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Just wanted to get peoples views, havent really thought about disposable or cloth until now, always assumed i would use disposable for convenience, but i just dont know now!
some questions i have are;
1. disposable or cloth
2. reason why
3. process of actually washing cloth
4. are disposables like a sanitary pad where the wetness goes inside the pad and sort of crystalises so they stay reasonable dry?
5. any other helpul tid bits or suggestions you can give me.
I used cloth till Kameron hit 18mths. I was slack with Lachlan and used disposable after a few months as i couldn't keep up with the washing with 2 kids on the go.
I prefer cloth however
I would soak cloth in napisan soloution for 24 hours and then wash with lux flakes in warm water. Pooey nappies sometimes needed a longer soaking than 24hrs. You also by nappy liners which help protect the nappies from poo to some degree.
and yes they are re your question to #4
Love
I used disposables now but with my first I used cloth, why, because i was 17 and didn't want to be frowned upon anymore. Stupid I know.
Washing, soak in Nappisan overnight after rinsing off any poo.
rinse then wash with soap powder - i used lux flakes for all my bub stuff and fabric softern, but thats up to you, dry on line and then i put them in the drier for the last bit to make them soft.
Yes disposables are like pads where they actually keep the moisture away from the skin. Noah has never had a bum rash and he is 2 and a half.
Do what ever is easiest and best for you. My second bub used to wet right through his cloth nappies that by the time he was 6 weeks old I was putting him in double nappies (where you fold up 2 together) so I changed to disposables. For convienience they are great. I have so much washing now with 3 kids a partner and myself the last thing i want to do is wash nappies too.
Take care
Trish
Alana started of with cloth. If you do go cloth my suggestion is first get yourself a Little Squirt. It is a hose with a pressure gun on it that you use to spray the poo of the nappies. It is brilliant!!! They are only $50. Second get eenees biodegradable nappy liners. They are better than the supermarket brands because they can be flushed down the toliet or composted. They are very big so they can also be cut down. Third have lots of nappies. I soaked the nappies over night, then rinsed and washed in a mild detergent. Either hung them on the line or dried in dryer, depending on weather.
Alana is now in disposable. I have found this to be more convienent as she had been spending so much time at Dr appointments etc and she also got a really bad nappy rash (put her in them because they soak up the wee better than cloth). So I became abit lazy.
I say have both on hand just incase. Make the decision when baby arrives. Its easy to say you will do something when baby is not there, but once he/she arrives it completely different. Good Luck!
1. Both - disposable & cloth
2. Disposables at night so that we don't have to wash the sheets as much lol
and when we go out so we don't have to carry around dirty nappies... cloth
at home unless mummy is having a bad day lol.
3. Rinse of nappy if its pooey... soak in napisan or sodium biocarbonate if all wees for at least 24 hours then wash in a normal cycle I use whatever washing powder now but in the early stages I used lux flakes for everything.
4. yep and disposables are different for every baby... I found huggies newborn the best in early days but now we use the chemist brand...
5. buy a few packs of newborn disposables now & heaps of wipes. Have both cloth & disposables on hand, and if you can't do it in the beginning, try again later :) I started Matilda on cloth nappies when she was around 10 weeks old so I had a chance to get used to everything first... and I bought some fitted cloth nappies which were great & heaps easy to get on, I bought 3 of them. (she goes through around 6-8 nappies a day)
Min
I noticed that you are in Melbourne - check out whether your council offers the disposable nappy recycling service - it means you don't feel so guilty about the environmental impact.
hmm, thanks for all the info girls. At the moment I am leaning towards disposables. My sister has used them from the start (once leaving hospital) for both her bubs, and hasnt had any problems.
I was thinking more from a cost point of view but apparantly there is a nappy factory up the road from us and she gets 100 of their brand nappies which she says are great, for the same price as 48 huggies, so I am going to give them a go. Plus you get a free pack every fith time you buy them. sounds good to me
Hey Min,
Glad to see this cause its the same decision I have been going through. I'm going to throw myself into cloth cause I'm not going back to work for a year, plus I can't justify the cost (environmental and money) of disposables. Plus I have also heard that cloth nappies are better for getting babies toilet trained.
I purchased a fitted nappy - Kushies brand, as a trial. They look great, but I'm not convinced that I'm going to get the snug fit I might need out of them.
Therefore I'm importing some from USA. They are a chinese prefold nappy system, apparently fantastic for absorbancy, and then you can use a snappi or put a cover over them. There are a stack of different covers you can use, the main brand in USA for diaper service is Pronaps.
The nappies work out at about $20US a dozen (the exchange rate is very good at the moment) and the covers about $7 each. They reckon that 3 doz nappies and 4-6 covers should be plenty.
I'm going to use flushable liners to help with the poo, then soak, using 2 buckets. Hopefully it will mean washing alternate days.
I'm really excited about my decision, and shane fully supports it too - he's used to cloth, so hopefully it will all work out. BUT!! There will be leaks, night changes and other events to contend with so I'm keeping an open mind. I'll certainly have some disposables on hand for emergencies.
If you want any of the info I have looked for regarding cloth, email me at fjwolff@optusnet.com.au (cause I'm not supposed to post it here.....)
Cheers
Fiona
Fi ,
I used some pre folded ones they were great, had a long bit in middle so you could position that in the correct bit for boy/girl.
with a liner I rarely had to change during the night & Maddy was toilet trained totally day & night at around 21-22 months...
I had seen my sisters son carry on like a pork chop when at 2 yrs of age she introduced a potty, so as soon as Maddy could sit, I'd pop her on the potty, on a bunny rug eating toast watching Hi5. she was never scared of it & usually from about 9 months did her morning poo in it. So she kind of knew what it was & was not introduced to it all of a sudden.. She would stand up & look shake her head & say No poo's yet! Then would sit back down.....
OOOH, I am getting cluckier just thinbking about being able to do this all over again!!!!!
I chose Cloth for environmental & cost reasons too!
We use cloth at home and disposables when we go out. Nappy liners are the best things invented! We soak in Napisan for 24 hours and then wash, always dry on the line because sunlight is the best for getting rid of discolouration.
My DH is a greenie and prefers it that way!
However, during the day at day care Alex has disposables because that is their policy.
When you've finished having babies, cloth nappies apparently make great dusters!
(not that I dust, that's just what Granny told me!)
CLOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay let me tell you my story about turning to cloth...we decided when I was pregnant that we would use cloth, I was thinking "idealistically" and when Felix was born you get those free huggies at the hospital and I was kind of hooked..the ease and all that..I just came home and looked at all those terry falst to fold and though...ugggh..plus the huggies worked so well...I thought okay at 1 month I will do it..that month went by and around 6 weeks I tried some of the fitted nappies a friend had bought (fluffies brand ..don't GO there they are just a bit of flannel and sponge..useless!) and of cousre they leaked...AHH I said SEE! there you go they don't work and felt happy I had trialled them and they didn't work well..I just thought I'd done my bit.
It wasn't until my computer crashed and I was really bored I thought I'd have another go, this time I research folds and got some better covers and Felix was 3.5 months old..and it worked really well! At first I used to wet pail (with napisan etc) and wash every day! I still used disposables at night and for going out
A friend then bought me my first "fitted" hemp night nappy to convince me that I could go cloth at night, after a trial with a hemp night nappy and a lanolised woolen cover..with absolutely no leaks I was hooked! I bought another nappy and haven't looked back since! It NEVER leaks.
The key to cloth is the covers..the cheap ones are okay but if you are serious about cloth then invest in the better quality stuff. I then bought some fitted terry nappes from Bubba J and PUL covers which are very lightweight and breathable..and just great~!
Then I discovered Dry pailing, which is just putting the nappies into a pail with no water and then washing with half the prescribed detergent and then a second rinse load of half a cup of vinegar..SO easy
THEN I decided that this was all SO easy I would do cloth while out...so I invested in some pocket nappies called "wonderoos" which are PUL outers and micro fleece inners and a removable pockets of absorbant liners! They are just WONDERFUL and fit from birth to toddlers..so now I use cloth going OUT too!
As for saving money..if I could curb my addiction to new cute fitted nappies I would be, but I have quite a stash now..but i keep thinking "well I'm having another baby or two so it's an investment!" So long term I'm saving..also the more nappies I have the more time between wash days!
Not to meant the environmental advantage and they are SO cute, I actually feel good putting them on..never had that feeling with a disposable!
So whatever you decide to do at first, just remember if you cahnge your mind or want to try the "otherside" it's not too late, be careful or though you may end up addicted like me!
PN: Anyone who wants to know more about where to find these graet nappies email me and I'll send you the websites