cloth nappies need a how to guide

yhis might be a silly question but ...
im all for cloth and recently had this chat with my mother . when talking modern cloth was meantioned . her blank look and my lack of information , left her to purshace 12 terry flats .

i would personally like a few fitted in the nappy stash . What are the best & what do u need to get to go with them ? i dont understand the diff of hemp , wool and what the is pul ? do i need liners if so which ones do what and can i use these in terry flats ? do i need covers which covers , pockets - why do u need to stuff them ? do u need a linner or boster ( whats the diff ) in an aio ? sorry for all the questions i am just so confused ??


im a young new mum - with lack of knowledgeable ppl to ask - so i would apprechiate your comments .

You have come to the right place :)
Ok this is what I have learned.
1st off you need GiGi to come in this thread, Im sure she will at some point.

Now what I can tell you.
Hemp is absorbant
Bamboo is absorbant
Wool is for covers
PUL is another material used for covers. Its like a plastic but its not, it breathes
Malden mills is a fleece often used as covers as well.
Prefolds are like your old flats but have a absorbant layers in the middle. So its like having your flat nappy "prefolded" to where you need the absorbant bits.
Fitted nappies need a cover.
AIO (all in one) is just that, a fitted nappy with a built in waterproof layer. so thats it just grab your AIO & put it on, job done. But can take longer to dry.
POcket Nappies are a nappy made of two layers with a opening at one end so you can add your absorbant material inside it. these are good so you can make the nappy as absorbant as you need it but then can pull it all apart for faster drying. The outter layer is usually waterproof so no cover is needed.
Longies/Shorties & soakers- These are all wool covers. Longies are long pants, Shorties are shorts & soakers are like pull on undies. You lanolise them & you have a fantastic water proof cover that breaths & keeps bub warm in winter & cool in summer.

My Favs are a nice fitted made from hemp or bamboo teamed with a wool cover (longies/shorties etc)

eta - seems like a lot to take in seems there are so many different MCN on the market but really its pretty simple once you get into it. I have only been using cloth since June. Now I am using them full time & making my own.

you can make your own liners for terry flats or any other nappy. jus cut polar fleece into appropriate shapes.

by the way, terry flats rock!

fold them into gaynor or jo fold for newborns, bat/chinese fold from about 5 weeks on. v. absorbant - better containment than prefolds and the same result.

dry super fast, real cheap. tuck the legs in as you put them on with a snappy nappy, add a good cover and bingo - almost poo proof! (MUCH more poo proof than a sposie or an AIO.)

Heh! I like the term "Poo Proof". Sometimes it seems nothing can withstand the mightiest of bum explosions from my 5 month old son.

What's a snappy nappy?

We've been using disposables ever since our nappy service subscription ran out. Simply 'cos wife dreads endless hours of laundry plus the confusion about the abundence of choice in regards to modern cloth nappies. I know it's uneconomical and not good for the environment- but the convenience is addictive.

Have a read of allaboutnappies.com

It truly will answer any question and if not, email them - they wrote back with SO much more info. Really helpful!

Paisley, they also give advice about ease of washing etc. GL!

I am also thinking about purchasing MCN (a few to start with anyway). Am having a late April baby and where I live it tends to rain a lot over winter - am I mad to have cloth nappies with all of the washing, considering that they may take too long to dry in that weather? I guess I can pop them in the dryer?

Ali

Ali you can use cloth over winter fine in Melbourne.
A large stash helps as the more nappies you have in rotation makes it easier to deal with the rainy days. I have about 40 nappies all together of many different types.
I do try to limit my use of the dryer as I think it defeats the purpose of the environmental benefits of cloth to use all that power to dry them. There are times when I have resorted to using it though.
Pocket nappies are great as they dry a bit quicker cos you can pull the boosters out. They tend to dry overnight on the clotheshorse. Ai2's such as Berry Plush are great for quick drying also.