Ok I know I'm thinking ahead a bit but - bum genius, anyone...?

[maybethisit]

Hiya, we're not due till 30th July but if we're going to go for cloth nappies we'll probably have to start buying them a bit at a time due to budget. I've seen the bum genius one size nappies online and they look really good - does anyone have any comments or experience with them? Our local authority gives £30 towards purchasing of them as well so that's a bit of a help although the cheapest I've seen a pack of 15 online is just over £200 and I gather we actually need about 20...??

Also how do they work in terms of the yucky stuff - do you use extra liners? How do you avoid having a bucket of poo??? Excuse my ignorance, I have only ever used disposables and that was in the dim and distant past...

 

[Rachel_C]

I would avoid buying a big set unless you absolutely have to for some reason. I don't think you'd ever consider buying a whole set of disposables to last from newborn to potty training because baby might change shape or they just might not be the right ones for you (ok and that many sposies would probably take up your entire house too!). It's the same for cloth nappies. What works brilliantly for my LO might not suit your LO.

That said, the bumGenius ones (all of the ones Cotton Babies make actually) are pretty good and loads of people love them. I would definitely get a couple to try out. If you want to budget carefully, I'd just put money to one side for enough rather than buying them all. Buy a couple of different ones to try (preloved is a great option cos if they don't work for you you can just resell them with no loss) and then once you know what works for you, then buy them.

For newborn breastfed poo, you don't really need to do much as it's so liquid. You can just put it in the washer as it is (and in a dry bucket while you're waiting for a full load). Some people like to rinse the nappy off to prevent staining. You can do that in the loo or the shower or under a tap, whatever you prefer. When baby is older or if you formula feed, you would probably want to tip the poo down the loo. Liners are ok but I found them pretty useless for a young baby.

 

[maybethisit]

I would avoid buying a big set unless you absolutely have to for some reason. I don't think you'd ever consider buying a whole set of disposables to last from newborn to potty training because baby might change shape or they just might not be the right ones for you (ok and that many sposies would probably take up your entire house too!). It's the same for cloth nappies. What works brilliantly for my LO might not suit your LO.

That said, the bumGenius ones (all of the ones Cotton Babies make actually) are pretty good and loads of people love them. I would definitely get a couple to try out. If you want to budget carefully, I'd just put money to one side for enough rather than buying them all. Buy a couple of different ones to try (preloved is a great option cos if they don't work for you you can just resell them with no loss) and then once you know what works for you, then buy them.

For newborn breastfed poo, you don't really need to do much as it's so liquid. You can just put it in the washer as it is (and in a dry bucket while you're waiting for a full load). Some people like to rinse the nappy off to prevent staining. You can do that in the loo or the shower or under a tap, whatever you prefer. When baby is older or if you formula feed, you would probably want to tip the poo down the loo. Liners are ok but I found them pretty useless for a young baby.

Thanks that's really helpful. How many do you actually need though to start off with - the bits I was reading online people were saying you need about 20 to keep up when they're newborn at about 6 changes a day...? How would you manage with just a couple - or would you suggest starting with a couple plus some disposables and then seeing how it goes before buying more...? Sorry if I'm being really dense...

 

[fluffpuffin]

I love bumgenius one-size nappies, they are great, but as Rachel says avoid buying a big pack because if they don't suit your baby you'll be stuck with a load of nappies you don't get on with. I've tried some nappies other mums rave about and just get leaks on my LO with them - they don't suit her shape. Now I just buy nappies that I haven't tried yet pre-loved - cheaper and I can re-sell without losing much of the value if they don't suit her. I also bought a lot of my bumgenius Version 3 pre-loved. Bumgenius have brought out a newer version, so a lot of the previous version are being sold off quite cheap - they're just as good as the new version IMO.

 

[kate.m.]

Im exactly the same as fluffpuffin!
Everytime i buy a nappy we havent tried before, i buy preloved. If i like it, i can either buy more preloved ones or invest in new. If i dont like it, i just sell it back on. That way u only lose pennies on postage. If you were to buy 15 bumgenius & find they didnt suit lo, you may have wasted £200! (you could re-sell them but u wouldnt get all ur money back)

While ur building up your stash you could use sposies & cloth, till you know what u like! Happy hunting!

(by the way, id recommend close parent bamboo pop-in, but a lot of other ladies on here dont like them at all! similarily, bumgenius did nothing but leak on Travis, but tonnes of other ladies swear by them!) i deffo wouldnt buy just 1 type tho, just in case!

Ur probs gonna change 5 or 6 times a day, then add in a day to wash & dry & it depends how often u wanna wash. We wash every 3 days, so yeah, thatd b about 20 nappies.15 if ur gonna tumble dry n dont have to wait around for them to dry.

 

[Rachel_C]

Newborns can go through 10-12 nappies a day So to do full time cloth for a newborn you'd need 20-24 nappies and be washing every day, so you'd have half to use and half would be being washed/dried. When baby is older though, you might only use 6 per day so you could either buy 24 and then when LO is older you won't have to wash so often, or buy less and mix with disposables when you run out at first.

A lot of people use disposables at first (and some of the Eco disposables are really good, I like the Sainsbury's Little Eco ones) and then try out a few cloth nappies before buying lots. Or you could buy enough cloth nappies but all different types and then just sell the ones you don't like and replace them. It can be a bit difficult to tell straight away though because even if you have a 10lb baby, birth-to-potty/one size nappies can be a bit big as newborns tend to have skinny legs. I'd say it takes a month for babies to develop their not-newborn shape and that's when you'd probably want to start trying loads out.

I think most first time mums start off using some disposables at first but second time mums who already have an idea what works for them (washing-wise etc) tend to buy a full stash (so maybe 20) small/newborn size nappies, often preloved, and then they put the baby into BTP nappies when they're a bit older and resell the small nappies. For newborns, nappies like XS bumGenius AIOs, Rumparooz Lil Joeys, Tots Bots Teenyfits seem to be really popular.

 

[Lliena]

Bumgenius make up the bulk of my stash, if Im honest I have never heard a bad review of them. If you only had the money to get a full set bumgenius would be your best bet

But as Rachel said its worth getting some smaller ones for the first few weeks or using eco disposables untill little one is big enough to start fitting in the btp nappies which for me was around 6 weeks

 

[LittlePants]

One of the things I suggest for those on a budget is firstly to check out whether their council has a Nappy Incentive Scheme
If ti does, then start with the basic amount for the scheme., and supplement TEMPORARILY with disposables. Every time you use a washable nappy, put 20p into a jar (which is approximatlety the cost of a disposable nappy) AND DON"T TOUCH IT! You will soon have saved enough to buy another nappy. Continue to do this - the jar will fill up more quickly the more washable nappies you have.

I know that's not going to help you at the moment, as your baby hasn't arrived yet, but it may hep later on.

I certainly wouldn't advise buying many of any one type at first, as PP's said. The most efficient nappies for new borns are 2 part nappies - separate nappy and nappy cover - so you have a belt and braces approach - if anything escapes the nappy, it is usually caught by the cover, so you have far fewer leaks, if any. Change over to a pocket, A-I-one or Popin nappy when your baby is weaned, if you want to, but for those first few months, pre weaning, (the explosive phase!) 2 parts are better than one.

I wouldn't bother with flushable liners before weaning - they are a waste of time and money, but fleece liners do help keep your baby's bottom feeling dry, and are well worth having.

Just dry pail - ie. collect them in a dry bucket until you have a machine load of nappies, then do a cold rinse in the machine before the wash cycle. That way you won't have a smelly bucket to deal with.

Newborns need 10-12 nappies a day, but that won't last for long. Once weaning and regular meals are established, you'll probably go down to 5 or 6 a day.

 

[maybethisit]

Thanks you so much you guys this is sooo helpful! So where is a good place to buy preloved nappies...? And - erm - presumably they are clean...?? (I remember my daughter - now 17 - and her explosive yellow poos and wonder how they cope with this stain-wise...?) Our local authority does a £30 incentive voucher so maybe we could then put this towards a couple of new ones too... I'll have a look at the eco disposables for the first few weeks as well, that sounds like a good compromise, thanks x

 

[Rachel_C]

The selling section on here is a good place to start. Also Cloth Nappy Tree has a very active selling section but I'd always advise that you get a proper description of everything that is included and the condition from there, well from anywhere really. Natural Mamas has people selling nappies too. You can't sell used nappies on Ebay but there's a nappy equivalent - www.usednappies.co.uk - but be careful about condition on there, just as you would with Ebay.

Yes, cloth nappies are clean. Modern detergents and washing machines clean them really well so there's no need for soaking or boiling any more! If every you're unsure, just do a wash at 60 degrees, as you would if LO had been poorly.

Sometimes nappies can stain but that doesn't mean they're dirty. Stains will often fade away after a few washes or you can put them in natural light as the sun works like a natural bleach. Or you can use something like a Vanish stain remover bar to spot treat them. You usually don't need to though.

 

[vespersonicca]

A lot of people use disposables at first (and some of the Eco disposables are really good, I like the Sainsbury's Little Eco ones) and then try out a few cloth nappies before buying lots. Or you could buy enough cloth nappies but all different types and then just sell the ones you don't like and replace them. It can be a bit difficult to tell straight away though because even if you have a 10lb baby, birth-to-potty/one size nappies can be a bit big as newborns tend to have skinny legs. I'd say it takes a month for babies to develop their not-newborn shape and that's when you'd probably want to start trying loads out.

This is really true! We have 18 BG one sizes and I really got discouraged at first whwn they kept leaking. Our LO was 9lbs at birth but they didn't work for us until he gained a bit of fat on his thighs. It only makes sense though, kind of the compromise for a nappy that grows with your child for so long. They just aren't perfect right away.

We got ours before he was born really cheap from an aquaintance so I didn't need to worry about wasting too much money. Now I buy used and new nappies from time to time to try other brands and add really pretty ones. The pocket nappies are snap into different sizes are my favorites since I can stuff them differently for days and nights also...

 

[maybethisit]

I've found a Nappucino group in our city so I'm going to go along there next month I think and have a look Thanks very much for all the advice, I will be referring back to this thread in the future!

 

[charlene7828]

im not much use as this my first time with washables... my baby not even born yet but what ive been donig was searchnig ebay every few days for cheapies and gettin them. some are new some not.. ive a good selevtion built up of differnt brands. ive no idea wat is good and what is not but im hoping between them all ill b sorted.. and i spent very little!
xxx

 

[baby05]

We use BG exclusively with my 2 yo DS and I bought new ones for my new LO due in may. I have used them long enough to know they will work well for my kids!

 

[maybethisit]

I've ordered one Bumgenius nappy with poppers (in Noodle...) - will see how we get on with it along with the eco disposables and get more if/when it fits ok. I never thought I would see the day when I was excited at the prospect of receiving a nappy through the post...

 

[Lliena]

I would maybe get one in applix closing too just so you have both to try as lots of people find applix nappies a better fit on smaller babies

 

[maybethisit]

Thanks I might do that! The other nappy has arrived and it is soooo cute! I really hope they work for us :0) I did read that about the applix fastening but people were also saying they tend to wear out more quickly so I feel a bit more keen on the poppers - although I think the applix ones look cuter (yeah cos THAT'S the most important thing... :duh: ... lol). If I maybe get one of each and see how they go I think that might be best.

 

[mumnbean]

Try an itti bitti... I got bg aio before my lo was born, but I preferred my ittis to start and bgs are better now that she's bigger.

 

[starsunshine]

I disregarded everyones advice about buying a few in different brands before getting a big set and bought 20 bumgenius before Leo was born! Dont regret it at all they're brill never had a leak and saved money buying a big set I used disposables for the first 2 weeks though as he was too small for them and I was too tired after the birth.

 

[JessdueJan]

BG V3 are on sale for £10 here. This is rather cheap if you want to try an aplix one