Need some help understanding stuff

We are going to use the bumgenius 3.0 version for this bub I have had some on layby for a few months now. I have beend reading up on the care instructions and I am a bit nuffy so I need some help clarifying a few things.

1 - Dry pailing - what is it exactly, what size bucket do you use etc
2 - I read somewhere about stripping the nappies but it doesn't say what that is or how to do it, I think it has something to do with reducing odour?
3 - what sort of laundry detergent - by name preferably I get so confused when I read all the labels, we have a front loader.
4 - I am a tad concerned about water comsumption because we have only 1 well and I really don't want to wash every 2nd day would prefer every 3rd-4th day (depends on bub though) can you wash with bubs clothes etc?
5 - how many do you have/use they recommend 24 min but given I want to limit washing I will need more so how many?
6 - Mum and I were discussing the nappies and she suggested when baby wets all you do is removed the liner - I think it would be the whole nappy can someone please clarify?
7 - any tips and tricks with odour reducing in the bucket, reducing staining etc aside from pre rinsing

Thanks so much if you have read this far, clearly I have no idea and I do have time to figure it all out but I want to print off as much as I can so when times comes I have an easy resource guide (for other peoples benefit as well)

Cheers all

Nae x

Ok Nae I'll give it a go.

1 - Dry pailing - Dry pailing is where you don't soak the nappy, like you used to with old style cloth. You just take the nappy off the bub, if its just a wee, then put it in the pail. Thats it. If its a poo, you can get a little squirt, squirt off the poo, dump it in the bucket. I use buckets that I picked up in the baby aisle in Big W - I have 3 buckets though cos I have two in cloth full time.

2 - I read somewhere about stripping the nappies but it doesn't say what that is or how to do it, I think it has something to do with reducing odour? Strip wash is usually done to remove any excess detergent from the nappy because that can mess with the absorbency of the nappy. Usually just a bit of dishwashing detergent and lots of rinses will do this for you. You don't need to do it all the time though.

3 - what sort of laundry detergent - by name preferably I get so confused when I read all the labels, we have a front loader. I use the amolin sensitive one, but I have a top loader, so not sure about a front loader one.
4 - I am a tad concerned about water comsumption because we have only 1 well and I really don't want to wash every 2nd day would prefer every 3rd-4th day (depends on bub though) can you wash with bubs clothes etc? You can wash with bub's clothes. Do a pre-wash or rinse, then throw the clothes in. Personally, I wouldn't leave pee in the nappies for 3/4 days cos the ammonia in the wee might start to wreck your nappies if not rinsed out soon enough.
5 - how many do you have/use they recommend 24 min but given I want to limit washing I will need more so how many? I went through heaps when DD was a newborn - not so many now. She probably gets changed about 7 times a day, same with DS. This is only because they are in a nappy for 12 hours of a night time though. If they needed changing during the night, then it would be more than that. I say 8 a day is a pretty safe number. Then you have to factor in how long they take to dry etc.

6 - Mum and I were discussing the nappies and she suggested when baby wets all you do is removed the liner - I think it would be the whole nappy can someone please clarify? Depends what nappy you are talking about. If you are talking about pockets, then you can just remove the insert and still use the shell with new inserts in them. I just chuck mine in the wash with both wees and poos though - cos I have enough nappies to do this.
7 - any tips and tricks with odour reducing in the bucket, reducing staining etc aside from pre rinsing. Reducing stains - hang them in the sun. That's it. Odour reducing in bucket - I rinse my buckets often and put them out in the sun as well. People use tea tree oil or lavender and stuff like that on breast pads and hang them inside the bucket. I don't need to do that cos I wash so often. Plus I also rinse all my wee nappies in the shower with me of a night time, so even though I wash every 2nd day, I still rinse them out IYKWIM?
Is that enough? lol

Thanks Arimeh for your reply its awesome,

Could you do a little rinse and wring of the wee nappies then pop them into the pail to reduce the intensity of the amonia?

Dh and I have talked about installing another large tank to help feed the well but it will be a big and expensive job 5K-8K for the size tank we want then we'll need a plumber put gutters on the top shed and we'll have to dig quite a trench to run the water to where the well is. Am going to look into grants and rebates but its tough because we live on a farm so its a bit different then if I was in the city with town supplies.

It is something we need to do anyway as I never want to have to pump dam water into the house well like MIL did - it stinks.

Nae - since I've been rinsing mine in the shower, the smell of my buckets has reduced dramatically. My eyeballs no longer spin around in their sockets when I take the lid off the bucket;)

I'm just going to comment on the ones that I could add more to :) instead of repeating everything that has been said already.

3 - what sort of laundry detergent - by name preferably I get so confused when I read all the labels, we have a front loader.
I dont know of any brands specifically, but I think I read somewhere that powder is better than liquid. I personally use liquid though. Used to have powder but the machine didnt go so well with powder and used to leave litttle powdery bits. I have a top loader and use a liquid that is suitable for front loaders.

4 - I am a tad concerned about water comsumption because we have only 1 well and I really don't want to wash every 2nd day would prefer every 3rd-4th day (depends on bub though) can you wash with bubs clothes etc?
I tend to wash about every 3 or 4 days. It just means you need more nappies if you intend on using on cloth nappies. I do wash cloths with the nappies, but I rinse all the poo and stuff off the nappies first. Usually, I just wash the nappies with like underpants, pants, socks etc. I just cant bring myself to wash my bras with the nappies!

5 - how many do you have/use they recommend 24 min but given I want to limit washing I will need more so how many?
I have about 15 nappies. But Claire is alsmot 2 so only goes through about 4 a day because she takes them off and sits on the toilet when she needs to go. When she was younger I'd estimate we would have gone through maybe 8-10 each day? She used to poo so much though so as soon as there was a poo in there I had to change it, but they can hold a few wees before it gets a bit too much.

6 - Mum and I were discussing the nappies and she suggested when baby wets all you do is removed the liner - I think it would be the whole nappy can someone please clarify?
Not sure as we dont use liners here. But the nappy can definately hold a few wees so you dont need to change it for every wee. I guess it would depend on how full the nappy is though. It can only hold so much liquid and then it will start leaking. If youre using fitted nappies with a cover, you could just put a new nappy on and then re-use that cover I guess. We use pocket nappies in our house, and the insert gets really wet as dont the inside lining bit of the nappy so I'd just change the whole nappy once it was too full.

7 - any tips and tricks with odour reducing in the bucket, reducing staining etc aside from pre rinsing
If its a poo, I rinse off the poo. Her poos arent too bad, but sometimes she'll do a stinker and I just have to flush it down the loo to get rid of the smell. Wee smells horrid if left in the dry pail for a few days, so I try to rinse them if I know its going to be a few days before I wash them. You can actually get little sprays from MCN shops that smell nice and sort of deoderise the nappy bucket. The sun is really good for getting the stains out. It just sort of bleaches it and can get out some of the stains that washing alone doesnt.

Nae

Just wanted to say big congrats on your pregnancy!

take care,

Kate