New to cloth bums and looking for advice (may be long!)

[funny_face]

Hello!

I am looking for some advice from all you knowledgable ladies!

I have been looking at this section since before LO was born in Jan, particularly sections on re-usable nappies. I went on to the Nappy Lady website and filled in a questionnaire, got a VERY comprehensive and helpful reply from a lovely lady who recommended bambinex or flexitots nappies, and gave me a full order recommendation with it (all the bins/muslins etc and some recommended quantities of nappies needed).

It was all quite overwhelming at the time and as a first time mum I was a bit apprehensive about ordering too much before she arrived as I didn't want to make a mistake iykwim? So now she's nearly 10weeks old and over 10lbs so I've avoided having to learn to fold muslins into mini nappies (maybe I'll tackle that one with the next ) but my questions are:

1. should I go with the whole recommended order from TNL or should I try a couple out and see how I go?

2. Does anyone have any experience with bambinex or flexitots? from the recommendation I'd be leaning towards bambinex for environmental and absorbency reasons.

3. I've loved seeing all the varieties of cloth in the 'cloth bum' pics, are the ones recommended to me plain material (I've seen plain samples of little lambs) or can you get all kinds of colours of bambinex as well?


Sorry if any of this sounds really thick! I'm a total novice and nobody I know currently uses cloth nappies

Thanks in advance, any help would be very much appreciated!!

 

[anothersquish]

I was reccomended a type of nappy from TNP and I did get a couple to try and they were the least suited nappies Ive tried..opps!
Honestly I would get several different types and try them out before commiting. Go for what YOU like the look of and buy preloved where you can (so you dont spend a fortune) then if they work, great...if they dont simply resell and try others.

 

[funny_face]

Go for what YOU like the look of and buy preloved where you can (so you dont spend a fortune) then if they work, great...if they dont simply resell and try others.

Thanks,
I had thought about preloved, for cost and also for absorbency reasons!

Where do you get the best selection of preloved, e-bay worth a try?

 

[anothersquish]

ebay has a no used nappy policy (someone said they had changed this but I emailed them and they said no...new nappies only) BUT you can still sometimes get bargains.
We have a for sale thread on here ( I have some small and medium SIO Ittis for sale, sorry sales plug there!)
www.usednappies.co.uk
www.naturalmamas.co.uk
www.clothnappytree.co.uk
are all good places to find second hand BUT do a touch of research before you buy, always check if inserts are included (have been some problems with sellers being sneaky about this on other sites) and the general preloved price.

 

[funny_face]

Ok, just spotted the cloth swap and sell in the sticky section

 

[funny_face]

Thanks for that!

What is the difference between SIO and AIO, I see these mentioned all the time and does this only apply to itti bittis?
If you have some for sale I'd love to try them, do I go to the for sale section?

 

[anothersquish]

The SIO have two seperate inserts with colour coded poppers that 'snap' into the outer shell (the pretty and waterproof bit!) the AIOs have absorbent bits sewn into the outer and the top bit sewn in at one end.
The benefits of the SIO is that you can buy extra insert sets so you can reuse the outers if they arent soiled or, because the inserts take time to dry and the outer only an hour hung up, you can reuse the outer whilst other snap in sets dry. The AIOs can be 'squidgier' than the SIOs but are generally less absorbent and take longer to dry.

I will PM you about the ones I have for sale with some pictures. Can take pics of the inside of SIOs and AIOs for you if you like so you can see the difference?

 

[anothersquish]

Oh, and usually when its SIO or AIO it does refer to Ittis.

 

[thelilbump]

Hello!

I am looking for some advice from all you knowledgable ladies!

I have been looking at this section since before LO was born in Jan, particularly sections on re-usable nappies. I went on to the Nappy Lady website and filled in a questionnaire, got a VERY comprehensive and helpful reply from a lovely lady who recommended bambinex or flexitots nappies, and gave me a full order recommendation with it (all the bins/muslins etc and some recommended quantities of nappies needed).

It was all quite overwhelming at the time and as a first time mum I was a bit apprehensive about ordering too much before she arrived as I didn't want to make a mistake iykwim? So now she's nearly 10weeks old and over 10lbs so I've avoided having to learn to fold muslins into mini nappies (maybe I'll tackle that one with the next ) but my questions are:

1. should I go with the whole recommended order from TNL or should I try a couple out and see how I go?

I got my first ever order from TNL and her survey was really good. But, i only ever liked one nappy that she recommended she doesn't do the range of colours other stores do either

2. Does anyone have any experience with bambinex or flexitots? from the recommendation I'd be leaning towards bambinex for environmental and absorbency reasons.

I have the bambinex teddy nappy from TNL's recommendation, it is cute but it's hugggee and just looks daft on my LO so i've only ever used it like 2/3 times

3. I've loved seeing all the varieties of cloth in the 'cloth bum' pics, are the ones recommended to me plain material (I've seen plain samples of little lambs) or can you get all kinds of colours of bambinex as well?

i think bambinex do a range of solid colours but no patterns

Sorry if any of this sounds really thick! I'm a total novice and nobody I know currently uses cloth nappies

Thanks in advance, any help would be very much appreciated!!

 

[littlestar]

hiya honey,
I wrote an article on getting started, it give you a break down of some of the different types of nappy and jargon

https://www.ethicalshoppingforbabies.co.uk/2010/01/cloth-nappies-getting-started/

hope you find it useful.

 

[funny_face]

I will PM you about the ones I have for sale with some pictures. Can take pics of the inside of SIOs and AIOs for you if you like so you can see the difference?

That might be an idea thanks! I think I kind of have an idea of what you mean, basically one is an 'all in one' type nappy that once its soiled you have to wash the whole thing (OMG, does AIO stand for all in one?! I'm now feeling a bit thick! ) and the other has separate bits that so that the outer can be reused, is that right?

 

[Rachel_C]

I would try a couple of different kinds of nappies before you commit to anything just so you know what's out of there.

Once you've found a nappy that works for you, there are advantages to using mostly one type -
OHs tend to find it easier to get their heads round, as do grandparents and babysitters;
You can wash them all in exactly the same way;
It tends to be cheaper to buy in bulk.

But there are also disadvantages -
It's fun to have different types and show them off (especially the pretty ones!);
Different nappies suit better on different occasions e.g. some nappies are better as night nappies or for going on a long journey;
What suits your baby right now might not work so well in a month's time as babies change shape - if you have a variety, you can just put the one that's not working to one side for a while and it might work better again later on.

I would recommend trying one of each of the main types of nappies e.g. a fitted nappy with a wrap, a pocket nappy, an all-in-one etc. That way you can see what you like best for drying times, ease of use etc. Then when you've narrowed that down, you could maybe try a few different brands in that type.

Once you've been in this section for a while, we also have a nappy library (search for nappy library) so you could borrow nappies to try before you buy. The swap and sell section is great but addictive so beware!!!

 

[princessellie]

hehe yep aio means all in one, sio means snap in one ( i think ) which means you snap in the soaker bit and can sometimes just change the soaker instead of the whole nappy

x

 

[anothersquish]

Hopefully this will help

https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/dewsnapponies2/Ittis015.jpg
The one on the left is the AIO, the hourglass is sewn in at the end, there is more absorbent material sewn in. The one on the right is the SIO, both boosters come out and are colour coded (as you can see) the red popper are for seperate mini boosters you can buy.

 

[funny_face]

Ah all is clear! (for now!)

Thanks for the great advice girls, I'll have a think about it. At least I know a bit more now!

 

[Little_Roo]

Thanks for telling me about this thread funny_face! Helped loads. Going to have a look at the buy,swap,sell section now. x x

 

[Lacrosse]

I was recommended this site thenappyline when I got started, and it was extremely helpful. They will send you anything they recommend to try out before you buy anything, which is a great idea. I don't think I'd buy everything from one site just because they recommended it, as you may find things cheaper if you hunt around.

 

[sjbno1]

oh thanks for starting this thread - i'm new to this to and been asking questions here there and everywhere lol

AS those photos have helped me loads to

 

[funny_face]

I was recommended this site thenappyline when I got started, and it was extremely helpful. They will send you anything they recommend to try out before you buy anything, which is a great idea. I don't think I'd buy everything from one site just because they recommended it, as you may find things cheaper if you hunt around.

Thanks for this link!

I've been totally dragging my heels over this, although in the long run it will work out cheaper (as well as the other many many advantages), the initial outlay has been putting me off as I'm convinced I'm going to make a mistake and get the wrong nappies

Ridiculous I know as I could just re-sell them, but I know what I'm like and I probably wouldn't get round to it and end up with a house full of nappies

Little Roo, have you started using cloth nappies yet? How are you getting on and what did you end up getting?

 

[Rachel_C]

I'd say just buy one nappy to start with, if you're worried about making a mistake. If you get it preloved, it's not much wasted if it doesn't work