Cloth nappy novice

[chelleb2]

Hey all, I know absolutely nothing about cloth nappies other than I've recently realised how cute they are!!

My baby is due end of October and I posted a thread about nappies and a couple of people suggested going au naturale with the cloth nappies but first of all I kinda need someone to help me with what I need, etc

Basically I need the ins and outs of how to go about using them before I can make up my mind which route to take!

Any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks!

 

[kglo]

I'm due in September and have opted for real nappies.

I have brought 25 nappies in all, 15 Bum Genius V3's, 4 Bamboo Pop In's for night times and 6 Dream Dri Pop In's. I have also brought 6 bamboo boosters, fleece liners, a bucket and a wet bag. I have also brought a fleece blanket from a pound shop that I plan to cut up to use for more liners.

It seems this is all I need.

I have pre washed all my nappies, giving the bamboo several prewashes.

It seems really easy, put the nappy on, when used bung in a bucket until I have enough for a wash.

Not much more work than reusables, it seems.

I have also invested in reusable wipes.

It appears the savings compared to reusables and the benefits to baby are massive.

 

[littlestar]

if you want to know the ins & outs of whats out there, there's some useful articles linked in my siggy.

 

[chelleb2]

It sounds so confusing, what are all the diff nappies you have got? How come you've bought diff ones? Ah, my head lol! So Basically you need nappies and liners?

 

[wannabewillow]

I can vouch for Littlestar's siggy. It gave me all the info I needed when I made the switch to cloth. So far, personally, I like the Bumgenius Flips, but DH likes velcro fastening nappies like Bumgenius V3. Have tried fleece liners and paper liners and I prefer the paper liners which I can just flush whilst Mairi's poos are still runny, I also find them easier to dispose of when I'm out and about, rather than carry a poopy fleece liner about. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of folk out there who get on well with the reusable liners, they just weren't for me.

Other than that, cleaning them is pretty simple, it's just a case of washing them in 1/4 the normal amount of non-bio or soap nuts, don't use fabric conditioner, hang them to dry and then use them.

Mairi was 4 months old when I started using cloth and I wish I had started earlier, I had no idea about how things had changed, I still thought of reusables as terry squares, pins and a lot of work, how wrong I was. One thing I will say though, and this is just a personal thing as I had a section and a bit of a drama surrounding LO's arrival, I don't think I would have used them in the very early weeks as the meconium is a bugger to get off anything and there are too many things going on when bubba first arrives, I felt I needed to get into the groove of parenthood first. Again, this is only a personal opinion, there are loads of women out there who use cloth from the start with no problems and, for that, I admire them.

Good luck!

 

[kglo]

The different types of nappies I brought were about personal choice.

Think of the different brands of disposables, reusables also have different brands.

The advice I was given was to buy different types to find out what suits us.

I knew I wanted Birth to Potty nappies, thats why I chose the brands I did.

 

[Lacrosse]

There's another god place to find out lots. Try www.thenappyline.co.uk. That's a great place for beginners

 

[chelleb2]

Thank you

 

[chelleb2]

Average start up spend £300... Think I'll stick to disposables!!

 

[nightkd]

Average start up spend £300... Think I'll stick to disposables!!

It can seem rather daunting, but imagine the amount you'll spend on disposables over the course of LO's nappy-years... I've bought some birth-to-potty diapers second hand, just a few to try out (we've got some disposables too) to see if we get on with them. So basically we'll be doing some part-time cloth diapering to start with and seeing what we get on with best.

xx

 

[littlestar]

Average start up spend £300... Think I'll stick to disposables!!

the average spend on sposies from birth to potty is between £800-£1200 you just don't notice it as easily because it disappears slowly.

Q is nearly 7 months now and i have enough nappies that i won't need to spend another penny on them for him or my next baby. wtt for no.2

 

[Lacrosse]

Average start up spend £300... Think I'll stick to disposables!!

That's "average" but you can do it for loads less, especially if your council does a cash back scheme, and lots do! And sposies cost an arm and a leg!

 

[chelleb2]

it's just that we are saving on a monthly basis to get the rest of the things we need and don't really have the extra cash to spend hundreds on nappies when we could pay a tenner a go, which yeah it adds up in the long run but as you say you don't notice it

 

[thelilbump]

you can buy nappies singularly though and a bit like dispaosbales you don't notice as much. You don't have to pay out £200 + all in one go. You do notice when you stop or slow down buying nappies though!

 

[chelleb2]

argh i'm so confused i think i want to use reusables but i'm just 'scared' that i get it wrong and don't buy the right things!

 

[littlestar]

What i did was buy loads of diff ones second hand then used them, worked out what i liked then sold the ones i didn't like and replaced them with ones i did.

you have the opportunity to buy one/two at a time now spreading the cost.

 

[Mum2bewaiting]

that's what I am doing, just getting a few of the ones that have been recommended preloved (there are quite a few good websites including the swap and sell on here) and will take it from there... I can always sell on the ones that we don't get on with as it does seem every baby is different...