Hi Joy, I'm speaking from my complete lack of experience!! hehe, so don't know if it will help you at all!
A friend of mine a few years ago sat and did the math, that cloth nappies didn't really save much money at all. Once you add up the cleaning stuff (eg napisan) and the liners and stuff.
I think cloth at home and disposables while out is a great idea, but I've heard once you use disposables you keep using them coz they're so much easier. hehe.
My mum is actually very good at paying for a months nappy service as a gift (you know where they pick up the dirty nappies and leave clean ones!) so I'm hoping she'll do that for me
I can't help feeling that cloth nappies are more likely to leak tho. I guess someone who's used them can tell us more
disposable..... I love disposable. Babies create so much washing that I would never want more. Then again people who love cloth love them just as much as I love disposables.
Even if you decide against cloth buy a packet anyway because they're great to catch sick and wipe up with after your baby has peed all over your friend's bedroom. Also if you're out of disposables they're good for back-up.
I used cloth a lot of the time in Darwin for Olivia, because there is plenty of water and no water restricitons up there at all. And the midwives indicated that cloth, in a humid climate, was better for avoiding grotty botty nappy rash.
So we did cloth at home and disposables if we went out.
I now live back in Adelaide and have gone to all disposable for Olivia (18 months) and for Charlie (1 month).
I have to say, for me, disposable is a LOT easier.
But I have a stock of cloth nappies still "just in case" and we do get use out of them for "spew rags"!
I read some statistics the other day that said cloth nappies are used 2% of the time, disposable 98%!! I swore by disposable, and it's the one thing I don't care what it costs!! xo
Mmmmmm.... Joy this is one of those topics that people tend to feel pretty passionate/defensive about.
There are so many different opinions out there regarding time, environment, general health etc.
Personally, I am fortunate enough not to have to work & a bit of a 'greeny' & quite old fashioned. At this stage my plan is to do cloth & dispposable when i go out or away. I am also open to eventually using disposable's overnight in an effort to encourage longer sleep periods & keep bub dryer for longer.
Things might be quite different if I had multiple children or had to think about going back to work.... my sister also had problems with nappy rash, using cloth, on her second.
It is just a personal choice & one of those things best not too shout too loud about. Follow your feelings & see what happens for you.
....and they dont leak and they dont cause rashes if you use the right system..some people like terry flats and napisan, but there is SO much more info about using cloth now..please look into before you bag it! My mum is kind of overwelmed by the nappies we use, even our childcare happily use my pocket nappies..
I own too many nappies and covers because I love them so much!
I used to use cloth nappies, with Nicholas, and at night we would put a disposable on him. I loved using them, but then he started to grow out of them, so we ended up having to use disposables.
Before having Jack, I was right into the cloth issue, we used them while we were in hospital but threw them to the side once we got home, and went straight onto disposables. I figured that time is too short to be spending it washing nappies when I could be playing with my son. This time around we are having twins and there is no way that I will be using cloth, so disposables yet again.
btw, we live in the country and have water restrictions on permently.
Thanks everyone and especially katanya for the links. Confirmed my plans to head for cloth. might even try cloth and no disposables to reduce temptation of taking it easy at least while I'm home for the 1st 6 months!!!
MIL has already offered to buy some cloths so we'll look into it soon I figure, got heaps of time yet though but fun to plan.
Am interested in finding more about washing using baking soda and vinegar, I use that at home on lots of stuff, we are on septic tanks and have to protect all those good microbes in the pit!!
excellent to hear Joy, you have plenty of time to plan so do heaps of reasearch and try to see the things IRL, i would offer to show you my nappies as I have nearly all types but we live away apart
We have a septic system and a tank too and we don't ahve a problem, and I live in queensland where Water is ALWAYS an issue.
I understand it when people say it's too much trouble to wash them, but really with my method it's quite simple, I can't say I've never used a disposable because I have but using them didn't make me smile, and I never got excited about buying a box of disposables, or looking at them in the bin..
I love looking at my beautiful nappies hanging on the line, I love them on my boy, they make me smile, I get excited about buying a new nappy to try, and discussing the types of fabrics used to make them..it's become a bit of an obsession really..ebay is another great place to look ad get great bargains..
Just on a another note... if you are wondering which one (cloth or disposable) has the worst impact on the environment..... recent studies have shown that they are apparently both on par with each other. With disposable you have the landfill issues, but with cloth you have the detergents and chemicals washing away with the water...
So anyway, thats what I heard on the news a few months ago, that neither one is more or less damaging to the environment than the other...
sorry Ambah that study was funded by a disposable company ..hardly paints it in a good light does it? and modern cloth nappies dont require chemical bleaches, I can collect some figures for you, not trying to guilt rip anyone, but there is defiantely an environmental advantage to cloth....
Just wanted to add re: the study finding the cloth vs disposable debate void since both were the same in terms of damage to environment - that study was based on hot washing half-loads of bleached, napisaned wet-pailed cloth nappies, and then half-load-full-heat tumble drying them (most of my friends use cool wahses for wet nappies, warm for soiled, use eco friendly soap, use the eco-wash setting with a FULL load and then line/horse dry, only one person i know wet pailed with napiysan, the rest dry-pail since modern washing machines are way better than those in the 50's and 60's). All the study really proved is that if you are as wasteful as possible when dealing with your cloth nappies, they are still not more destructive than disposables.
I am planning on using cloth for normal times and eco-friendly disposables for if we're out and about, though if i were staying with family i would probably just use their machine and not take too many disposables.
Having said that if i am carrying twins then who knows what i'll do.....
I love cloth nappies. With my first daughter I didn't use them very much but with my 2nd it was most of the time. Although I did use disposables for bed time, when she got older. With my 3rd baby I will be using cloth again and disposables for bed time when they're older (I hate the thought of bubs being wet during the night). I like the fact that I'm helping the environment a bit by not using so many disposables and the money saving factor is great. For me, I did save quite a bit of money using cloth as opposed to disposables.
I think when useing the dry paleing system it's better for me financially and for the environment ~ and nothing looks cuter than a babies bum in a real nappy
Cloth or Disposable
Reply With Quote
My mum is kind of overwelmed by the nappies we use, even our childcare happily use my pocket nappies..
Bookmarks