Cloth nappies?

[Mrs Eleflump]

I'm way early for this yet, but I feel I have a lot to learn on the subject, so I'd better get started!

I'm really interested in using cloth nappies, but I see people talking about them on here and all the terminology and different kinds really confuses me.

Is there a site or a book you can recommend for learning what's what, and what to look for in a cloth nappy?

 

[NDH]

If you head over to the natural parenting section of the forum you'll find loads of useful posts

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

I will go and have a look, thanks!

 

[Rachie004]

Have a look at 'the nappy lady' on you tube. She has lots of videos about different types of nappies, she also does a free advice questionnaire on her website.

We're really lucky in that we have a cloth nappy shop quite close to us which was really useful too. It was great to have them demo the nappies 'in real life' and for us to be able to touch them etc.

Good luck xx

 

[LiLi2]

Check Google and see if anyone in your area offers a cloth diapering seminar. There is a woman here who does one once a month or so and it was very helpful.

We are planning on doing cloth and have decided that the most practical way to go about it is to buy 3-4 different brands (likely used - there is a cloth diaper consignment going on later this month here) and try them out over the first month or two, then decide which brand we like best and buy several more. There is no brand that will work for every baby, so I'd hate to spend a lot, then realize we don't like them.

As far as terminology goes, a decent quick reference to different types of cloth diapers can be found here:

https://www.babycenter.com/0_cloth-diapers-a-quick-guide-to-your-choices_10320145.bc

And for extensive terminology:

https://paddedtushstats.com/cloth-diaper-glossary/

Don't let all the abbreviations scare you. When I first looked into cloth, I got totally overwhelmed. Decide which type you want to use (we are doing prefolds and covers) and then find a few brands to try out. Don't fret over all the details at first. Once you decide what you want to try, then figure out what material you'll use (we're doing bamboo prefolds because they are a natural fiber with good absorbency that is soft on baby's skin.). Then decide how you will care for them. (What type of detergent to try - this can be a trial and error process so just pick one that sounds good for cloth diapers and if it doesn't work, switch it.)

Break it down and it will be a much simpler process.

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

Thank you Rachie and LiLi, great suggestions, I shall be researching all the links and whatnot

 

[snickersbar]

Nappy lady does demos in Farnham, Surrey - might be a bit too far for you to travel from South Hampshire, depending where you are.

 

[Tulip]

Nappy intro sessions are often called a Nappucinno here in the UK - see if that helps your search x

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

I'm near Portsmouth, so Surrey might be a bit far. I've done some searching around and there are a few places locally that do cloth nappies, but no actual 'nappy lady' that I can find, unlike so many other places.

Maybe I'll just have to get really knowledgeable and then *I* could be the local nappy lady

 

[snickersbar]

There's lots of videos on youtube which explain the different nappies, and how they go on, which I found useful. x

 

[littlefishygg]

I'm looking into cloth nappies as well, at the moment I am favouring gnappies as my favourite as I have a friend that used and LOVED them with both her babies. Also hey MrsEleflump I am a follow Portsmouth dweller!

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

:wave: Hi littlefishy! Nice to meet another Portsmouth lady Do you know of anywhere specific locally that stocks cloth, or anyone who does information sessions etc?

The youtube thingies look good, snickersbar, thank you! Really informative

 

[littlefishygg]

No I don't unfortunately but I haven't looked yet to be fair. Like someone else said I have gotten a lot of my information from youtube and had pretty much decided before even trying to conceive that I wanted to use cloth because of my friend who used them and I haven't gotten around to doing too much research yet, plenty of time left and all that.

 

[wookie130]

Just putting my $0.02 in about this...I love Alva Baby cloth diapers (they're pocket diapers with microfiber inserts, or you can use prefolds/bamboo inserts also). Some people refer to them as "Ebay cheapies", although they do have an independent web site (out of China).

On FB, there's a neat group called "Loving Alva Baby Diapers" with a lot of information.

I'm a fan of cloth, and there are a lot of options. There's a lot to learn initially, but once you get a system in place, and know how to take care of your brand of choice, and how to organize the whole thing, it's really simple.

Now that my daughter is older (she's a year old this week), I'm using mainly disposies, as I'm super tired with this pregnancy, and feeling lazy. LOL! But honestly, while I used cloth, I loved it.

 

[Mrs Eleflump]

Wookie, the Alva nappies look so cute I like the idea of a removable insert, they must dry quite fast.

That's one thing that intimidates me about cloth, the amount of laundry! But then, with a LO, our laundry basket's going to be pretty full anyway, so maybe washing nappies wouldn't make that massive a difference!

 

[NDH]

I've never been a laundry person. I was always the sort to do laundry when there was nothing to wear and live out of the washing baskets til they were emptied back into the hamper, essentially lol. But nappy laundry has really changed me. I dont exactly enjoy it, but its not a detestable chore either lol. I basically do a load of nappies every day (with two in cloth I can't leave it any longer than a day and a half) and a load of other washing. And because I need to wash nappies again the next day I know I have to get it done before I need to use it again

Some days I get nothing done but the nappy laundry and I can still feel accomplished.

 

[Rachie004]

My friend who uses cloth nappies thinks that she has LESS washing because she uses cloth. She had to use disposable for a week or so when her little boy had an infection in his umbilicus and she said that it resulted in multiple outfit changes per day because of containment (or lack of) issues.

That's just one experience of course

 

[fides]

diaperswappers.com has a forum with loads of info, Q&A's, etc

 

[ac2010]

I'm planning on cloth nappying. I'm from Scotland and can't really find anywhere here apart from mothercare. Try gumtree and eBay for nappies. I'm thinking of using the disposables that I have, prefolds and covers until she's about 10 pounds then have a look at the other options.

Love YouTube for reviews and tutorials.

 

[kittylady]

I cloth nappied at first but then got pND and stopped, its the only thing I regretted as I managed to carry on BF and BLW. This time I want to try again.