Changing to cloth nappies for 8-month-old?

[SoupDragon]

I've just made the switch to cloth wipes, and LOVE them. Really wish I'd done it sooner!

I thought about doing cloth nappies when I was pregnant, but DH really wasn't keen at all, so we've always used disposables. They work fine but the volume of waste generated is staggering, and I don't like the chemically smell when they're wet.

I've been thinking again about cloth, and wondering if it's too late to switch. DD is 8 months old and hovering on the verge of learning to walk. I'm going back to work full time in 2 months and DD will be going to a childminder.

If we were to do cloth, I'd want to try the AI2/pop-ins/pockets rather than AIOs or prefolds.

I'd love to hear some opinions and experiences, both for and against.

My thoughts for:
Less waste
Don't need to keep buying nappies
Possibly easier to toilet-train in cloth than in disposables?
Would have a stash ready for (presently hypothetical) baby #2
Could resell and make some money back when totally finished with them

And against:
Extra laundry (especially when I'm back at work full-time)
Trial and error of finding a brand that suits
Cost of outlay for nappy stash
Extra bulk could make toddling harder?
Have heard they are more likely to leak/overfill at night

As far as DH goes, well, I do 99% of the nappy changes and laundry, so I feel the type of nappy we use should be my decision Surprisingly he is really in favour of the cloth wipes, so it'd be a step, but not a huuuge one, to convince him on nappies too...maybe

 

[Harley Quinn]

You've got a great pro and con list there.

Less waste is a big reason we use cloth - our trash in only picked up curb-side every two weeks!

And it's true you can use them for multiple kids, although after 3 years, I'm finding that some of them are going to need new elastics soon. They still work fine, but I couldn't resell them for much with the elastics all stretched out.

I don't find the extra laundry to be that big of a burden, perhaps because it's mostly just washing and drying and not any sorting before or folding after. It's the sorting and folding part of laundry that I find to be the real chore.

As for finding a brand that suits you, you could try some buy-sell-swap sites to see about buying just a few each of several different brands. Then resell the ones you don't want to keep.

And yes, it is a big cost up-front, but the money you save over time is well worth it. If you can invest the funds now, I think it's worth it!

And walking/toddling was never an issue for my boys, as far as that point. But yes, they do leak more overnight. We use cloth during the day and disposables at night.

 

[SoupDragon]

Thank you for replying!

How easy is it to replace elastics/velcro/poppers? I'm only a novice with a sewing machine!

What would I need numbers-wise for a complete rotation if I wanted to do laundry 2x per week? Something like 20-25 nappies?

And sizing - are BTP nappies good or is it better to get sized ones? DD is currently in uk size 4+ (20-44lb) disposies...she's on the 91st centile for height and weight so she's tall but not especially chunky...she just looks perhaps a month or so older than she is

I quite like the look of the bambooty basics range...others that seem easy to get hold of are the bambino mio ones.

There is a natural parenting group locally that I could go to, and there is a cloth nappy network too, so I could look at borrowing from that

 

[Harley Quinn]

Yes, I think 20-25 sounds about right. We wash diapers about 2-3 times/week and we have two in cloth.

I've never tried the sized ones, we love our BTP ones. Both boys are now on the last size.

I don't actually know how easy it would be to replace the elastics myself. I suppose there is probably a good tutorial out there on how to do it. If/when I replace them, I will probably just post on my local cloth diapering fb group asking if anyone can do it for me and how much they would charge.

Oh, and I was going to say... something to think about is whether your daycare/childminder will be okay with using cloth! If they aren't going to do it, then you'd still have to buy disposables and then are you really saving money? Something to think about!

 

[modified]

I love using cloth. My daughter seems to have a sensitive bum and is allergic to most disposables. Notably pampers - they cause her bum to blister! I wouldn't go back now. I use reusable wipes also.

I use pocket nappies, bum genius freetimes and tots bots. At night, I use bamboozles with a wrap of a pocket nappy double boosted. Not one leak ever.

 

[Harley Quinn]

I would love to use cloth wipes too, but for some reason DH can't get on board with them. He's totally fine with cloth diapers (and is a stay-at-home-dad, so does like 90% of diaper changes), but not cloth wipes! Go figure.

 

[modified]

All I do is have clean, dry wipes in a sealed tub with a small spray bottle of solution. At nappy changes, spray a wipe as I need it and it goes straight in the nappy bin. No extra work on top of cloth nappies so it really works for us! I kept running out of wipes so said enough was enough and went reusable haha

 

[LittlePants]

One thing I'd like to add is that you probably won't have that much extra washing because they rarely leak, so there's less clothes and bedding to wash. Also, regarding night nappies, just use 2 bamboo terry nappies, one on top of the other - I like 2 bamboo terry squares folded together as one nappy, as it's easier that 2 fitters. Use a wool cover over the top, and you'll have no problems with cloth lasting through the night. Incidentally terry squares are still the most efficient nappies there are, and 50cm bamboo terry squares are awesome for newborns - no stuffing or boosting either