Going cloth!

[Annunakian]

Ok, so. I've been doing a loooooot of reading and searching and googling and everything and it's all over whelming. This thread is going to be a bit of everywhere, so bear with me.

Could anyone help out and give a list of items I would need to be prepared for my babe by March?

I would like to be as cheap as possible (without suffering totally on the quality) when it comes to inserts and stuff. Can I buy the cloth diapers from like say Gerber and use covers from somewhere else?

All this Bamboo talk, does it truly make a difference?

I've read ebay has some cheap things, any really good sellers to recommend?

I'm so confused. I want to start buying my cloth diapers now, since that is one major thing that I need right away, but I don't want to order a bunch and be like.. "oh man I should have bought..."

Thanks for any help.

 

[Rachel_C]

For what you'd absolutely need, I'd go with:

- Enough nappies for however many days you want to go without washing plus some spares for while you wash/dry the others. For a newborn I'd say up to 9 a day so if you had 18 nappies, you'd probably want to wash every day - 9 in the wash, 9 being used. Bear in mind that as LO gets older, they'll use less nappies. 18 nappies is enough for me to wash every 3rd day now.
- A bucket or a waterproof bag (doesn't have to be a proper nappy bucket, any container with a lid will do)
- If you're wanting to save money, I'd get some cloth wipes too - much cheaper in the long run than disposables and no extra hassle if you're using cloth nappies anyway.

That's all you really need. You might want to get some accessories like fleece liners to keep LO extra dry but that depends on the nappies you choose.

For cheap but very effective nappies I always recommend Econobums. They're made by the same people as bumGenius and Flips so they're a good brand, but they're sort of a 'no frills' version. They're a prefold insert and a wrap over the top. They work in a very similar way to Flips and you can mix and match the inserts between the makes. If I wanted a full stash of nappies as cheap as possible, I would get 7 Econobum outers and 3 Flip outers (more expensive than Econobums but they do nicer colours so I'd use them when the nappy is on display, or otherwise get another 3 Econobum outers instead). The Econobums come with cotton prefolds so you'd have 7 of those, and the Flips come with inserts too so you'd have 3 of those (I'd get stay dry ones). I'd get another 10 Flip inserts.

You might find Econobums or Flips a bit bulky on a newborn as they're birth-to-potty nappies, but that makes them better value for money. Also once LO is a bit older, you might need more absorbent nappies for night times but you could still use the Econobum outers as wraps over a night time fitted. I'd just buy those if you find you need them.

I'd still not advise buying a whole stash of just one or two types. It's much better to wait and see what works for you. A great way to start is to buy some preloved ones, all different types, to try out. If they don't work for you, you'll be able to sell them for the same you paid. I think most people start off in disposables at first and gradually introduce cloth so there's no hurry.

Yes you can mix and match brands. Bear in mind that manufacturers will make their inserts to fit best in their own wraps though, although lots are compatible.

Yes, bamboo really is a lot more absorbent than something like microfibre or cotton. For the same level of absorbency, bamboo would be a lot less bulky than something like cotton. That means it also takes longer to dry though. For day nappies, my personal preference is microfibre (like stay dry Flip inserts) but if I want them to last longer I add a bamboo booster, which is a cheap, easy and non-bulky way to get longer from a nappy.

 

[Annunakian]

Thanks so much! It's one thing to read a bunch of different threads but when it's all in one like that, directed to you its not so confusing and a lot more comforting. It helps my anxiety not go crazy, too.

 

[Rachel_C]

I'm sure others will be along with more suggestions too

 

[Annunakian]

Looking forward to it.

 

[Callie-xoxox]

For the Ebay cheapeis,
I LOVE my 97k Gallery
There are in the abcfashionshore.

They have never leaked
But they are bulky on my 3 month old.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Thanks for this! Just found out I'm pregnant and I definately want to use cloth nappies, not just for the environment, but for the savings! OH is a little skeptical, but he'll come around, or else Been doing research and in my council area, there are people that will come around and demonstrate what to do! Have you looked into that?

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Just realized you were in the USA. Check out the city's website and see if there's a program for it. I moved to Scotland from California back in December.

 

[Callie-xoxox]

Thanks for this! Just found out I'm pregnant and I definately want to use cloth nappies, not just for the environment, but for the savings! OH is a little skeptical, but he'll come around, or else Been doing research and in my council area, there are people that will come around and demonstrate what to do! Have you looked into that?

If you like most of the girls its not cheaper
We are ALL addicted to buying cloth.
I have JUST started cloth and I have over 40
and have spent SOOO much.

 

[Eala]

I think it's still cheaper over the time that a baby is in nappies. Works out even better if you can use some (or all!) of the nappies for another child. Cloth Nappy Tree had an article on it a while back, I think even with using more expensive, branded nappies, the saving was something like £850 over 2.5 years. Or something like that anyway, my brain isn't really working this morning

I agree with Rachel that you are best buying maybe one or two of each brand that you're interested in, and see how you get on. Try and have a mix across that of nappy types as well. You might initially think "Oh, I don't like the sound of (for example) AI2s" but then try one and find that they are a fantastic fit, or work really well for you

Bamboo, I love it and hemp Fantastic for boosting nappies which need a bit of help, those natural fibres are just so thirsty! I like mixing it with man-made fibres (like microfibre). A microfibre insert on top, with hemp or bamboo underneath works really well for us. The microfibre draws the moisture away quickly, and then the hemp or bamboo absorbs it and holds it (where the MF would get saturated quickly on its own).

 

[Annunakian]

Just from reading posts it sounds like it is super addicting. LOL

 

[VictoriaElaur]

Hi I'm new to Natural Parenting, I am determined to use only cloth nappies.

So i guess which nappy you use depends on the child? I want always going to buy these; https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230534630220

Any good? Should i not go out and buy a whole bunch before the babies born?

 

[Rachel_C]

Hi I'm new to Natural Parenting, I am determined to use only cloth nappies.

So i guess which nappy you use depends on the child? I want always going to buy these; https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230534630220

Any good? Should i not go out and buy a whole bunch before the babies born?

I wouldn't. Cloth nappies are like disposable nappies in that not all types suit all babies (different body shapes, different amounts of wee etc). I always recommend trying one or two each of a couple of different types before you buy a full load of nappies. If you want to use cloth right from birth, I'd personally go for either terries or prefolds and wraps, as they're very customisable, cheap and easy to wash and dry quickly so you don't need too many. If you later want to go for different types of nappies, terries and prefolds can be used for other things, like as boosters in your other nappies or as mats for nappy off time so you won't have wasted any money.

 

[VictoriaElaur]

I wouldn't. Cloth nappies are like disposable nappies in that not all types suit all babies (different body shapes, different amounts of wee etc). I always recommend trying one or two each of a couple of different types before you buy a full load of nappies. If you want to use cloth right from birth, I'd personally go for either terries or prefolds and wraps, as they're very customisable, cheap and easy to wash and dry quickly so you don't need too many. If you later want to go for different types of nappies, terries and prefolds can be used for other things, like as boosters in your other nappies or as mats for nappy off time so you won't have wasted any money.

Well you just saved me a FORTUNE
I obviously still have a lot of reading to do.

 

[Rachel_C]

I wouldn't. Cloth nappies are like disposable nappies in that not all types suit all babies (different body shapes, different amounts of wee etc). I always recommend trying one or two each of a couple of different types before you buy a full load of nappies. If you want to use cloth right from birth, I'd personally go for either terries or prefolds and wraps, as they're very customisable, cheap and easy to wash and dry quickly so you don't need too many. If you later want to go for different types of nappies, terries and prefolds can be used for other things, like as boosters in your other nappies or as mats for nappy off time so you won't have wasted any money.

Well you just saved me a FORTUNE
I obviously still have a lot of reading to do.

Plus, where's the fun in having just one type of nappy?

 

[Rachel_C]

Lots of nappy shops will put together a starter pack for you so you can try a few different nappies, I think they're a good idea. Fill Your Pants has a good selection - https://www.fill-your-pants.com/nappy-trial-packs.html