# why are people so weird about cloth!!!



## fingers_cross

i went to visit my friend and her husband who just had their baby 2 weeks ago. I went with my other friend and her parents. and of course it got brought up that im going to use cloth, and i said yeah they are so cute and also saves heaps of money (i didnt want to go into the whole chemical thing as my friend is using disposables, and didnt want to make it sound like i thought she was doing something wrong or something, even though she is in my opinion!hehe) and said that i can sell them on after and literally everyone was like "ewwwww who would use someone elses uses nappies" etc and i kept quiet as all my fitteds are second hand and then one of them was like "i wouldnt even use someones second hand clothes" and everyone else agreed. i mean are we seriously that snobby nowadays??? they made me feel really cheapy and disgusting...just wait til they see how cute my bubs looks in his/her cloth nappies!!!!!!!!! urg...people annoy me!!

sorry rant over..lol


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## bubbles

I assume by their reaction they have never used a public toilet, or tried on clothes at a shop that someone else could well have tried on? And what about the house they live in, has no one else ever pee'd or poo'd on the toilet? What a rediculous reaction


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## scuffer

This drives me insane. An ex of mine refused to even give his clothes to charity shops because he couldn't bear the thought of it! 

I am using second hand cloth nappies on my boys and they are fine, don't worry about what people think. 

x


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## fingers_cross

yeah i think it just made me quite upset in a way. mainly cuz they know im going to be a single mum and i dont have a lot of money so ALL my stuff has been bought second hand (and made some pretty good savings!) even though they probably werent meaning to at all, its just made me feel really cheap and dirty in a way. i know that sounds stupid, but thats how they acted. not very nice :(


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## scuffer

fingers_cross said:


> yeah i think it just made me quite upset in a way. mainly cuz they know im going to be a single mum and i dont have a lot of money so ALL my stuff has been bought second hand (and made some pretty good savings!) even though they probably werent meaning to at all, its just made me feel really cheap and dirty in a way. i know that sounds stupid, but thats how they acted. not very nice :(

Some people don't think. 

Try not to think about it as not having much money (am totally with you there) but if anyone says anything negative you can say you are doing your bit to save the world, using 2nd hand reusables is even better!


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## Dragonfly

I hate the line "well I am not scraping pooh off a nappy" I dont think I ever done that and I have used cloth over a year now and am a converted user as the chemicals burn Alex bum. Its saved me money, yet people will argue it dosnt in washing, even if it dosnt its saved my son from getting burned! not one rash has he had since i started using them over a year ago. I was a cloth bum baby to :)


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## baskinps

I love buying second hand. Saves money, saves clothes, saves the planet one little step at a time. People that are so snobby about this type of thing need to ship off to Africa and see whats going on over there. Hearing about it makes me feel that much better that at least there are a few people out there that make an effort. Be proud that you are one of them :)


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## SpringerS

fingers_cross said:


> yeah i think it just made me quite upset in a way. mainly cuz they know im going to be a single mum and i dont have a lot of money so ALL my stuff has been bought second hand (and made some pretty good savings!) even though they probably werent meaning to at all, its just made me feel really cheap and dirty in a way. i know that sounds stupid, but thats how they acted. not very nice :(

Don't let them get to you. I used to work for a number of charities and have been involved with charity shops on Bond St, Kensington High St, Chelsea and in plenty of other W1 areas that I'll bet your friends could barely dream of booking a week's hotel room in, never mind live in. And do you know what? The secondhand goods in the shops sold like crazy to the very enthusiastic locals. As it happens buying secondhand gear is _extremely_ fashionable and looking down your nose at it is about as Hyacinth Bucket as you can get.



Dragonfly said:


> Its saved me money, yet people will argue it dosnt in washing,

The only people who could possibly argue that are the people who have no idea what electricity costs. Even if you tumbledry you'd be hard pressed to spend £1-2 a week on washing and drying one baby's nappies. Maybe if they are getting their nappies wholesale they are breaking even with you, but other than that you are making significant savings. It's the same as people who try to convince themselves that washing nappies is every bit as bad for the environment as using disposables. It's utter nonsense coming from a place of wilful ignorance because they don't want to have to rethink their 'choices.'

The fact of the matter is that most of us have spent our whole lives being bombarded with heavy duty marketing from the nappy production companies and as a result most people don't even think about not using disposables. When they are confronted by people who do it presents a few uncomfortable truths and they don't like it, so they seek to shut it out and shut it down. It's a subconscious psychological process called cognitive dissonance, similar to how heavy smokers will refer to a great-grandparent who smoked 80 a day and lived to a healthy 96, as an argument for how smoking isn't actually unhealthy at all and they'll be fine. It's annoying and sometimes hurtful when you are in the minority and other people think it's ok to say what you are doing is disgusting. But just bear in mind that you are making a decision based on research and awareness and they are (usually) reacting badly because knowing that you know what you know, makes them uncomfortable on some level.


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## fingers_cross

thanks everyone, uve made me feel a lot better. i mean i guess i somehow got this natural thing from my mum as she is very very pro eco and pro no chemicals, however i didnt totally embrace it at all until i fell pregnant and started reading stories about chamical burns etc. and also been using no chemical shower gel, shampoo etc. I mean i text my friend and said that they were all really snobby today about second hand nappies and she said that she just doesnt like second hand stuff and even if it didnt smell shed still feel like it did (!!!) and that i might have a problem selling on second hand nappies as people wont want to use nappies thats had other babies poo on it, thats when i realise she just doesnt have a clue. its soooo easy to sell on reusable nappies. i feel like this natural parenting is like a different world and really feel alone in it sometimes, since no1 i know thinks or feels the same way i do. even my friend today (the one with the baby) said that shed been using baby oil on the babys bum but he started getting really really dry skin and the midwife told her off as she shouldnt be using anything but water justnow so shes started using oliveoil instead. in her little changing room she has in her house, she has bottles and bottles of johnsons baby oil, moisturiser and heaps of other creams n all i could think of was CHEMICALSSSS!! lol. i feel i might be weird sometimes, but i cant help the way i feel.


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## Snuffy

I would have brought up the chemical thing. If they can be that rude then why hold back on them.

They realise that used cloth is generally washed first right?


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## fingers_cross

yeah i said that to them and they were like "still thats disgusting".


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## Mum2b_Claire

how ignorant! Do they throw away their babys clothes if poo gets on them? And it probably does frequently if they use sposies! Newsflash - you wash the nappies, that makes them clean!


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## Dragonfly

Since I am crap at math mine where £2.50 each and I have about 17 if them and wash them every 3 days. They dry on my radiator or line in no time at all. But its not about cost for me as I said its about a healthier baby. Trust me a baby crying that cant sit and peeling burning skin, blisters is not what you want to see.


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## Mum2b_Claire

I originally did cloth for the money saving but it's gone past that now, I use them because I like them!


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## Snuffy

Mum2b_Claire said:


> I originally did cloth for the money saving but it's gone past that now, I use them because I like them!

Me too.

However, DH was made redundant two weeks ago and is still looking for another job. At least finding a tenner a week for nappies won't be an issue for us if worst comes to worst. :thumbup:


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## Rachel_C

I normally do what you did and keep quiet about why disposables are bad; I just say why cloth is good, but if anybody was as rude as they were I would be bringing up every single negative aspect of sposies, including the God-awful SMELL!


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## Siuan

Question... and please stop to really think before answering and be totally honest... OH and I were having this discussion yesterday and I'm totally on your side all of you. I see absolutely NOTHING wrong with second hand cloth nappies. 

BUT, he said... would you wear someone else's knickers (underpants for our American friends :))? And it sort of stopped me dead in my tracks. The honest answer is no, I wouldn't. I actually really dislike the idea. So why is it any different for nappies? 

Generally speaking knickers would be "cleaner" too... there aren't many adults who wee and poo themselves! 

Not trying to be difficult, genuinely interested in whether you ladies feel the same way I do or not about this? It's actually made me think twice about pre-loved clothies now! I mean how can I say no to 2nd hand knickers on one hand then turn around and say, "oh but it's ok for my baby"! Is that not hypocritical? Or maybe it's just me who doesn't like the idea of 2nd hand knickers!


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## Kaede351

This attitude annoys me too! FIL law told me today that I was horrible for putting my LO in cloth. We went for a meal today for lunch and MIL was holding my LO and he wouldn't bend to sit down, he seemed like he wanted to stand. After that I noticed his trousers were a bit tight over his nappy so I took them off and after that my LO sat ok (guess his jeans were too tight for him to bend haha. Whoops! Silly mummy!). But my FIL was sat ther saying "Well if he won't sit down he's obviously not comfortable! They're obviously chafing him. You should be using normal nappies." I was so angry! He also had a problem with me buying pre-loved cloth... I felt like saying "well if you don't like me using second hand, YOU buy me a pack of all new nappies!" but I'm too nice to say anything lol :dohh:

XxX


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## Kaede351

Oh, and I have no problem with second hand clothes! 90% of my LO's clothes are either hand me downs from my Aunty and DH's cousin, or bought from charity shops... Yet you'd never tell, they're all in great condition :shrug:

XxX


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## Siuan

Just to clarify my question above - I'm not referring to second hand clothes as a whole. Just the underwear part... :) would you buy 2nd hand underwear (particularly knickers) in a charity shop?


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## Kaede351

Oh... No actually I wouldn't :/ I know that's a bit backward lol... But to be honest, I don't think charity shops take underwear. I've never seen any in any charity shops :shrug:

I would maybe buy a bra, but not knickers second hand...

XxX


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## Siuan

Kaede351 said:


> Oh... No actually I wouldn't :/ I know that's a bit backward lol... But to be honest, I don't think charity shops take underwear. I've never seen any in any charity shops :shrug:
> 
> I would maybe buy a bra, but not knickers second hand...
> 
> XxX

You're right, I don't think charity shops do take underwear. I'm just speaking hypothetically! :thumbup:

But isn't that a bit odd - we wouldn't wear 2nd hand underpants/knickers ourselves, but think it's perfectly ok for our LOs?

Perhaps this is what people who have a problem with 2nd hand cloth are thinking?

I honestly am not sure I can justify putting pre-loved on my LO having had it put to me like this!


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## Kaede351

Hmm, I guess so... but I don't see it as quite the same :shrug: Duno, different standards I guess lol. It's not like they're unclean when I put them on my LO... I must wash them about 5 times before putting them on him :shrug:

XxX


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## Rachel_C

Actually there is quite a market for selling/buying preloved cloth san pro, so no, I don't think it's gross. The reason I wouldn't buy second hand knickers is a quality issue - maybe I'm just a big fatty but knicker elastic doesn't seem to last forever so preloved knickers might be a bit baggy! I guess the idea doesn't seem very nice to me BUT I know it's a double standard. I know it's irrational - doesn't mean I have to go out and buy preloved nix to prove I'm not hypocritical, but in theory buying preloved underwear that was in good condition would be ok with me. Babies don't have any ridiculous ideas about what's clean or skanky, they like it if it's comfy and don't if it's not. They're in the right and we're just daft!


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## Rachel_C

Me again! I actually think it's really sad that people wouldn't consider using preloved cloth. Are you going to throw each nappy away as you use it? Once it's been used once, it's preloved the next time you use it. One baby's poo is just as gross and dirty as the next baby's! :) And would you not reuse nappies on a sibling? Cousin? Will you be insisting that the hospital (assuming you go to one at some point) uses new sheets on your bed? Cos there's some pretty yukky stuff gets all over those :D Oh and your baby is going to crap on the floor, probably the bed, definitely all over clothes at some point! New ones each time, no passing things down to the next baby?


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## fingers_cross

honestly, as long as they looked clean, i wouldnt mind. id of course wash them before wearing them but if i had to then i would. i think its slightly different for me, to cloth, in that im well aware that the preowned cloth has been washed within days of poo being on it, whereas with knickers, who knows how long they sat getting dirty, thrush, stds, those kinds of things come in my head. but if they looked clean, id have no problem after a few washes.


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## Kaede351

To be fair... some of my nappies feel so soft I would wear them if they were big enough... pre-loved or not :haha:

XxX


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## diverdi

I think the knickers thing is a bit different. Adult females could have STDs and the like (I know the germs wouldn't survive a wash, but still) whereas nappies it's just babie wee and poo which seems 'purer' somehow!
People are ignorant, and the more ignorant they are the more they cover it up with loud opinions and spouting nonsense facts. I used to believe the nonsense that all the laundry detergent and heat made as big an environmental impact as disposables.
Our societies throw away and buy new culture is responsible for a lot of damage, by re-using we're actually making a better difference than recycling and should be proud of it.


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## discoclare

No I wouldn't wear 2nd hand knickers, yes my DD does wear pre-loved nappies!! My thinking is:

- adults could have STDs etc, this is highly unlikely in a baby (and nappies are more thoroughly washed then knickers)
- adult females produce discharge / cm etc once they are past puberty. I don't know what the percentage of ladies who use liners are but I have never used them so I expect it's only a proportion of the population. Many babies have liners in their nappies (but anyway babies don't produce the same gunk from their parts!)
- adult females sweat in the groin area and smell if their personal hygiene is not good. babies don't.

generally since the wee and poo is washed out I don't have a problem. It's the ickiness factor of female used underwear that I don't like. People have always used pre-loved cloth for babies, it used to normal when all babies were in cloth to hand it down. My OH was the 4th baby to use his cloth nappies (2 of the others were not related to him). Not sure about myself. It annoys me when people say that cloth is disgusting, do they think their own parents were disgusting for putting them in cloth?


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## Siuan

Hmm, interesting. I was posing the question to try to answer the OP's original post. Some interesting points are raised. 

In response to a few of them - 

Babies DO produce cm/discharge. My LO did for 2/3 weeks after birth. She even bled a bit too. That's quite common

With regards re-using for siblings/family members OH and I think on that differently - at least you know where they've been! Within my own family clothing I wore was passed to my sister then through several cousins before being thrown away. That said - we never passed on underwear! Also of course, people don't throw away their underwear after one use so it makes sense not to do so for nappies for the same baby. 

I do have a problem with hospital and hotel sheets though - I HAVE to have some kind of pyjamas on before I'll use them. I sleep naked at home - never when I'm in a strange bed and that's 'cos you never know what's on them! It's something about it being next to my skin. 

It is a good point about STDs/thrush etc though and the sweat factor! I wonder if it's that which people think about when you tell them you're using cloth which is why they're more against it? 

I was saying to OH last night that I'd never considered NOT buying pre-loved it's what has always been done and it's normal to me. But he's still not too keen despite all the points made above :)


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## Kaede351

Even if you DO buy new cloth though, you can reuse them for another child/children and then you can sell them on when you no longer need them. So it's still not as bad as disposables really!

XxX


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## bookreader

Your friends are maybe feeling intimidated or something that you are doing something that is 'different' to them, so they are putting up their defenses and this is how it is coming out.

I am using second hand nappies. In fact most of the clothes i have bought my baby are second hand. 
I would much rather spend my money on other stuff.


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## SpringerS

I think Rachel_Cs point about underwear quality is the main one, tbh. Unless we've had a rapid weight change most people wear their knickers until they are nearly falling apart, have gotten discoloured or the elastic goes. Then we either put them in the bin where they go to landfill or, if it's an option, for textile recycling. Nobody ever would buy or sell them as underwear because they are just old rags at that point.

However if they go for textile recycling they are taken away, sterilised (usually through steam cleaning) shredded into loose fibers and rewoven for new use. This new material can be used as furniture padding (including in mattresses), the felt in your car or the insulation in your house. If polyester they may be spun into new polyester silks.

So there is a decent enough chance that, even if you aren't wearing anyone's old knickers as your knickers, that you are sitting in a couch that's partly comprised of them, have slept in a bed partly comprised of them, that they surround you in your car, or that the sheer summer sarong you picked up to wear on the beach has old knickers in it's make up.

The difference with re-usable nappies is that if they are well taken care of they have a life-cycle that will see them through 3-4+ babies. So people do buy them secondhand because they are still capable of being a nappy in good condition in a way that underwear isn't. But ultimately they too will likely end up as furniture padding once their nappy lifecycle is over.


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## Rachel_C

Love the idea that we're surrounded by old knickers :rofl:


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## T-Bex

I cut all old (read as: won't stay up!) underwear up, and if it's got a good pattern (OH had some smiley face boxers that rocked my socks!), I turn it into decorations; the underpants have been turned into heart shaped decorations, stuffed with dead socks, and going to be strung up and hung in doorways. ;)

I hate that mentality of not buying second hand clothes; it's just so wasteful. 

P.S Cloth nappies are amazing, and I think that if anything is 'gross' about nappies, it's that sposies don't biodegrade, and get regularly freaked out by the fact that all my old baby sposies from the 80's still exist...


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## Rachel_C

T-Bex said:


> P.S Cloth nappies are amazing, and I think that if anything is 'gross' about nappies, it's that sposies don't biodegrade, and get regularly freaked out by the fact that all my old baby sposies from the 80's still exist...

They'll still exist when your great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great children are around, probably! 

What I find even more gross is that some of our landfill is shipped abroad and you see pictures of little slum kids digging through the dumps of our waste there, looking for things they can use/sell. Chances are, they'll find a bag of stinky old crap. Now that is a lot grosser than reusing knickers or nappies!


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## Snuffy

Especially since - judging from some of the comments you get about poo removal - many people don't bother to chuck it down the loo with sposies.


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## M&S+Bump

I would have absolutely no problem with using second hand knickers, they've been washed and are therefore clean, after all. And if knickers cost £10-£20 a pair like the nappies we use do you're damn right I'd be buying them second hand!

People are weird about cloth because they don't understand it, most people think it's all about buckets full of stinky nappies, having to scrub poo off the nappies and mess and fuss, and the fact that you are willing to go through all this 'hassle' as they see it for the sake of the environment, cost-saving, whatever reason, they take to be a judgement against them for doing otherwise.


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## SpringerS

T-Bex said:


> P.S Cloth nappies are amazing, and I think that if anything is 'gross' about nappies, it's that sposies don't biodegrade, and get regularly freaked out by the fact that all my old baby sposies from the 80's still exist...




Rachel_C said:


> They'll still exist when your great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great children are around, probably!

That's so very utterly depressing. Just thinking about that makes me so glad I only ever wore two 'sposies as a baby. Put on me, one over the other, by nurses in hospital 6 months after I was potty trained just so they could ignore my pleas to use the toilet.


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## mistyscott

It's a very interesting point raised about 2nd hand underwear - made dh and I think! We too prob wouldn't choose to wear 2nd hand, and yes that is double standards! 

On the subject of pre-loved nappies though, before having ds I must admit I wasn't keen on the idea of another baby's poo having been on them....but now I'm totally not bothered and see the added bonus of them having been washed to full absorbency! :D 

Also, I love how standards change as your LO grows - when newborn even a little bit of wee results in a complete change of clothes, whereas now LO would need to have pooed all over his vest for me to bother changing him! :D that's the best thing about cloth though - very rarely do we have breaches :)


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## Flake-y

Nothing wrong with second hand nappies at all!

And better second hand cloth than hundreds of nappies sitting in landfill contributing to pollution.

And most people use a liner with cloth anyway, disposable or fleece, they prob wouldn't be second hand and that's the part that touches your baby's bum anyway!


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## flamingpanda

We're only buying new. I had a feeling my OH would be uncomfortable with second hand nappies and honestly I'd prefer our little one to have new. That said we would reuse with our own second child, and third. Also I'd happily sell when we're done having kids, so it's just a personal choice not to use them myself. I certainly wouldn't judge anyone else for doing so.

I've actually been lucky in that the majority of people we talk to about cloth think we're making a wise choice. Our parents used cloth with us and our friends seem to see the financial benefit when it's explained.

My thinking behind buying new is, first off we can afford to. Not all at once but we have 3 months (hopefully at the earliest) before she'll even consider making an appearance. We'll be using disposables at the hospital and we will probably use up what we have bought of those before moving to cloth. That way I can't take the easy way out and switch back if things are difficult to start with. So we're probably looking at 4 months, maybe 5 - who knows. So that's enough time for us to look around and on our budget find offers and deals to make buying our stash easier. Secondly by buying new I'm supporting the brands that are out there. If I were to buy second hand these companies would never see any of my money. They are companies that are creating products that I personally believe should have a lot more publicity and attention than they do. Until I started looking into this I honestly thought of cloth nappies as the old terry cloth kind that I wore as an infant myself. So hopefully the more they sell the more we might see cloth becoming a real alternative for more people.


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## morri

I wear my Oh's knickers and havent got a prob with them-- When I was a teenager and we stayed over unplanned at my fathers place I wore underpants of the son of my father's wife. When i was a kid I had second hand/down handed underpants as well. Just like any second hand clothes they were washed.
I bought some second hand nappies so far, because I think the price of some is quite steep . Some cost as much as a t-shirt :haha:


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## virgo1971

mistyscott said:


> It's a very interesting point raised about 2nd hand underwear - made dh and I think! We too prob wouldn't choose to wear 2nd hand, and yes that is double standards!
> 
> On the subject of pre-loved nappies though, before having ds I must admit I wasn't keen on the idea of another baby's poo having been on them....but now I'm totally not bothered and see the added bonus of them having been washed to full absorbency! :D
> 
> *Also, I love how standards change as your LO grows - when newborn even a little bit of wee results in a complete change of clothes, whereas now LO would need to have pooed all over his vest for me to bother changing him!  *that's the best thing about cloth though - very rarely do we have breaches :)

That is just what I am like!!! With my first dd I was so precious about changing her vest when it was the teeniest bit wet - amazing how you hit a better reality after a few months of motherhood :rofl:


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## scuffer

I think as long as they're washed I really don't see an issue. I have 2 in nappies and they both wear the same ones. When my mum used to foster she had all the children in folding terry nappies and they were used for all the children, it certainly wasn't affordable to keep buying new for each child. They were probably the same ones she used for me and my siblings too. It's something for catching wee and poo! 

I probably wouldn't buy second hand knickers, but then I like to wear matching sets! ;)


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## Rachel_C

flamingpanda said:


> Secondly by buying new I'm supporting the brands that are out there. If I were to buy second hand these companies would never see any of my money. They are companies that are creating products that I personally believe should have a lot more publicity and attention than they do. Until I started looking into this I honestly thought of cloth nappies as the old terry cloth kind that I wore as an infant myself. So hopefully the more they sell the more we might see cloth becoming a real alternative for more people.

I wouldn't say that's true actually. People often sell on their old nappies to fund new things - it's very common to see people saying "Buy these please, I need to fund a custom HL/WC/WN etc", the same as with baby carriers... or even cars I guess! People generally end up with more nappies when they buy preloved than if they bought all of their nappies new, and that filters up to the nappy companies. If nobody bought preloved, I think an awful lot more people would find the nappies they like, buy a full time stash and then stop. As it is, people feel they can better afford a few new things here and there by selling old things, or they have 40 nappies instead of 20 because they've all been bought preloved. While that person with 40 preloved nappies hasn't directly given money to the companies, they have given money to the person they bought the nappies from and it will eventually get to the companies :)


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## flamingpanda

But they're still losing sales, even if the savings one person makes funds the odd future one. We're not taking into account people who sell old nappies because they're done having kids. Their earnings from selling their preloved nappies might go any number of places, but it won't be on new nappies. So that person buying might gain 10 to their stash but that's 10 sales the nappy companies will never see.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with buying second hand (I've done it with other items myself) but I'm sure the companies would prefer it if the money went directly to them. But people should do what they can afford to. I just wanted to point out that there are good reasons to buy new, other than finding preloved icky. :) The thread so far seems to presume that's the only reason people would steer clear of preloved nappies and I don't think that is always the case.

It's the same reason that I always buy new CDs of bands I really like. Sure I could buy a CD cheap second hand but the band will never see any of my money or my sale. That in turn reflects on their popularity. The person I buy the CD off may very well and go buy another CD by that band but I don't know that for sure. So I hope by spending that few pounds more that I am supporting something.

Not comparing nappies with the music industry there but the principal behind my decision is kind of the same.


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## Rachel_C

We'll have to disagree there then! Nappy companies need the preloved market, to keep the whole market moving. They also benefit hugely from their nappies being popular preloved - it shows that they last, it advertises their name all over, it allows people to try things they wouldn't try otherwise (and then many people do go on to buy more new), and promotes the idea of cloth nappies as affordable. Many, if not most, nappy companies are keen to point out that you can buy and sell preloved, because they know how it works in their favour and some even have their own selling groups for their brand preloved. I do buy lots of nappies new but I don't think I could justify buying them all new, not from a cost point of view either.


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## flamingpanda

That's fine. :D It's a forum, if we all agreed all the time it would be boring. Just to address the last point, am I correct in thinking you have a LOT of nappies Rachel? :D If so then no, you wouldn't be able to justify buying all of those new. But for me, I really only want to spend what makes sense for us in terms of keeping on top of things. Now until the time comes it's difficult to know exactly but I'm hoping for what most people seem to recommend, about 25 nappies. Between now and Nov/Dec in my budget that is completely affordable (I think we're currently on about 15 nappies, roughly £135 spent). I justify it knowing that I will make savings in the long run. If not that much with this LO then certainly with the next one. As I say I will also sell them on when done but at least for me I feel I generated those initial sales and somewhat contributed towards the companies growth and (hopefully) expansion into new markets, products and (really, really hopefully) getting more cloth into retail spaces so that joe public sees them.

So if someone chooses to bulk up their stash with the odd preloved nappy, no it's probably not a massively big deal, and it's a big saver for us as parents. However if someone buys almost entirely preloved because they're cheaper then it's not really supporting the companies that create the nappies in the first place. I'm sure some people don't care either way but I thought it was worth pointing out that those are lost sales for businesses. Anyway you look at it. These businesses support preloved at the moment because the market is so small and it makes sense for them to so as not to alienate people or worse make people feel like they are priced out. But if they have accountants worth their salt they'd tell you that more new sales equal a much greater profit and outlook in the long term. If someone only has to buy 10 new rather than 25 new, that is money they lose. If someone buys 25 on ebay and through forums because they are so much more affordable than new, then they were never a customer in the first place. If they then sell those on again it's 2 lost customers etc...

I'll repeat again, I have no problem with preloved nappies, and if that's people's choice then that's great. But for me, I just wanted all my nappies to make some financial contribution back to the people that made them.


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## Snuffy

Regards companies losing money due to preloved sales, I often buy preloved to try a nappy out before I buy new. It's how I've come to have a good stash of Bitti D'lishes and Pop-ins. I have a rather crunchy WNSS that I got dirt cheap due to it's condition but I love the fit and the nappy itself works well, so at the weekend I ordered my very first custom direct from them. I have been wanting the try a Bitti Boo and won one at the weekend on Fluffy Dip - if we get on with it then I will be buying more once the new ones arrive in the UK. So ultimately people buying preloved probably ends up with the companies making more money in the long term, as if the preloved market didn't exist, I wouldn't want to part with £20+ on a nappy that I wasn't sure would fit and I couldn't then sell on.


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## flamingpanda

What about the ones you buy that aren't a good fit for you? If you buy them preloved the company that made them makes no money from you because you try before you buy. Then you sell it on and someone else gets to make the same choice not to buy from the company.

I bought an itti bitti new at the weekend. I paid £17.50 for it and supported a local independent baby shop in the process - one that supports and promotes the use of cloth. If it fits well and I like, I shall buy more new, probably from the same shop. If I hadn't bought new and it doesn't fit the company makes no money, the local independent makes no money either. This way I get the chance to try it _and_ the company makes money from me. I'm not sure how they're likely to make more from someone who buys preloved? If the nappy is a good fit for us I will not only buy more but I bought my original trial nappy too.

There's nothing wrong with buying second hand used nappies, buy to your budget. But, and I come back to my original point, which is based on me in my situation with our budget to spend - I personally like to support the companies making the nappies upfront. If I don't like I can sell on, happy in the knowledge that I personally paid my bit. Perhaps they'll put the bit they made from me towards improving their design. Who know?

Preloved isn't for everyone, I'm just trying to give the perspective of someone who won't be using them. It isn't an attack. :nope:


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## Snuffy

To be honest, money and the fact I don't have much to throw around willy nilly on something that may not work for us is my primary concern, not the nappy company.

Most of the nappy companies claim that their motivation is the green aspect of the product. Therefore surely they won't mind their products being sold on and on. It's as good an advertisement as any for their business that people come across a preloved nappy, like it, buy more new from them. As with anything, they won't get business from everyone who tries them.


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## Snuffy

Incidentally, most of my nappies were bought new. But now I'm on half pay and SMP is looming very quickly. Needs must :D


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## flamingpanda

That's fine, :D and I really do understand why some buy preloved. I was really just trying to give our alternative reason for us not using them. We can afford not to, simply. Given the choice between new and something used, we'll buy new where possible for our LO.

These companies are green, but they are also companies. Whilst I also wouldn't give two hoots about many companies I do support the change these ones are trying to make.


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## Rachel_C

Same here Snuffy - I have bought lots of nappies preloved to try them out and then gone on to buy more new because either they weren't available preloved in the designs I wanted or I've wanted customs making. I wouldn't be happy spending £40 on a nappy I didn't know would work, so I spend £15 on a cheaper preloved one by the same company and then buy more later once I know they will work. If the person I bought the preloved nappy from is anything like most of the fluff fans I know, the money I've paid them will be going straight into another nappy purchase AND I then buy more new too.


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## Dragonfly

I'm a nappy snob in a sence I only buy new. I want wear out of them thats all. And I only get cheap ones anyway so second hand cheap ones would be pointless since new is cheap.


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## morri

Some interesting thoughts here :haha.


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## flamingpanda

Rachel_C said:


> If the person I bought the preloved nappy from is anything like most of the fluff fans I know, the money I've paid them will be going straight into another nappy purchase AND I then buy more new too.

If. Or maybe they're done with nappies with no more kids on the way and they're going to spend that extra money on something else entirely. I know that will be the case with mine if they make it past baby 3. But it shouldn't make a difference anyway, if you feel you're supporting cloth by buying new too I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it to be honest. It's only when people stop buying new altogether and buy only preloved that there is a problem for the companies. I posted what I did because I was trying to explain my situation and opinion on new vs used that wasn't the usual "because used are icky". I feel like all I've done is set people off trying to justify why they buy preloved. That wasn't what I wanted, I really don't care who buys what and from where. I just care about what I buy. :) I don't want anyone to feel bad. Mums, should just do what works for them and their kids.


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## morri

I don't think there will ever be a point where popel only buy used stuff-- Just look at flea markets- flea markets havent pushed away clothes or furniture or electronics stores eihter. and clothes etc.


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## flamingpanda

Is that the same though? Cloth nappies are kind of niche, whereas we all wear clothes (or at least I hope we do! ;) :p)


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## Rachel_C

I suppose there will always be both new and used sales for nappies because they don't last forever, with perhaps the exception of cotton terries! I tend to think that nappy companies build this into their prices - they advertise the fact that their nappies will last one or two or three kids so they must factor that in or they're too daft to be in business anyway :rofl:. When people buy and sell preloved, it doesn't magically make the nappies last longer. I'd say an average nappy, maybe a pocket or an AIO, would (should!) last three years but after that it's going to start deteriorating. Whether you buy new and use it for three years or somebody else buys it new and then sells it on to you, it's still only going to last three years. With the exception of cotton flats, preloved nappies won't stay in circulation forever. If they're designed to last through two kids, they will and then they'll be retired. If the nappy companies have thought about it properly, the time a nappy should will be accounted for in their prices. It doesn't make any difference to them whether you use it on two of your children or use it for one child then sell it to somebody else, or use it for 6 months and then sell it. Or maybe it does - for fluff addicts, the preloved market fuels the obsession making it more likely that you'll buy more than you need. And me having 500 nappies (slight over exaggeration!) takes nappies out of circulation so I guess other people have to buy new.


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## Florance

I have a good number of people telling me that it's gross to handle cloth diapers. :wacko: It's not like you won't get pee or poo on your hands when changing disposables, and I think that cloth diapers that I sprayed off with water are cleaner than pee and poo filled disposables in a trash can. I really don't like explaining myself to other people, so I tend to ignore people when they have something negative to say about using cloth diaper; however, it makes me happy that I am doing something good to the planet. Before baby could fit into her cloth diapers, I was using disposables and I remember how much extra garbage I was throwing out as a result of it. I had to empty out the garbage in the washroom every three or four days because the disposable diapers took so much room in my decent size garbage bin! Nowdays, I don't have to walk bags upon bags of smelly diapers to the garbage can! It's awesome!

I wear a lot of vintage clothings myself so I don't mind second hand clothes for my baby at all! In fact, I stated in my baby shower invitation that I would appreciate hand-me-downs for baby instead of brand new stuff. The trick with that, I found, is that not everyone takes good care of their things; I have received some items that are in pretty bad shape that I couldn't bear letting my baby use them. I plan on using re-using a lot of my baby things when I have my second baby, and my sister-in-law is keen on using pre-loved items when she has her baby as well. So I am being very deligient in keeping my baby stuff in good shape by following proper caring / cleaning instructions, and I am keeping user manuals for things like baby carrier, stroller, etc. I am very proud of my contribution to "reduce, reuse, recycle". :haha:


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## Dragonfly

Bounty asked about cloth nappy users on their facebook page and surely they all tearing the heads off each other there like its some sort of competition.


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## Faythe

I think the biggest problem is the misconception when it comes to cloth and that's why most are so weird about it.


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## LillyLee

https://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=137

Buys back pre-loved cloth diapers. I think they recycle them to families who want to use cloth and can't afford. This is the company that BumGenius links their sales to.


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