Going to go cloth... would like some advice!

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Hi ladies.

DH and I have decided that I'm doing cloth nappies (DH is not doing any sort of nappy, apparently). I just need some advice about what to buy and how much.

1. I'm planning on newborn disposable nappies for the birth centre stay (quite frankly, I'm not coming home to a load of washing - well, I know I will be, but I plan to minimise it if possible) and using those for about a week or so until the constant weeing stops - how many nappies would that be so I can get them in advance? Please tell me the constant weeing doesn't last more than 10 days now.

2. I would love the nice "easy" sort of nappy, the ones with velcro that work just like disposables, not terry nappies (me and pins are the best of friends - we love sticking together!) as I don't want to be jabbing Liebling. Do I need to get these in different sizes?

3. How many nappies will one woman and a baby need? Obviously I'm not going to wear the nappies, but I am going to be washing them. Which brings me onto

4. How often do you do a load? At first I'll be doing small loads as they'll have to dry indoors over an airer, but in the summer they can go on with other baby clothes. How many nappies go in a load and how long to dry?

5. I don't have the same brands as you all do, but are there any special "features" I should be aware of (such as buying different sizes for babies and toddlers so they don't leak, or front vs. side fastening... I really have no clue!). I want the whole nappy business to be as easy as possible so any hints to achieve this would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for any replies.

[Gigi]

thenappylady would be a good place to start

tots bots are made in scotland

i think kittykins is another uk clothie site

there are heaps of cloth nappies made in the uk, i am really surprised you are asking for info on a site where our info will not meet up with what you can get where you are.

i am hoping there will be equivalents in the uk of diaperdecisions, ozclothnappies etc for you to go to, join their forums and ask questions.

there are clothie websites that are there to make money, so of course they will just say, buy our stuff, we are the best
there are clothie websites that are there for advocacy and reviews and forums - they will have different points of view from users
Make sure you read the Frequently Asked Questions and read up about the different fabrics used, even if you don't sew, knowing about the diff. fabrics helps you wash them correctly, and be aware of what you are buying - different fabrics have different properties.

i spent eight months researching it myself. I could tell you wot i worked out in the end, but am worried it wouldn't help you much when i would be talking about Australian products that you wouldn't easily be able to buy in the UK, so i really think it would be better for you to google stuff in the UK so you don't get frustrated.

best of luck, but there is no substitute for getting in there, goggling, and joining local forums so you can attend Nappycinos, see other people's stashes, visit clothie shops, and make up your own mind.

[Liz]

Yay Ryn! I use a lot of tot bots nappies, both cotton terry, and their bamboozles (my fav).

Jump in the cloth nappy sticky thread and you can learn all about how to wash, when to wash etc etc. As for which nappies - yeah, Gigi's right, we talk about nappies made here in oz, altho some are US brands, like fuzzibunz, and vbsn.

Baby Beehinds are worth a look, but shipping will be the killer from here.

Actually, washing would be different in the UK.. coz of drying in winter! If you're like me when I was there, I had washing draped all over the central heating. LOL.

Yay again for going cloth!

But yeah - jump in the sticky thread and ask ALL your questions! heheh.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

I've been reading the sticky (that's been so helpful!), and lots of 'net stuff... but there's too much out there! Some people say you need 20 nappies at most, others 30+, some wash daily, others don't get enough to do that... drying doesn't bother me because I dry a lot dripping over the shower, on the radiators and on an airer anyway in the winter, daily loads are no problem. I don't want to do brands, as I won't be able to find the right brand if I do that, I just want generals so when I find something I know if it's what I'm looking for LOL.

BTW, I've wanted to go cloth ever since I realised you don't put the poo in the washing machine, that thought freaked me out for years and years. I'm just realising I'll be buying the nappies quite soon, rather than just planning it!

[Liz]

A warning with bamboo nappies - they take forever to dry. The days I've hung them inside to dry, it's taken days for them to dry. And they don't take to the dryer very well either.

Oh and you're earlier question about frequent wees - LOL - they wee and poo very frequently for ages! It doesn't really slow down until a few months. Even then Tallon was a champion pooer and went about 4 times a day.

Poo in the machine - must admit.. newborn b/f poo is so runny, I let the machine do a prewash to get it all off. I couldn't bear rinsing it myself. Altho.. a Little Squirt would have been useful back then! But yeah.. I put newborn ones in the machine Now that hes on solids.. it peels off the liner nicely when I shake it over the loo

Umm.. number of nappies for a newborn - I think a general guide is 12 a day, and then times that by the number of days between washes. I generally wash every 2nd day, so about 24 nappies, and about 4 covers. but having said that, you have to take into consideration washing and drying time.. I have on occasion run out of nappies while waitiing for the ones on the line! So maybe a few more than the general guidelines But once you start buying different nappies to try, the collection soon grows.

I guess in general you need to decide what you'll like best (and wait for bub to see what WORKS best), there's fitteds & covers, pocket nappies, and All in Ones. It is hard to build a proper stash before bub arrives, because some nappies just don't work on some bubs. I found Beehinds didn't work for Tallon until a couple of months ago.

[Fi]

Hey Ryn,

1. Aim for about 10 nappies a day in the first week or so. Some days may be 12 others may be 7. The constant weeing goes on until they are 18m or so, sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!! IN fact - the first week or so is the easiest wee wise, so you can get away with much more lightweight cloth nappies, and they are heaps easier! If anything, sposies in the first week are the waste of money, but they are a lifesaver emotionally, so noone will knock you for that!! Flannelette flats are a great option for the first 4-6w, and to get you through that stage you would like need 24 and say 4-6 covers. You would then wash every second day I guess.

2. Most of the better fitting nappies come in multisizes. These usually go in the range of 4-9kg and then 9-14kg or round about. 4-9kg will see you to about 9-10m and then you go up to the next size. There are also one sized nappies on the market, but these tend to fit the mid range of kids better than the littlies. Fitted modern cloth is soooo easy. There are a few types around, but UK has a pretty good range, so I think you can find what you need over there pretty easily. For the 2-9m age bracket I would suggest at least 15 nappies, but you would probably want to mix up the brand names and sorts cause its more fun buying them, and then you figure out what works best for your bubs body shape. They are all so different!
Dont bother buying any big nappies now - wait until you get to about 6m old, and then start looking for the next lot. You could also use something like a prefold inside a cover. They can be snappied, but I dont bother, I just use the wrap/cover to hold the nappy in place, and if you have good covers there are no leaks!

3. Aim for bubs to use about 7-10 nappies a day. You can wash as often as you like, but I do every second day - or when my 2 small buckets get full. Obviously with #2 in nappies too, I'll be washing every day! So its a good idea to have about 15 nappies, plus about 5-10 options for when thigns are in the wash.

4. I can still fit a full load of nappies on our airer. Some take longer to dry than others (depending on how much padding is in them) so in winter we try and hng them out during the day, and over the airer at night so the are usually dry. Obvuiosly different for you where its much colder!! A dryer would be a definite back up plan required/

5. Like the girls have said, there are a few good UK brands. I think totbots, and motherease are two of the bigger ones, but I am sure you can get most of the USA ones over there too.
Take your pick on what you want. Its usually best to try a few of each sort to get a feel for what works best for you. Pockets, Fitteds, Prefolds, AIO's etc - there is a huge range, and until you know how you liek to work, its silly to buy heaps of any one sort.

Good luck - this is all lots of fun, but dont be against the easy and cheap flannelette flat nappies for the first couple of months. Quick to dry too!!

Fi

[Liz]

Ick at toddler poo going through the machine! I justified my newborn's poos (in my mind anyway) coz they were so darn runny that it wasn't going to clog up anything. LOL.

I agree - pockets dry sooo fast.. and very handy for when you're out. Definitely worth having some in your stash

[Liz]

Mwahaha... so people using sposies have to deal with "cloth" eventually anyway coz of TT! LOL. At least we're all well and truly used to it by then! hehe.

Altho.. they could always use pull-ups huh.

I was hanging out my nappies today and had a sudden pang of sadness for the day I won't be using nappies anymore - yes, it's a long way away.. especially if we have more babies.. but one day I won't be shopping for nappies or hanging them on the line

[Tracey]

I agree with Pockets being a good option, for the grey, bleak, wet Land in which you reside... hee heee
I love all my various pocket nappies, maybe check out Ebay for some too....?

Go for it Ryn... OH I too have never used a nappy pin!! No need in this the modern world, a snappy & a snib do the job!

[Fi]

Just so you guys know..... I had never seen a Terry nappy before coming to Oz. THey didn't use them in NZ - just flannel ones, so we didn't even have snappies!!
I remember my sister saying that a friend of hers was going to bring back some special nappies for her from Oz and some special plastic pins that weren't availble in NZ.
So I'm not sure how many countries actually use towlling nappies!

LMAO Shannon - we almost had the exact same advice. Great minds huh?

[Nelle]

LOL Liz, you will just have to start making them, and sell them instead!

Hey Ryn This is all very fresh to me, Riv's been in cloth 5 weeks now! Well actually less than that..

1. I can only speak from my experience, but Riv wets every nappy, it's the constant pooing that's settled down now. He used to poo in every nappy, now he saves it up (it's delightful). I found sposies to be sooo handy though, for when he was squealing or kicking and I couldn't find a cover or when he wee'd on the nappy before I'd even fastened it...for those times, it was sanity saving just to reach for a sposie
Then you can eeease yourself into cloth and it's much more fun that way I reckon.

2. With newborn fitteds, you just don't know how big Liebling will be...if I'd got nb size fitteds, Riv was 4.2 kg (9.4lb) so he wouldn't have been in those long, if ever! He didn't fit a lot of 0000 stuff. For easy pockets, the BumGenius seems to fit babies well, and contain poo well. His Happy Heiny fits well too. They're both USA brands I think.
I am awful with pins too, and awful at the flannel origami! But I LOVE my prefolds and snappis. They didn't take me long to get the hang of, and they are small, can be used as spew rags too, can be boosted for big wee'ers, and dry pretty quickly. So perhaps consider getting some prefolds, since they can always be used for other things if you don't like them that much?

3. I have 12 prefolds and 24 flannels. (DH uses the flannels) and about 8 fitteds that I use. Just do some maths I guess, about 10 nappies a day, and how often you'll wash.
Then allow for nappies you'll use as spew/poo/misc rags, and for when bubs wee's as you're putting the nappy on and for when you miss a washing day.
In other words. Get as many as you need, and then some.

4. I try for every 2 days, sometimes more often and sometimes less often. The bucket takes about 1-2 days to fill. Prefolds and flannels dry pretty quickly, pockets do too (but their inserts take longer), AIO's and fitteds can take a fair while.

5. Features I like.
- One size are economical. BBH's are bulky, but absorbent. BumG's are pretty darned trim if you buy a small insert for them, the one they come with needs to be folded for the small setting, which really isn't that bad, I'm just fussy.
Sized obviously fit more specifically though. If that makes sense.
- Velcro is good for a wiggly baby I reckon. Mine's wiggly. But then snaps don't get caught on things in the wash if you forget to use the fold over tabs for washing.

The only other things I can think of that I'm learning is, just buy one or two of your modern nappies (unless you're happy to re-sell them for a bit cheaper if they don't work out) until you're sure you like them and they work for you. Eg, some nappies are better for chunky legged kids, or babies with a skinny waist, or super wee'ers.

I could go on, but I've probably waffled on enough, hope there's been something in that that's been helpful!

[Gigi]

Nelle, look at moei, look at moei, i have one word for you, and i want you to listen: LAUNDRY TABS! Sew that extra piece of velcro on and you will never have to worry about the velcro hooking your other laundry again!

VElcro or aplix comes in hook and loop. THe hook literally hooks everything it comes into contact with. The loop is fuzzy and laundry friendly. If you have a little square of the loop bit sewn next to the hooky bit, you fold the hook square into the loop square pre wash, and then - no problems.

It is fiddly to do, but i went thru my entire stash one day, hawked out the nappies that didn't have laundry tabs, and sewed the little squares of the loopy bit, all in one hit. Done. Problem solved.

signed
the anal bilby
(with too much time on her hands, obviously!!!!) hurry up tiny bilby!!!! mummy wants to try all these groovy nappies on you!

[Nelle]

You can't be THAT anal Gigi, because 'Laundry Tabs' is actually TWO words

[Liz]

Oh yeah - ALWAYS have flat nappies around for spew rags.. or if you're like me.. I went through loads of flat nappies catching the drips and sprays from breastfeeding. The first 6 weeks or so can be UBER messy! LOL.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Wow, thanks for all the info and advice, girls! I'm trying to negotiate a discount with some Tot's Bots nappies through a friend of a friend who works for them. There's also some small ones with velcro covers going cheapish at a local shop so I'll pick up a pack of those and some disposable liners. They have more than one brand, so I may have to buy the other ones too just to suss out which are best - the small packs seem good. I'm just NOT washing poo. Flushable liners it is.

Don't worry about me forgetting to close the velcro pre-wash: I even snap duvet covers together pre-wash so it doesn't all jumble together. DH thought it was mad until I let him do the washing and everything was sopping wet in the corner of the cover instead of spun dried at the end of a cycle.

Do you need to wash the covers every time too? I was thinking not, because in the packs you get 3 nappies and 12 flat terries, or 5 nappies and 25 flats, so I thought it was a case of washing the flats every time and the covers less often. Although I do realise you'd probably was the covers quite a lot too.

I actually may try going cloth right from day 1 and only have disposables around if I run out of cloth or just need something quick: I'm guessing I'll buy more clothies when I realise what's right for me and that may take a week or so, so even washing daily I may run out some days.

[Liz]

I have 6 covers. I try to just alternate between 2 at a time, but sometimes it hasn't quite dried enuf between changes, so I have to grab a clean one. Especially now that the nappies are just sopping wet. Newborn wees are pretty small... just frequent, the nappies won't be drenched, so the covers last longer between washes.

Hate to burst the bubble.. but newborn poo is so runny, and often explosive! Don't expect it all to be on the liner We had a couple of blowouts.. out of the nappy, but the cover saved us. LOL. I'm afraid it's inevitable that you'll be dealing with pooey nappies at some stage Plus the runny poo is so wet it soaks through to the nappy itself.. which is where you need sunlight to bleach it out. Altho, I haven't used the disposable liners, so don't know if the wet poo goes through them or not.

I had intentions of going cloth from day 1, but was a bit overwhelmed with my assortment of nappies LOL. I felt like I was stuffing around having to work out a different nappy at each change, and then he'd wee or poo as I was changing him.. you go through a lot of nappies! LOL. I did use sposies for a few weeks, just to get into the swing of things with breastfeeding and things. Now that I know what I'm doing with cloth (which btw doesn't take long lol) it'll be from day 1 with #2.

Woohoo at the discount on the tots bots btw!

[Gigi]

You can't be THAT anal Gigi, because 'Laundry Tabs' is actually TWO words

when i watch Kath n Kim (which is where i stole that line from), Kath tells off Kim and Sharon, makes them face each other, says that line, and NEVER says just one word. My weak attempt at trying to be humourous.

I am hoping becoming a mum will make me funnier.

[Nelle]

Lol Gigi, I love Kath & Kim Can't belive tiny bibly isn't here by now! Must be a shy little creature.

So Ryn, who started this thread... How is your research going?