Want to be a fluffy bum mum..advice pls!!

[Bee26]

Hi Girls,

Well after much discussion with my mum, my OH, my nan..and whoever else will listen, ive decided to opt for the terries! Im not going to get all in ones, I really like the idea of folding my own, my OH has used them before with his nephews and we were both terry babies. The lovely Baby Haines showed me how to fold them using a napkin one lunchtime and Im now dead set on giving them a go!
Would really love any hints, tips, advice on making this as easy as possible! I will be going back to work P/T after 8 weeks of giving birth, but OH will be in charge of childcare and he's so hands on he will do whatever is needed to make it work!

Thanks in advance! xx

 

[princessellie]

woohoo another cloth bum mum!!!

:wave:

x

 

[littlestar]

the nappylady website has loads of ideas for folds. esp as you will need a smaller fold for a new born.

you will need some wraps which are the new equivalent of the plastic pants you used to get. motherease ones are fab, although they can be a little boring in comparison to some of the others available i've never had a leak with them and i use them with several different types of shaped terry nappy.

in terms of number of nappies it will depend on how often you want to do a wash and if you have a tumbledryer or not. i would suggest 18 would be a good amount to see you though 2-3 days. ie 2 days wear then one day wash with spares to see you through wash day. you would then need to wash every other day.

 

[Mary Jo]

I use some flats as well as some fitted and pocket - and I love my flats.

My tip - try bamboo terry. It's a lot more absorbant than cotton, 60% more I believe. And it's so soft even if you don't tumble dry, whereas cotton can get somewhat crispy. It does take longer to dry, and you shouldn't expose it to high heat, so medium/low on the drier and next to the radiator rather than on it, but it's worth it, to me.

Also, liners, to keep LO's skin dry - I use cotton and microfibre fleece. I mean, their skin *does* get wetter than in gel and chemical-filled disposables but a fleece liner will really cut down on the "wrapped in a wet towel" feel.

Another advocate for Motherease wraps, best I have tried. Never had a leak.

As for folds, which you use will change according to your baby's size. One I used a lot on Adam is impossible now as he is too big, so I need to find another that has as much absorbancy up front (which little boys need!)

Nappy nippas - great and safe alternative to pins. Not nice if you stand on one and it's upside down but a LOT better than risking stabbing yourself or LO with a pin.

good luck! cloth is so much more fun than disposables. I love seeing my lovely clean nappies hanging out to dry.

 

[mommyof3co]

I agree, bamboo are great, I have some bamboo terry and bamboo velour mini flats (which are like prefolds just not a sewn in extra soaker area in the middle, it has a lay in one or none) and I LOVE them, very absorbent. I would say you will probably need atleast 2 dozen prefolds and then 4-6 wraps. I loved prefolds when first starting out with Hayden.

 

[thelilbump]

I use prefolds, i quite like them but find they need changing more than my pocket nappies etc. i agree something like 18 is probably a good number though you can get away with fewer wraps as they don't need changing every time.


Good luck

 

[Mary Jo]

I do find that if AE poos in a flat nappy it invariably gets on the wrap, whereas it doesn't always with a fitted, but that probably has a lot to do with the fold I've used - you can do ones that are good for poo containment. I tend to put him in a flat when changing after a poo and I am fairly sure there's not going to be another in the next 3 or so hours. And because I don't use flats all the time I haven't had a chance to find a really good poo fold.

You definitely need fewer wraps than nappies. I have 10 (and 20 nappies that need wraps) but I only use 2 of them regularly (the Motherease) and I can go a week without washing them if he doesn't get poo on them, they really are that good (they're quite loose, the elastic legs come further down the leg, which means they don't touch the nappy and they don't wick moisture. That's the issue I had with Little Lamb wraps, moisture wicking from the leg seams). The Motherease aren't as trim-fitting as some other wraps but I don't care! Here's Adam in a ME Airflow...

 

[BabyHaines]

Hello pickle Soooooo glad you came round to the terry way of thinking!! I picked mine up a few weeks back and they are lush!! I have 30 bamboo flats and TBH I think a few of those I can use in place of muslins etc. I also have 13?! wraps, but thats only because I bought lots from Vici (thanks honey!!) and they were a bargain (she was also kind enough to throw a couple of spares in!! )
Oooh, how exciting!! Have you been to the cloth nappy network shop in Ipswich yet? We may have to do coffee and nappy shopping soon
Oooh, and I also have three different types of liners - disposible (came with a kit I bought) some microfibre and some fleece xxxx