New to reusable nappies - please help!

[JadeyB]

Hi ladies,

I hope you don't mind me popping in with a couple of questions about reusable nappies.

I have been keen to try reusable nappies from the start but DH was totally against it!! Well we had a visit from the nappy lady yesterday and he is willing to give it a try - yey!!

The compromise is that we will buy 10 and see how we get on with those and if we decide to carry on, we will buy enough to last us all the way through.

After the talk it all seemed quite easy - just an extra washing load a day and apart from that not really much extra hassle at all. I wonder if it is like this in reality - any advice/thoughts gratefully received.

We plan on using liners flushing the poo away, putting the nappy in a dry bucket and chucking them in the washing machine at the end of the day - is it really this easy?

We will use the lollipop sanitizer - is this enough to keep the nappies super clean and your washing machine smelling fresh. She also said we don't need to wash higher than 40c. Do you put the nappies in the machine on their own or is it ok to put in with clothes etc?

We don't really use our tumble dryer - not really sure how to (steam comes out the drawer when we use it). It is a washer/dryer. We either dry our clothes on a line outside or on a clothes airer in the house.

I hope you don't mind me popping in with this question - any advice would be a great help.

xx

 

[thelilbump]

Hi ladies,

I hope you don't mind me popping in with a couple of questions about reusable nappies.

I have been keen to try reusable nappies from the start but DH was totally against it!! Well we had a visit from the nappy lady yesterday and he is willing to give it a try - yey!!

The compromise is that we will buy 10 and see how we get on with those and if we decide to carry on, we will buy enough to last us all the way through.

After the talk it all seemed quite easy - just an extra washing load a day and apart from that not really much extra hassle at all. I wonder if it is like this in reality - any advice/thoughts gratefully received.

We plan on using liners flushing the poo away, putting the nappy in a dry bucket and chucking them in the washing machine at the end of the day - is it really this easy? Yes pretty easy once you get in to a habit. Flushable liners are no good for newborn poos especially if planning on breastfeeding, it's just runny. You need a fleece liner that you can rinse off. I am unsure what formula fed poops are like

We will use the lollipop sanitizer - is this enough to keep the nappies super clean and your washing machine smelling fresh. She also said we don't need to wash higher than 40c. Do you put the nappies in the machine on their own or is it ok to put in with clothes etc? I don't use sanitiser, it's not great on some materials, i just use 1/4 of a scoop of non bio or soap nuts with a dash of lavender oil

We don't really use our tumble dryer - not really sure how to (steam comes out the drawer when we use it). It is a washer/dryer. We either dry our clothes on a line outside or on a clothes airer in the house. We don;t have a dryer either, it doesn;t cause us too much problems but it does make me think about the kind of nappy i use. I tend to use pocket nappies that can easily be taken apart for quicker drying. I only have a few bamboo nappies, although they are more absorbant, they take quite a while to air dry, microfibre is better for air drying

I hope you don't mind me popping in with this question - any advice would be a great help.

xx

 

[Zarababy1]

it really is THAT easy yep! i use liquid non-bio or soapnuts on mine.
harrys breastfed hes got really runny poo we use fleece liners which i would recomend, you can put then straight in too the bucket but i tend to give them a rinse first its easy and takes a few seconds. all my nappys seem to dry fairly quickly i normaly leave them over night!
my oh was against it at first too but hes fine now!

 

[littlestar]

i found the bf poo we've had so far useless for flushable liners, it's so liquidy it goes through them. so we use fleece liners, and do a rinse wash to get rid of poos before doing a full wash with detergent.

anyhow i guess you won't be using them for a while as your still pregnant.
the best advice i can give you is try a few different types, make sure you do pre-washes to build up the absorbency of the nappies.

can i ask which types/brands of nappies you've gone for?

btw you don't need specific nappy detergent any will do (unless it's 2 in 1) you just use 1/4 of the normal amount you would use in a clothes wash. i do a separate nappy wash from my other clothes as we wash every 3 days (got plenty of nappies to do so) but if your nappies aren't soiled theres no harm putting them in your normal wash load.

if you don't tumble dry then you will probably have been advised to use microfibre nappies as these are quick drying.

in my sig theres a couple of links you might find useful. any q's were happy to help

 

[becstar]

I would recommend buying a few different types second hand to try them before committing - it has taken us ages to find the right ones (Bumgenius Flips, they're fab!)

I bought a load from the nappy site, cloth nappy tree forums etc and tried them out (have lots left now if you want any cheaply!!)

I didn't even think about them for a few weeks though - newborn poo was too much for me!!!

 

[JadeyB]

Hi girls,

Thanks so much for your thoughts/comments/advice.

I plan on bfing so will hopefully be getting lots of runny bf poos, thanks for mentioning about the fleece liners, will definitely have to add those to the list. Where do you rinse the poo - down the sink (or would that be really gross - lol!!!). You can tell I have no idea

Is it ok just to put 10 or so nappies in the wash by themselves (is underloading a problem for washing machines?) I think that would be my preferred option (at least to start with) and maybe give them just a water rinse first too (thanks for that suggestion)

I am thinking of buying the following:-
Nappy bucket, mesh net and wet bag x 1
Lollipop sized nappies - Bamboo x 2
Lollipop sized nappies - Microfibre x 3
Wraps x 2/3
Bumgenius v3 one size x 5

I was then planning on doing 1 day reusable, 1 day disposable just until I've figured out which style of nappies that I like best and then if we are getting on well adding to our supply with either more separates or more AIOs

What do you think?

How many Wraps and fleece liners do you think we would need?

becstar - what are bumgenius flips?
zarababy1 - What nappies are you using, I could do with ones that dry overnight?
thelilbump - what are pocket nappies?

Thanks girls
xxx

 

[thelilbump]

Yes if it's runny poo just wash it in the sink - it's just liquid really. Harder poos i tend to try and shake off down the toilet then give the nappy a good rinse under my shower.

I only ever have nappies in the wash on their own, i don't like the thought of puting nappies in with clothes etc.

Your starter set sounds good, am not 100% on lollipop nappies though, personally i didn't like them but everyones different.

Bumgenius flips https://www.ethicalshoppingforbabies.co.uk/2009/09/bumgenius-flip-nappy-system/

A pocket nappy is exactly that really, it's a wrap with a flap in which you can put inserts and boosters inside. The bumgenius version 3 is a pocket nappy. Just to give you an idea I have a range of different ones on my site; https://milliesnappies.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9_12, if you click the brand it will give you more details about the way in which they work. There are more out there but hopefully that'll give you an idea

 

[JadeyB]

Yes if it's runny poo just wash it in the sink - it's just liquid really. Harder poos i tend to try and shake off down the toilet then give the nappy a good rinse under my shower.

I only ever have nappies in the wash on their own, i don't like the thought of puting nappies in with clothes etc.

Your starter set sounds good, am not 100% on lollipop nappies though, personally i didn't like them but everyones different.

Bumgenius flips https://www.ethicalshoppingforbabies.co.uk/2009/09/bumgenius-flip-nappy-system/

A pocket nappy is exactly that really, it's a wrap with a flap in which you can put inserts and boosters inside. The bumgenius version 3 is a pocket nappy. Just to give you an idea I have a range of different ones on my site; https://milliesnappies.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9_12, if you click the brand it will give you more details about the way in which they work. There are more out there but hopefully that'll give you an idea

Thanks hon, thats really helpful.

Just out of interest, why don't you like the lollipop ones? We need to buy the first couple from our local lollipop lady as it is easier to claim our £35 grant from the local government. After that we are free to buy what we like, so would be interested to know what you think would make good alternatives. She had other makes apart from lollipop, but we just found it such a minefield.

We really liked the look of the bumgenius ones (would you say these are better than the lollipop alternative)? The only thing that we were concerned about is would the one size ones be comfy on a newborn. We quite liked the idea of the fluffy bum with the separate wrap (especially as you can get some cool wraps). I guess the downside of these is that you need to buy a sufficient supply in size 1s and then do the whole thing again in size 2s.

Thank you so much for your replies, it really helps to get an honest view on all of the nappies. Like you say everyone is different and some things that others find difficult we may not be quite so bothered about and vice versa. I like to make informed decisions though so cons as well as pros are very much appreciated.

xxx

 

[JadeyB]

Ok - so I've just been reading The Fluffy Bum Club thread (only on page 5) and I am having a rethink!!

The Blueberry nappies look absolutely fab!! A little pricey but sure I could pursuade dh to buy a couple. Will speak to him when he gets home and may even order them tonight.

Are they are other brands that are super fab!! I'm going to order bumgenius and blueberry so far!! Any others?

xxx

 

[thelilbump]

The problem I have with nappies that need wraps like little lambs, bambinex etc etc are they were just hugggee on my little one, they just looked stupid and i don't think were very comfy for her. I don't mind wraps and prefolds as they are a lot slimmer Personally my favourites would be blueberry, ittis, mini lala and bumgenius for a night time nappy.

 

[Kota]

haha, sounds lik you're getting addicted already.
ittis are fantastic for a slim fit, come in a great range of colours and you can get them in AIO (all in one) versions where you literally just wear and wash, or SIO (snap in one) where there are 2 inserts that snap into the nappy cover, if you have additional inserts and the nappy is only wet you can change just the inserts rather then changing the whole nappy.

I'm also a BIG fan of weenotions, they do a bit of everything, pockets, AIO's, night nappy's, fitteds that then need wraps, plus much, much more, you choose your own fabrics and designs and can have embroidery and personalisation done, custom made nappies. careful though, it can get addictive!

I'd def recommend keeping a regular eye on the swap and sell thread, you have to be quick but you can often find some good bargins on there,

 

[lorrilou]

ive only started using cloth nappies but my faves so far are my bumgenius v3's and my ittis, so easy to use and the ittis are really slim fitting.

 

[JadeyB]

haha, sounds lik you're getting addicted already.
ittis are fantastic for a slim fit, come in a great range of colours and you can get them in AIO (all in one) versions where you literally just wear and wash, or SIO (snap in one) where there are 2 inserts that snap into the nappy cover, if you have additional inserts and the nappy is only wet you can change just the inserts rather then changing the whole nappy.

I'm also a BIG fan of weenotions, they do a bit of everything, pockets, AIO's, night nappy's, fitteds that then need wraps, plus much, much more, you choose your own fabrics and designs and can have embroidery and personalisation done, custom made nappies. careful though, it can get addictive!

I'd def recommend keeping a regular eye on the swap and sell thread, you have to be quick but you can often find some good bargins on there,

I am completely addicted already - lol!! I thought this was supposed to work out cheaper than disposables - I'll have bought 100s by the time my my little man arrives!!

 

[JadeyB]

The problem I have with nappies that need wraps like little lambs, bambinex etc etc are they were just hugggee on my little one, they just looked stupid and i don't think were very comfy for her. I don't mind wraps and prefolds as they are a lot slimmer Personally my favourites would be blueberry, ittis, mini lala and bumgenius for a night time nappy.

Thanks for the advice hon - I thought that it would be the other way round, so glad I posted this.

To start - have decided I'm going to order one bum genius v3, one itti bitti AI2 and one blueberry (the green camo one)

Is Millies Nappies your website - do you deliver to the Channel Islands?

x

 

[thelilbump]

The problem I have with nappies that need wraps like little lambs, bambinex etc etc are they were just hugggee on my little one, they just looked stupid and i don't think were very comfy for her. I don't mind wraps and prefolds as they are a lot slimmer Personally my favourites would be blueberry, ittis, mini lala and bumgenius for a night time nappy.

Thanks for the advice hon - I thought that it would be the other way round, so glad I posted this.

To start - have decided I'm going to order one bum genius v3, one itti bitti AI2 and one blueberry (the green camo one)

Is Millies Nappies your website - do you deliver to the Channel Islands?

x

Yes and yes, i ship anywhere but USA. if the country option isn't in the drop down bar if you just give a shout i can add it

 

[Lacrosse]

I agree with all that's been said, but just one thought. If you had the nappy lady around, didn't she offer you a trial? Most seem to, and it's well wortth doing before you buy anything, just so you can get the feel of them, and try out to see how the washing and drying works for you. Incidentally, I don't wash every day - only every 2-3 days

 

[princessellie]

deffo agree, 2parters can be more reliable, ive yet to have a leak with leyla in a 2part, but they are sooo bulky! you can get much better, we mostly use pockets with microfibre inserts, we have some bamboo inserts that we mostly keep for nightime use and i make sure we have enough to give me a couple of days to get them dry cos they take sooo long! microfibre and pocket nappies dry in an hour on the radiators so these are my fave until we get a dryer lol

x

 

[JadeyB]

The problem I have with nappies that need wraps like little lambs, bambinex etc etc are they were just hugggee on my little one, they just looked stupid and i don't think were very comfy for her. I don't mind wraps and prefolds as they are a lot slimmer Personally my favourites would be blueberry, ittis, mini lala and bumgenius for a night time nappy.

Thanks for the advice hon - I thought that it would be the other way round, so glad I posted this.

To start - have decided I'm going to order one bum genius v3, one itti bitti AI2 and one blueberry (the green camo one)

Is Millies Nappies your website - do you deliver to the Channel Islands?

x

Yes and yes, i ship anywhere but USA. if the country option isn't in the drop down bar if you just give a shout i can add it

Thanks so much for all of your advice. I have sent you an e-mail on Millies.

x

 

[JadeyB]

I agree with all that's been said, but just one thought. If you had the nappy lady around, didn't she offer you a trial? Most seem to, and it's well wortth doing before you buy anything, just so you can get the feel of them, and try out to see how the washing and drying works for you. Incidentally, I don't wash every day - only every 2-3 days

No she didn't offer a trial. I think I've kind of gone off the lollipop ones now anyway. I'm going to buy my bucket and a BG or 2 as I have £35 voucher to spend.

Going to try itti bittis, BGv3 and treat myself to a blueberry!

I don't want them to look to big on him and I guess while he is little with all the changing, I won't need too much absorbancy to start with.

xx

 

[JadeyB]

deffo agree, 2parters can be more reliable, ive yet to have a leak with leyla in a 2part, but they are sooo bulky! you can get much better, we mostly use pockets with microfibre inserts, we have some bamboo inserts that we mostly keep for nightime use and i make sure we have enough to give me a couple of days to get them dry cos they take sooo long! microfibre and pocket nappies dry in an hour on the radiators so these are my fave until we get a dryer lol

x

I like the idea of an hour drying - they can go on the line in the summer and the radiators in the winter - yey!

xx