Give me the reality of cloth

[Doing my best]

I normally use cloth, but in the last week have been using sposies cause my darling DH broke my washing machine..

And I have noticed a difference, and much prefer cloth. I can smell the chemicals in the sposies each time they do a wee, but then you do also have the smell of amonia when the nappies are stored in the bucket before washing..

Like Bath, I get really frustrated (not with my child, but the circumstance) of changing, then to find a poop a few mins later in a sposie. There goes another 50 c into landfill..

I have a mix of MCN and flats, and wash every day. I could probably easily go 2 days before washing, but leave that for emergencies.. It probably adds about 10 mins to my day of hanging out, and then I sort them out when the kids are in bed.

My parents are a bit skeptical, but if I don't have any sposies, then they either have to buy them or use cloth. When I had DS, my MIL really embraced the cloth, on the days she was watching DD.

You might be a rarity when you go out, but none of my friends give me a hard time. I respect that they are happy to buy and use disposables, and they respect that I am happy to wash and use cloth.

All in all, it is a lot cheaper in the long run to use cloth, and in our current circumstances, buying dispoasbles for every day use is not doable.

[DaintreeDream]

I think sposies smell just as much as cloth.

I can smell the chemicals in the sposies each time they do a wee.

That chemical smell is HORRIBLE and to think it is so close to babies bottoms.

[UntoldAngel]

Thanks for all the replies, really helps knowing there are people out there that can make it work, especially with more than one child. This is our first and I want to give it a go, it is just disheartening when people are so 'you won't be able to do it', but i'm also getting that response with planning a wedding 2months after bub's due, a honeymoon with bub and breastfeeding.... grrr can I please make my own decisions and find out what will and won't work for me myself!!
I'd look at washing every two days, but if I have to, I'm sure the washing machine will handle washing everyday. I'm sure bub will start going through clothes pretty quickly too that will need washing, so I may as well be doing a load of nappies as well as a load of clothes
My mum had 3 of us in cloth under the age of 3, and she managed, I think it just takes the right mindset and unfortunately some people aren't supportive of it if they can't make it work
Sorry... think I needed to vent a little in there...

[DaintreeDream]

... it is just disheartening when people are so 'you won't be able to do it', but i'm also getting that response with planning a wedding 2months after bub's due, a honeymoon with bub and breastfeeding.... grrr can I please make my own decisions and find out what will and won't work for me myself!!

You can do it! My DD1 has special needs which were high when she was younger and when she was 6 months old I started planning our wedding which was 2 months later and I was also expressing breastmilk full time as she was/is fed through a naso-gastric tube, you can do anything you set your heart on, trust me. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Heaven]

I thought I would never keep up with the washing but it's easy!! I find I want to wash them bc I don't want her to wear sposies bc cloth looks so much cuter!! LOL. So that keep me washing so I always have the cute ones ready for when we go out

[spooky]

If you are worried about when you are out and about BBH make a great wetbag (I'm sure there are other brands too) that is great. You can fit a couple of dirties in there and it zips completely shut. When you get home just turn it inside out and wash with the nappies.

I get a bit of grief from some of the family when they see the cloth nappies. The most popular is "what is he wearing?" from people who know exactly what they are as they have been seeing them for a few years. I also get them same passive agressive queries about the HAB (isn't he a bit old to be carried?) and the amber neclace (that's a bit girly isn't it?) everytime I see them....

I no longer try to explain, but my current response if I can be bothered responding at all is "if I see something new or different I like to do some research before I pass judgement" you should see the look on their faces

[Heaven]

LOL, good one spooky.

I get the 'looks' about stuff like that too, I am just embracing my inner hippy. Now I feel like doing more 'alternative' things just to annoy people

[Bathsheba]

I really agree with Spookies comments... especially the guilt at wheeling out a bin full of dirty sposie nappies yucko!!!... that really got to me and motivated me to keep up with using cloth. I mainly used flat cloth nappies with pins and pilchers BTW only had a few pre-folds. The least arduous part was folding them and stacking them into my hanging nappy stacker! I found that really relaxing actually... and I quite miss it!

[*TripleJ*]

i love i thought i wouldnt be able to do it but we are doing it occasionally we use a sposie but thats when i get lazy lol but ive only bought one pack in 3 months sometimes they get a little stinky but our bucket is outside its not hard at all lol

[Beautitude]

Im the laziest person in the world and i find cloth easy!! We used sposies till ds was 12 months old when the cost of sposies became incredible seeing as ds would do a poo about 5 times a day. We have changed over to cloth (not quite full time yet but hoping to be there soon) and i find it helps me keep on top of my washing as i have to wash them every 2 days so the rest of my washing gets done too. Otherwise i used to do 3 or 4 loads on a weekend which is much harder. We are going to use cloth for our next bub too.

[Bathsheba]

Oh yes... I'm also a VERY lazy person But my favourite job is hanging clothes out on the line... so maybe that's why cloth wasn't so arduous...

[Beautitude]

Oh Bath that reminds me, i love seeing cloth on the line, and i LOVE stuffing my pocket nappies while i watch tv at night.

[Roryrory]

We moved from disposables to cloth just before DS2 was born (our boys are 17 months apart, so both were in nappies at that stage). I was very vervous at first and couldn't imagine handling a newborn in cloth as well as a toddler, so I bought a pack of newborn disposables. But very quickly I got into the swing of it and it wasn't as nearly as bad as I imagined.

I found it a bit scary at first, and was quite apprehensive about the first poo in a clothie, but once you get over the inital shock its seriously fine. Really, once you have kids and you have been spewed on, pooed on and weed on a few times, cloth nappies are nothing to fear LOL!

[Kitt3n]

Just set yourself up well - a good stash, a lil squirt etc....

Laa has been in cloth since the moment she was born, never had a need to use sposies (even when camping etc!!)

[Asparagus and Lemons]

I've been watching this thread, it's very interesting how easy you all say it is. Im very excited and anxious to start cloth.. just got to wait for the baby to come out.
But how do you manage cloth with holidays? That seems impossible to me as there'd be no washing machine with camping (we do that alot) and no little sqirt if you go anywhere else?

[Stevie]

ive started using cloth during the day at home, Im just using the terry flats.. do i need to put a cover on? only yesterday was the first time she's weed through (onto me LOL) so im guessing im not doing it right and should be using a cover? i brought one from Big W (i think its a dymples pilcher) its a size 00 its a velcro one but its awefully tight and the inside of the legs arent covered, am i usingf the wrong size (she's stil in 000 clothes) or are these just crap? what ones should i be using? and also, i cant buy online so would have to be a shop.
Thanks ladies xxx
(sorry to hijack your thread Belle)