Just bought a cushie tushie, what do i do next?

ok so its late at night, and i cant sleep, and i have been thinking about getting cloth nappies for a while, so while hubby is in bed i just purchased my first nappy, but i have no idea what to do when i get it.
I thought i would just get one to see if hubby and i like them and if we can see our selves using more, so i purchaed a cushie tushie couture, i assume when i get it i have to wash it, but do u hand wash, machine wash, wash bag, normal wash powder, fabric softer, etc..
I dont hand wash and i dont use fabric softer, i use my clothes dryer, as my line is not "working".

so basically, any advice on what to do with it would be good (besides using it, lol), also im hoping it actually fits, he is 12 months old but wears size 0, which are a bit big, i got the osfm.

tia my wonderful bb clothies in the know.

Machine wash with minimal detergent (I use half the recommended amount on nappies) No Fabric Softener Ever!! A clothes dryer is fine on low. As many pre washes as you want, but they will increase in absorbency the more you do. There is a care label on the booster, JIC you forget.

My DDs wear CT's most of the time. DD1 has it on the outer 2 snaps, and she wears size 2, and DD1 has it on the next 2 in, and she wears size 0-1. We started using cloth when she was about 7 months old I think, and most of our stash is CTs. There is a pic on the site of one on a 10 day old, and plenty of them on toddlers.

If the fit is not right for you bub, then let us know and we can figure out where the fit is not right, and I know a number of the clothie girls will know of brands that have a different fit.

Thanks so much alioops, im very excited to try the cloth, and a little nervous at the same time,lol.
When i had my first almost 8 yrs ago, i purchased the flat terry toweling, after a week, i got sick of washing and folding them, and hubby couldnt get the grip of it all, so he wanted to use spossies, i never knew theses fancy nappies excisted till recently, and if it wernt for the fact that we are ttc#6, hubby would have said no, so i thought id try some on kainne, then get more when i concieve for the new bub, after 5 kids u can imagine the cost i have spent on disposables in just over 7 yrs, and having 2 in nappies at 1 time is just so costly.
I got the lightblue with white spots minky, it looks so cute, i cant wait till it arrives.

How long can there wear them before u have to change nappies, he is a medium wetter, if that makes sence.
and do i need to add anything else to it, or is it ready to go, iykwim, also what is the difference between the night nappies?

i just noticed that u are a cushie tushie consultant, lol,.

Heys Anila, welcome to the world of MCN!!!!

I only every used the dryer for the first couple of months with all my nappies, its very addictive though! :nappy:

Check out this thread: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...new-users.html

To answer your Q's -

How often do you change? Well, with a new nappy, I change after about 2 hours until it's at full absorbancy. As long as you've washed it at least once (pop it in with the towels!) it's right to go, just won't be as absorbant. So at first, go for an hour, and then about 2 hours until it's had about 8 washes in total.

You may find it handy to check out the classifieds here, or second-hand nappies on buy4baby when you're getting started.

What's a night nappy? It's a nappy with more layers of absorbtion. Most night nappies have around 8 or more layers of bamboo or hemp etc.

And now for some answers to questions you haven't (yet) asked!

Fabrics ... Fabrics have varying levels of absorbancy & fluid uptake - in other words, how much & how long. Generally speaking, the faster a fabric takes up liquid, the less liquid it can hold.

Fastest fabric: Microfibre. It's the cloths you use to clean your car with - they take up liquid very quickly, but don't hold much of it. Don't put this against bub's skin, its very rough. Use as a stuffer for pocket nappies, preferably with other, more absorbant fabrics.

Flannelette: Takes up liquid quickly, holds a bit.

Terry: again, quick but holds more than flanenelette.

Bamboo: holds a lot of liquid, is slower to take up liquid.

Hemp: holds the most liquid, but takeup is the slowest.

Covers: So many covers, so little time! You only need covers if you're using a fitted nappy.

Covers are in 3 broad groups:

PUL - Waterproof, great for baby carrying, car trips & stroller. Any time where there will be pressure against the nappy and you don't want the pee to leak through :D Not ideal for bubs to sleep in though, as it doesn't allow much air circulation.

Fleece - Does get pressure leaks, but is great for every-day wear. Keeps the air circulating and are the softest, plus easy to clean.

Wool - Works through absorbing the liquid and letting it evaporate. Takes a little more care and should be lanolised, but only need washing once a week (usually) provided you air them between wears. Does get pressure leaks.

Good luck!

The girls have given you great info!! :)

Welcome to the world of MCN, I guarantee you this nappy won't be your last, LOL.

Being in brissy I don't think you'll have this worry with drying but I personally find my nappies come up cleaner with just a water wash.....no detergent at all, and even better if it's a warm wash. I also find that when I am using my dryer to dry the nappies they seem to start to smell after a few goes in the dryer so the sun is a great way to dry them and keep them smelling fresh!

GL!

Thanks for the welcome girls, i hope i did buy the right kind of nappy now, i just wanted something that i didnt have to think about, lol, hubby friendly! and i wanted something cute as well.
Kazbah thanks for the thread, ill give it a read now.

Now im like a kid at xmas, i want my parcel to arrive.

also how come it gets more absorbant the more u wash it?

Anila the CT coutures can be used overnight with a trifold booster and soaker, It is what we usually use. A soaker is a wool cover.

Thanks alioops, i have already chosen my next ct, if i like this one! (choc bubbles so cute)
ok so yet another question from this little learner, do u need to put them in a wash bag? or just throw in the wash?
(I had to go for my driving lesson so didnt get to read all of the other link, which i will do now, lol.)

I just unsnap the boosters and throw them in as is (poo removed though) I havent had any issues with them getting snagged, because they aren't velcro. If you want to use a washbag to keep it all together you can, but i dont bother.

I don't know the exact science behind it but it's true, the more hemp or bamboo is washed the better it absorbs. Dunno why but it does!!

I'm sure the CT will be great :) Thing is with MCN is that a lot of the time it's a hit and miss....you just have to take the plunge and try, and like Ali said, then you get to know what's a good fit and what's not. The girls on here are very knowledgeable and there's another great forum out there called Nappycino which is dedicated to cloth and also a fantastic resource. It's a whole new world out there ;)

May I ask how long the CT's take to dry outside in winter? We are without a drier...so it's outdoors or nothing.

Depends where you are Amanda. Indoors on an airer will take 2 days, outdoors in the rain will take ages. In QLD though they will dry fast in dry season.

I don't have a CT but my AIO's on a sunny Tassie day :rofl: are hung out and then air overnight. ON a really hot day they dry no probs.

becstar, i just noticed that ur bubs is the same age as mine, march 08, what brand of aio do u use?

ok rather than start a new thread im just going to put this here, i got my fluffy mail today and im sooooooo dissapointed!!
I am not happy with the condition of my nappy, i did not buy through cushie tushie as i wanted the blue with white spots and they did not have any, so i bought from a company that has a web store and also sold a few on ebay, i purchased mine through the ebay store as i already have pay pal set up etc...
anyway post was only $5 and came express, so was very happy with that, then as i ripped open the post bag, and pulled out my nappy straight away i saw 2 faults, the first being that it has rust couloured flecks all throughout the nappy, the second that the cushie tushie label was not sewn on properly the top stiching had missed the whole label completely, so feeling ripped off and feelind disapointed i inspected the nappy further, the top stiching on the nappy is all crooked and some thread is hanging out from it, im sure cushie tushie would not have let this type of nappy leave its factory, so wondered if i have purchase a "seconds" nappy, it was stated that the nappy is new, and i do believe that it has not been used, but it does not say if it was a factory second.
I dont mind if i bought a factory second had it been stated that way, but i would not ahve paid $35 for one.
Im not sure what to do next, i can live with the faults, its just so disapointing when u pay alot of money for something that u are expecting to be perfect, i have not yet left feedback, and if i return the nappy its at my cost, i have not told hubby that i bought this nappy, but im sure he will see it on the bank statements.
I knew i should have just chosen another design and bought from cushie tushie, im so bummed right now, this was supposed to be a step in the right direction, now i feel like its a set back, i have been trying to convince hubby for 6 mnths to go cloth, how am i supposed to do that now with a dud nappy.

I took some photos with my mobile, just to document them.

what should i do or should i just leave it and use it and hope next time i get a better result?

Oh wow, I've never had that happen, I hope one of the girls come in with some better advice...

I love my Cushie Tushie's.... But have only bought from them or reputable stores, that the girls in here all use....

I hope this hasn't marred your start to mcn babe, it is wonderful, but I'd be inclined to enquire about the nappy with the place you bought it, and Cushie Tushie.... I wouldn't think they'd be happy to know you paid that price for an inferior nappy....

I would contact the seller about it, They should then get in contact with Shell (the owner). If you havent heard anything within a couple of days (Shell is pretty quick with her responses) then contact Shell direct. I would also ask them to refund return postage if they want it sent back, but Shell is usually pretty quick and efficient with replacements. Hope you can get it sorted out quickly hun!! Keep us updated.

I would say contact the store you got it from first becuase it is their fault for providing a poor product. They may not have stored it properly or something and that could explain the damage. They should have the brains not to sent you a product that looks that damaged.

Hubby and I ordered straught off the CT website and all of ours looks great and neat. A tiny bit of fluff here and there from where the edges of the wipes frayed before being hemmed but as I said a *tiny* bit. The nappies themselves ALL look perfect.