Really silly question, sorry in advance if it's obviously answered...

[dontworry]

But how do cloth nappies work?
Are they better than the disposable kind?

And what does a fluffy bum mean?

LOL I'm so sorry again, in advance, if this is plainly answered in here.

 

[lfernie]

You get lots of different kinds but basically you just wash them

Depends what you consider as better, they are definately prettier, no chemicals on baby's bot and they're nice and soft on your baby's bum.

Fluffy bum is just what we call our babies who use reuseable x

 

[Rachel_C]

There are lots of different kinds of cloth nappies (many more kinds than there are disposables) but the basic idea is that you use some kind of cloth (there are lots of choices) to absorb wee and have some kind of waterproof layer on the outside to stop it going everywhere. Some cloth nappies are like disposables where you just velcro them on and go; others are more complicated with an absorbant nappy that you put on first and then a wrap/outer that goes over the top to make it waterproof, and there are all sorts of kinds in between the two.

You do need to wash the nappies once they've been used, or lots of places have a nappy laundry service where they provide the clean nappies and take away your dirty ones. Lots of people are put off by the washing but I don't find it any trouble - you just save the nappies in a bucket until you're ready, then shove them in the washing machine. Easy! There's no endless boiling and bleaching like they used to do years ago.

Obviously we're biased in here because lots of us use cloth nappies but I think they are better than disposables because they don't contain the chemicals that disposables do, they're softer nexter baby's skin and they don't end up in landfill until they've been used for years!

And a fluffy bum just refers to the fact that cloth nappies are often really soft and fluffy so they have a 'fluffy bum'! You'll also see reference to 'fluffy post' in here, which is when you get a lovely delivery of nappies and people sometimes call nappies 'fluff'.

 

[purple_socks]

the posters above have pretty much answered ur first question...they work like any other nappies only u wash them rather than throwing them away.

as for whether they're better or not i guess that is mostly down to personal opinion but for me personally i think they r. i used s'posies until recently and i do think they have their pros, and i found cloth nappies took a little bit of getting used to but all in all i think they're better and i wouldn't go back:

the biggest reason i started cloth nappies is because they save loads of money! especially if u plan on more children coz they can b used again.

because there r so many different types u can get a really personal nappy which u don't get with 'sposies. My LO has a really small bum (well more like a flat bum! ) so his nappies always bagged round the top and poo escaped all the time! where as cloth nappies fit great. they r a bit bulkier but i can live with that coz the legs and tops r much more fitted and u can add boosters to them so u can customise the absorbancy.

as for easy of use...i've found them to b a pretty similar level of ease as disposibles apart from the fact that a pooy nappy needs a little more attention than it would if u just threw it away but its not really any effort at all- i just put wet nappies straight in a nappy bucket and poo ones i pick off any lumps of poo with tissue then run the nappy under the tap (i have a sink by my washing machine so i use that but other people have other methods) then i bung that in the nappy bucket. if i'm out i pop them in a bag and deal with them at home. no soaking or anythig and so far i haven't had any stains etc. when its time to wash i just pop all in the machine...or u can get net bags that go in the nappy bucket then in the machine when its full so u dont even have to touch the dirty nappies. u don't use fabrioc softer or any fancy chemicals...just 1/4 of the normal amount of washing powder and i wash mine on a 60 which has a prewash and extra rinse setting but i know others use different settings.

HTH

 

[anothersquish]

I used disposables on my last one and Theo has been in reusables from birth this time...reusables are more effective by miles in my personal experience. With dispoables I tried a huge variety of brands and never found one that fit my little boy well enough to stop him leaking. He constantly got poop up his back and leaks at the legs, I was having to change him four or five times a day because hed get poopy or sodden.With reusables Ive had a couple of teeny tiny leaks when we have found a style of nappy not quite suited to his shape but on a day to day basis if I use nappies I know fit him well we have no leaks of any kind. Reusables dont smell, they arent full of chemicals, they are softer and look/feel more comfortable when on, they dont get heavy or bulkier like disposables do when they are wet, you dont run the risk of having little jelly crystal things bursting out and getting everywhere (dealt witht hat before...not fun)
Then the cost, they cost much less in the longrun. I am a complete addict and I buy/swap a lot of nappies yet the total amount Ive spent is a fraction of the cost of disposables and Im not throwing that money into landfill, Im using it over and over and over and then Im selling on or swapping for others. I know I am MUCH happier spending money on things that can be used and resold than spending money on something that gets thrown in the bin and clogs up landfill taking 100s of years to degrade.
most of my nappies work in a very similar way to disposables in the way they go on with velcro or popper fastenings. There are different styles available but all are easy to deal with, most men can manage so that says everything !!!
I dont rinse my nappies prior to washing. All nappies go straight into a nappy bucket, I dont soak them or do anything else with them and they then go on a "superwash" at 60 degrees and thats it...they come out sparkly clean.