wraps in with your normal washing at 40 degrees. I can't wait to get stuck in.

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We had this problem with Huggies, but switched to Pampers newborn and they fit much better. DS 6lb 5oz at birth, though not very long.
Trial and error, I'm afraid, is the only way to know for sure.

colette, I'm with you about the 3rd floor flat and the Scottish weather. I put off trying washables with DS1 as we were living in a 2nd floor flat at the time on the other side of Scotland (not as wet but not as friendly ), no tumble dryer either and I always said I would try cloth if we had a house with it's own bit of garden. We moved and I bought three Tots Bots and a wrap from the Nappy Lady half expecting to be selling them on but at least I could say I had tried them. I was delighted and now kicking myself that I hadn't just gone for it in the first place, Tots Bots dry overnight on a radiator, otherwise a couple of days on a high-dry and the stuffables that Katherine mentioned dry really quickly (I have a few of these for nights).

Like you I had trouble with nappies in the newborn days with DS2 and was sick of having to strip him through the night (using Pampers), loads of sympathy, it's no fun.

Pampers Newborn vote from me as well, she is now in Pampers Active fit and these are v good too.

Pampers newborn here too - loved them. My dd was under 6lb when she first started wearing them and no leaks....

having said that dd is now in a combination of washables and disposables.