Why did you pick to use disposable/cloth nappies?

[catherinemoses]

I am slowly converting to cloth now that DS is 12 mths old. I still use sposies overnight and if i'm having a 'bad day'. I'm trying to not buy another packet but I don't have enough of a stash yet to never get them again. I find that if I have them there I will use them but if i don't then i can make do without them. I tried to do it earlier but only had terry flats and I suck at folding them, also i hate pvc pilchers. So while I wanted to do it earlier I found it too hard/not enjoyable. I bought a trial pack of BBH and I love them. I even used some of the horrible terry flats with the PUL cover and decided that they weren't so bad after all. I haven't bought any more bbh. I want to but they are very pricey. so I am in the process of making some of my own out of some old towels and a flannelette sheet. I bought a 6 pack of bbh puls and happily use them with terry flats folded like a prefold. It is working for me and I'm not finding the extra washing a hassle. Plus I feel better knowing that i am doing something to lessen my environmental footprint.

There are a few factors in play for making the switch. The environmental factor was a big one. Watching all those sposies going into the bin each week made me feel bad. I also have big issues with throwing away poo. I don't want to trash the planet which my child and potential grandchildren then have to live in. Another factor is money saving. With a second bub on the way there is no way I want to be forking out twice as much for nappies which I'm just going to throw away.

I have researched but not heaps. I haven't looked at all the brands etc but I have looked at cloth vs sposie. You've got to do what works for you and this is working for me.

[BekZ]

When pregnant with DD1 I saw some MCN at a baby expo. I was very interested at the time but didn't investigate any further so we used sposie full time for her. Then my SIL started using MCN when I was pregnant with DD2 so I decided to do some research.

Alot of my research was on BB and I asked a truck load of silly questions. I personally found all the different options/terms/types/jargon etc very overwhelming. It was not until I visited a shop that sold MCN and I could see in real life what all the different types were about. I settled on using Greenkids and Itti Bittis. I love them so much.

I haven't got heaps of different brands or types because I like what I use and I believe that having too many different types makes more work.

My main motivation was the cost of sposies. I hated parting with $40 odd bucks each week of poo catchers

[~kellie~]

What made you decided to use disposable/cloth nappies?

the main reason I decided to start using MCN was because I was sick of our bin overflowing each week on rubbish day, and I also wanted to save money.

Did you research before hand or did you use jump in cause you thought it was what everyone else was doing?
I kind of researched, looked around on the net abit, and then made my 1st purchase at the baby expo where there were lots of MCN sellers who could explain things to me more... and I haven't looked back!

[Phteven]

I started wit sposies because I hadn't heard of MCN's and I got given heaps. After finding out about MCN's I got really enthusiastic and spent a fortune on a really wide range.
I used them for a month or 2 before I decided that I couldn't stand them and went back to sposies. I hated the smell of my nappy pail when I took the lid off, I hated the extra loads of washing and the extra folding and putting away, I didn't like the extra clutter in my boys room, cleaning pooslosions off cloth grossed me out and the disposable liners were crap, I felt sorry for Yasin trying to get around with such a huge bulky arse and waking up in the morning in such a heavy nappy, most brands didn't fit nicely under his clothes, lanolising his night nappies was yet another chore that I could do without, carrying them home and dealing with them at the end of a long day was annoying.
They were useful on the occasions that I ran out of sposies but I gave them all to SIL a while ago and I'm glad I'll never see them again.
I wanted to love cloth but those months were a nappy nightmare.

[leesha]

Not long after DS was born I was on BB and stumbled across MCN threads....Asked a few questions, got the answers and then kept watching the threads and jumped on the BBH, Itti's, Cushies etc websites and researched and researched!!!!!

So when he was 7 months old I took the plunge and bought a trial pack of BBH and Itti's...

Fell in luuuurve............bought bits and pieces of different brands but I love Cushie Tooshies..they feel so nice and wash and dry so well!

I am in the process of buying night nappies and just got bought my first "SnoozyWun" thanks Mel!!
He is in sposies at night until I recieve this nappy as he is a huge wetter(12 hours sleep)

So I mainly converted to Cloth as I worked out if I have DS toilet trained at around 2yrs/2.5yrs
I will save roughly $3500 which is huge.................(and I always bought sposies when on sale)

Also the environmental factor played a huge part! Everyone always asks me what DS is wearing and it looks so cute and I love saying "He is in cloth nappies" then giving the MCN speel........I have even inspired one lady to make her own..they are great!!!

I am grateful to this website and it's wise ladies for introducing me to MCN's!!

[Bathsheba]

14 years ago with my first child DH and I made a conscious decision to give cloth a go. It was mainly based on financial reasons... my mum made/sent me a heap of terry flats and washable liners etc plus we were given pilchers/covers so we thought we might as well try using them even though i had never changed a nappy in my life before changing my own child's. I think a midwife showed me how to do it (change a cloth nappy) in hospital actually. So then we got home and decided to stick with it. The idea of spending up to 50c each for a disposable nappy seemed just crazy especially in the early days when our newborn was squirting out the yellow stuff almost hourly (it seemed). So we bought a stack of flannels. And I don't think our DD's bottom saw a sposie for nearly 6 months! We just "made do" and kinda pretended that sposies didn't exist.... very few of our our friends had babies so i guess we didn't have anything to compare to. Oh, and we lived in a second storey unit... had a insy wincy washing machine and had to trek to the laundromat every so often to dry a heap of clean wet nappies, especially in winter... didn't seem to bother us. Our unit looked like a Chinese laundry... it was tiny... and it seemed that every spare inch was used up drying and folding nappies. Looking back it's easier if you get committed with your first baby... because yes, admittedly, I got a bit slack with my second and third babies... but by them the MCNs came along and I couldn't resist giving them a go... which re-ignited my enthusiasm.

One thing that also led our lapse back to sposies was the discovery of Aldi sposies... so cheap yet absorbent. Buuuut I still have a soft spot for cloth nappies. I really hope my own DD will give them a go when/if she has children.

Now that my youngest is almost fully continent (TT) I almost miss the cloth routine... especially hanging out all my white cloth squares on my Hills Hoist. I also miss folding them in the nursery watching the sun set through the window listening to Golden Oldies on the radio... an enjoyable part of my routine for nearly a year when i had my second.

So to sum up: We used about 60% cloth 40% sposie for our 3 kids in total... initially used cloth for financial reasons... then for environmental... and most enduringly because cloth have a much higher aesthetic appeal. But yeah, sposies are handy i guess... still, I like to know that I could have coped without sposies.... and I like to think that future generations would thank me.

[Marlene]

I am in the process of changing to cloth right now (using flats at the moment, I bought some when I was pg but never used them till now)...purely because they are so cute, LOL. After reading all the threads on BB about cloth and MCN's I did a bit of googling and just fell in love with them....the only problem is now I have a new addiction to add to my list! (and I haven't even received my first fluffy mail yet).

ETA: I just went back and read everbody else's posts and feel guilty for not mentioning the environment as a reason...but want to be 100% honest...its probably 70% cuteness factor and 30% money saving factor. Sorry girls.

[butterfly_warrior]

I'm feeling horribly guilty for using sposies now... especially after seeing so many sposie users converted by this thread!

But today my hands are so sore that I can hardly even type, let alone get a load of washing done, hung out, folded, etc...

Myabe I should just stop reading and take my sore hands away and stop making myself feel guilty.

BW

[Je$$_84]

Oh BW... I think everyone has reasons for choosing what they have...I think in your situation that would out weight the cuteness, environmental factor, and saving money factor... Hope things get better... Hope that gorgeous son of yours is well...

[Phteven]

BW, I never have a moment's guilt for using sposies. I tried cloth and it sucked. We all have differant ways of reducing our eco-footprints.

[alioops]

BW hun, I would feel guilty if we had converted you, because we know that your health is so much more important than what is on Samuel's butt. I think some people would be telling you off if you took on more than you actually need to, Even though MCN aren't much work, they can be fiddly to do up the snaps when you are new to them. With your hands hun I really do think that disposables are the only thing that will really work well in your family.

[Marlene]

Oh BW....don't feel guilty! Like ali said, your health is sooo much more important than what nappy you use, and after seeing my mother in a similiar situation to you, I know how hard it is for you to do anything at all some days!!

I should be the one feeling guilty, LOL, using cloth purely for the cuteness factor.

[briggsy's girl]

BW hun, I would feel guilty if we had converted you, because we know that your health is so much more important than what is on Samuel's butt. I think some people would be telling you off if you took on more than you actually need to, Even though MCN aren't much work, they can be fiddly to do up the snaps when you are new to them. With your hands hun I really do think that disposables are the only thing that will really work well in your family.

yeah that!!!

for some people, it's just not an option to use cloth nappies. physically (washing etc aside) you would, with your arthritis, find some of the closure on the nappies so much more difficult that using sposies. don't feel bad about that hun!

every family has to make the decision that is the right one for THEM - and that's what you've done.

[New Dawn]

with my DS and DD I used terry white I choose cloth because with both of them I live in Darwin, couldnt get a better nappy dring state.... wet season was a bit of a bother but as long as I had them out on the line and dry before the 3 pm rain then all was sweet...

With DD2 I used sposies beacause of three things

1st was coz she was number three so had a lot of other things to wash and do...

2ns was coz we lived in Cairns and even though it is hot up there it rains for almost 9mths a year and when it isnt raining its hot and sticky so it takes a while to line dry ( I dont own a drier )

3rd and by far not least was coz 3 weeks after DD2 was born BHL had to live in sydney for 6 mths so I was on my own for 6 mths without any help from anyone so new I didnt need the extra stress in my life at that time...

If I am lucky enough to have a 4th I would love to go cloth again... But really dont know what to use... I like terry whites coz I know what to do with them, but love the new style cloth but the price, sizing and different types scare the crap out of me so really dont know what I would do....

[ACJ]

Well I am slowly converting to MCN's and will be purchasing my first lot in 2 weeks time from my best mate who is a BabyBlossom consultant. We have mainly chosen to do the switch for the cost factor and because we are sick of wasting money on sposies.

[Kitt3n]

OK - I havent read through the whole thread (at all!) but here's my bit


]i HATE sitting on plastic pads for a few days. It feel damn horrible.

If I cant handle it for a few DAYS, why on earth would I sentence my baby to that feeling for a FEW YEARS?
jmo

[~Raven~]

I've made the choice to do cloth mostly for financial reasons and partly for environmental reasons.

With my first child we had just bought our first house and things were a bit tight. I did flanny squares for about 4 months full time but kind of got lazy and was a bit over the whole thing and went sposies.

With my second his bum never had cloth in it once we left the hospital. I never thought I could cope doing cloth with 2. He had permanent nappy rash

With my third I'd been shown MCN IRL so my interest was sparked and as I was modding in the nappy threads I was reading it every day and I thought I might give cloth a go again.
Once I had him I was using both cloth flanny flats and sposies, and as the only blow outs were happening when he was wearing a sposie, I figured I was doing enough washing of clothes, sheets etc that using cloth full time wouldn't be much more work.

With my 4th using disposables never crossed my mind. I had to fight to use cloth at the hospital and the midwives that helped with Ruby the first night put sposies on her when I had a sign on the crib that said cloth only and they were pre folded on the shelf under her. I was happy to leave behind the remainder of the pack but DH brought it home and put them on her when he changed her. I cursed at him when I picked crystals out of her vagina.


I'm happy with my choice to use cloth. I believe that disposables have a place and I will use them if I have to but I'd prefer not to put them on my child on a long term basis.

[Doing my best]

Finally I have time to sit, read and reply

What made you decided to use disposable/cloth nappies?
I had intentions of using cloth, but I didn't know what and MCN was. We thought we had hit the jackpot with the terry towelling, and flanelette nappies shaped like a disposable . But we didn't like the velcro on them rubbing DD's skin. MIL bought us some peapods, but as they were the medium size and DD was so small, didn't really get a chance to use them. DH used flats at home with the covers from big W (not pilchers, but a cover that is sized). But it was all too hard when she started weeing more and disposables became the way here, then after being back at work casually from DD being 4-8 months old, I gave it up. I stressed about the amount of money I was wasting every time DD did a poo immediately after a change and why was I spending this money we don't have? We used flats and disposables for about 3 months.


Did you research before hand or did you use jump in cause you thought it was what everyone else was doing?

Itried to do a bit of reseach over the months, and finally convinced DH it might be a good idea, then I decided to claim family assistance and received a nice backpay for this financial year, so have a small stash of about 15 or so. I don't use them at night, but through the day, am heading up to a whole fortnight of no disposables. I have also bought some material so that I can make some boosters so that I can use terry flats without having to change them every 20 or so minutes (my holidays are becoming a sewing mission LOL). And this is a budget decision with # 2 coming. We had to spend money to save money, and I don't think I will ever convince DH to use cloth at night, but we are saving a few dollars each week.