you're not a dill TK, no-one is born knowing all this stuff, and there is no way anyone could possibly keep up with ALL the mcn available, there's just so much of it!
itti bitti make
- fitted nappies called itti bitti boos. 100% made out of absorbent fabric, so need a waterproof cover.
- all in ones called d'lish snap ins and sewn ins, they are minky outer with HIDDEN PUL. no little label to tell you there is hidden PUL, but if you rub the outer with two hands, you might hear a rustling, that's the PUL.
They also make PUL aio's called "classics". and then there are teh Limited Editions too.
(i obviously have no life ha ha).
To make it easy for myself (when living on two hours sleep per day) with my nb, i had my nappy stash set up, using a bookcase, with $2 shop baskets.
One labelled FITTEDS, next to basket of COVERS, next to basket of LINERS
One labelled POCKETS (already stuffed, ready to go)
One labelled ai2's (already snapped in, ready to go)
Nappy bag packed ready to go out (stash of going out nappies)
and later on, Childcare nappy bag packed ready to go (stash of CC nappies)
i'm not super organised, i was so tired and rundown, if i DIDN"T do it like that, i would forget important stuff and be stressed while trying to get us out the door.
having the nappies sorted into the baskets, really destressed me. instead of having to work out what was what (when tired, baby crying on change table etc), i just read my labels and didn't have to think.
Hidden PUL is tricky, you DO have to remember WHICH nappies have hidden PUL.
A general thing to remember
- one step nappies have waterproof outers, or hidden waterproofing
that is
POCKETS
Aio's
Ai2;s
their outers will be - minky (soft and velvetty), fleece (furry), PUL (smooth synthetic).
- two step nappies (nappy and cover) have no waterproof outer (or hidden for that matter).
so fitted nappies will have ABSORBENT fabric on the outer
like cotton, bamboo, hemp etc
where it gets tricky:
you can get SOME waterproof nappies that have cotton outers, hidden PUL.
you can get FITTED POCKETS like mandymacs that DO need a cover, and their outer is made from absorbent fabric.
so there are exceptions.
but try to sus it out
write yourself a table and catergorise each one if you can, to be your cheatsheet whenyou get frazzled
i really recommend the sorting into baskets, so you are not sorting when trying to change your bub (the worst time IMO), when all you want to do is change them and get to bed!
most of us have lived thru mcn with a nb. you don't have to be superwoman and look everything up. if you're frazzled, just ask your question here, one of us is sure to know it or to point you in the right direction. i had lots of kind mcn mummies help me when bilby was a nb and i was rarely on the computer but when i was, i was pulling my hair out (the sharp learning curve of trying to use my MCN theory, in a practical way, once bilby had arrived).
MELBEL - petal - i once thought multiple wetbags was people being precious. But by the end of our mcn days, i had 4 and i wished i had that number earlier.
- one to live in dh's car
- one to live in childcare nappy bag (later on)
- one to live in the nappy bag you take with you EVERYWHERE (to alternate with the one that is sitting in the nappy bucket, about to be washed and dried)
- one to live in your car in the spare OMG i've lost the nappy bag, nappy bag
- if you do overnight travel with rellies, friends, - holidays, you will need a big wetbag, the kind that you can hang over a door.
bilby is toilet trained, and this is how i use the wetbags now:
- one in dh's car, in case of accident while she's with him
- one in her childcare bag, for them to put wet clothes, wet undies in if she has an accident
- one in my car, in a bag that is always there (spare clothes etc)
- the huge travelling wetbag, is now the wetbag for swimming gear, after her weekly swim lesson.
workhorse, great size, economical wetbag, very sturdy zipper - baby beehinds wetbag
the most important component of the wetbag to me is the zip.
cheap crappy zips will die in no time.
you are opening an dclosing that wetbag HEAPS
you are washing that wetbag HEAPS
it must be sturdy zip other wise, zip dies, waste of wetbag.
so i look for the CHUNKY zips.
avoid the cotton laminated PUL ones (i'm sure you know that already)
if you buy a fashion outer one, make it a brand that only sews the two SEPARATE layers together at the zip end.
Happy Tushies do this. the brands that do it, put it in their listings.
Procare PUL wetbags totally rock.
PREFOLDS/TRIFOLDS
prefolds have extra layers in the middle panel
trifolds is the same thing (double layer of bamboo) without the extra middle panels.
for drying time, i would go the trifolds.
30 x 30cm double layer of bamboo (terry, fleece etc)
overlock all around
there you have it
once baby has outgrown the rise (30cm) on those, use these as pocket stuffers, boosters for fitteds.
30 x 40cm for the next stage, double layer of bamboo
overlock all around
done
by then, they'll probably be coping with aio's, pockets well.
but a stash of bamboo trifolds will keep getting used until tt-ing - so useful to customise the absorbency in all the other nappies
- OUTER boost the fitteds
- INNER boost the aio's, in the front or back, wherever your baby wees the most
- put in the pocket, in combo with other inserts, again, putting the nb sized trifold at the end where they wee the most.
i thought at the beginning, to sew a panel of microfleece on the bamboo trifolds, but realised, later on, when you are using the trifold as a purely absorbent item (instead of The Nappy, as it is at nb time), the stay dry layer is in the way then. but you could just cut it out i suppose.
Wonderful that you have teh Little Squirt
other nb things you could get to set yourself up:
- clothes airing rack
- zippered wash bags (e.g the most durable i found were "anti dust mite pillowcase protectors" at big w, kmart etc). the lingerie wash bags last two weeks (with daily washing, crap zips, see my wetbags explanation, same deal).
- cut up nb microfleece liners e.g 10 x 30cm, experiment with shapes. Half a metre of microfleece will be plenty.
- set of four NB imse vimse covers with leg gussets on special at nurture nappies
- make up cloth wipes, one loopy terry side to "catch the poop" e.g bamboo terry, hemp terry, sherpa, french terry - and a soft absorbent side eg. bamboo velour, hemp velour, cotton velour. 20 x 20cm makes good "just a wee nappy" wipes. copy size of a facewasher for the "cleaning up poop" wipes.
- what season is your bub due in?
- nappy free time mat (nappy rash prevention, and the mat prevents you having to mop the floor/scrub the carpet etc).
- baby wraps are ridiculously small in the shops. Even with a short baby, wasn't long before i was using cot sheets as baby wraps.
- bibs with snaps are so much easier (don't snag in the wash).
- if organic lotions are important to you, do your homework now to find them and have a basket ready with
* nappy rash solutions
* baby sunscreen, baby sunhats
* my personal silver bullet, gripe water! that was a lifesaver!
* teething gel (needed this at three months)
* amber teething necklace
so that when you need them, you don't have to go searching, or end up buying something you don't really want, just to have "something".
You'll get given heaps of supermarket/chemist lotions and potions (some of which are not nappy rash friendly, despite how they're marketed), but if you're after organic stuff, do your own research.
- if you buy hand sanitiser, be aware, the majority of brands have 66% alcohol in them. *highly flammable, could give your baby alcohol poisoning if they lick it off you*. Plus as i found out, it dried out my hands so much, i had cracks that bled. there is one brand that is alcohol free, called Hands First. Much safer for you and your baby.
If you change your baby, in a place where there is no tap (and that has happened PLENTY of times to me), then you might be glad of some hand sanitiser!
- baby gates to keep pets out of areas you want baby to lie on floor etc. tummy time.
- reserve a compartment in the nappy bag for MUMMY STUFF. e.g bottle of water for you to keep up your fluids, keys, lip balm, whatever keeps you human, spare tshirt for YOU.
- nbs poo and wee at their own rates, but be prepared for a little person, with a kidney the size of a marble, to wee and poo VERY often. so a short trip to the GP/hosp, will run longer than you thought, due to the constant changing. So pack more nappies that you THINK you will need, until you work your bub's wee and poo powers!
- onesies that are tricky to do up, or have the closure at the back, avoid. Frequent nappy changes, you end up reaching for the easiest thing to get on and off. for first six weeks, they cna't regulate their own temp.
- baby tops that have snaps on the shoulders, envelope necklines - easy.
- don't underestimate the power of a spare nappy bag in the car. Means you don't have to carry so much with you (if going out for a day e.g) and if it all goes pearshaped, you lose the nappy bag, you're stranded somewhere - the spare nappy bag will get you out of all sorts of grief (except if your car gets stolen i guess).
- i found having a terry flat in the nappy bag was very useful. use it to shade baby, use it to mop up spills, use it to line the baby carseat in case of poosplosion. Use it to shade the babyseat so the metal clips are not burning hot when you come back to the car in summer.
- cloth breast pads and pure lanolin for sensitive nipples.
- having a complicated c-section, that meant a long recovery period, i have a list of things to do to help you cope, in a physical way, with mcning your nb.
- RAISE as many household items as possible, to reduce or remove the need to bend down. I put a box in the toilet room, to put the nappy bucket on. The washer and drier were raised. all our bins were put on boxes. changetable meant i was changin her at waist height,
- nappies stored vertically in bookshelf, meant i could reach all i needed at waist height.
Naturally, i hope your labour goes like a dream, but just tuck these ideas away JIC you need them. it makes alot of difference if your body is sore.
How exciting, nesting for your new little person! i'm so excited for you MelBel!
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