This way? Or that way?

Hi All!

For a while now I have been thinking about whether I will be going with the disposable nappies or with cloth nappies but really really unsure of what I want to do because this is my first baby and I really wouldnt have a clue!

I really like the idea of the cloth nappies because its good for the environment and I will be saving money and MCN's are pretty funky looking!

Disposable nappies I guess are more easier because once the are used then it just goes in the bin and you dont need to think any more about it. But not good for the environment and lots of money will be spent!

I had a quick chat to DP about nappies last night and I said that we would save alot of money going with cloth but he asked if I wanted to be washing nappies every day?!

I've looked through some of the threads on here about cloth nappies and am so overwhelmed by it all! What sort of advise would you give to a first time mum on cloth nappies - what nappies do you start with and then what are the next ones to go to when bub gets bigger?! There seems to be so many different types out there...

How much washing is involved with the nappies - does it need to be done every day or every few days?

What sort of saving would there be using cloth instead of disposable? I would think that it would be a huge saving!

Any other useful information would be great and hopefully I will be able to decide which way I want to go, at the moment I am leaning towards cloth...

TIA! :D

Hey Ngala

I'm not experienced in any nappies yet...but am I also really interested in using cloth.

I've been tracking the cloth nappies thread which helps explain some things...but I also found another website (allaboutnappies) which was fantastic at explaining the different types, washing techniques, what to use when, etc.

It's an Australian site written by a couple of mothers who love cloth nappies...

If you're unsure about it I would suggest for you to buy some flanellette flats. They are good for newborns, don't cost a lot to buy and have lots of uses such as over your shoulder for burp cloths, to line the cold plastic on the change table with, under the bum for nappy off time etc...so if you don't want to do cloth anymore you can still have use for them. I've still got the same two dozen that I bought when I was PG with Mason so they do last well.

As far as the workload is concerned, I've got 3 kids and am always doing washing so for me an extra load isn't much extra time for me IYKWIM. You get used to the icky factor and IMO it's dealt with and over pretty quickly so it's not that much of a big deal.

If you're considering buying some MCN first up then you could maybe try some prefolds or some of the multifit ones such as Baby Beehinds - I started getting these for Caleb when he was 8 weeks old and just for the record they fit Angus who is 3 1/2 (I got him to try one one but he refuses to wear them though because they are Calebs lol). I am trying to get him to come around as I still use a night nappy for him

I've had a round about journey with cloth over 3 babies. I used it first up, then went totally off it and now third time around I think it's great.
I wish I'd stuck to cloth looking back but at the time I couldn't cope, especially when Angus was a bub so I used sposies. But you do what you've got to do and if you decide it's not for you then don't feel badly for it.

Prefolds for a new baby are inexpensive too, they are one step more simple than flats and since you are having a winter baby they will dry faster than fitted nappies. Bummis brand sell a pack with liners, 36 prefolds and 6 covers for around $180-$200. Then you could upgrade to a one size fits all system. New bubs tend to have underdeveloped (or just really skinny) legs that change in shape REALLY fast, so flats and/or prefolds give a really good tight fit for better containment. My suggestion would be to start simple with prefolds and then buy a few different brands until you know what you'd like to use full-time. Prefolds are more work than fitteds to put on, but not too much, so if you give up and find you'd prefer to use disposables then at least you've only spent $200...You might as well give it a go :) All the best...Oh definately start watching the cloth nappy thread and googling!

Hey guys

Can you start with AIO or pockets with newborns...or do they not fit well?

I've seen the newborn size bumgenious and they are oh so cute!
Guess it depends on how skinny bub is as it may be too hard to get a good enough fit to contain poo and also the cost. They do heaps of growing and fattening up in the first 12 weeks so not sure if it would be as economical to use a lot of them.
Have a look at buyena as newborn sizes come up on there from time to time.

A couple of quick answers:

Money savings - disposables averages about $1000 per year.. so say $2500 from birth to TT (for each child!) and that's allowing for buying in bulk and on special. Cloth - can be as cheap as buying 2 packets of flat nappies for $50! I have spent maybe around $700 on MCN? I haven't actually added it up LOL. But there'll be hardly anything spent on nappies for subsequent kiddies (unless there's some irresistably cute nappies I just HAVE to have!)

Washing - I wash every couple of days. And it's very little effort.. you just chuck the nappy in a dry bucket.. then in a couple of days, empty the bucket into the machine and wash! easy! So it's not like you're spending a lot of time in the laundry or anything :)

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Disposable nappies I guess are more easier because once the are used then it just goes in the bin and you dont need to think any more about it.

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I used to think the same thing Veronica. But... did you know it's actually law to dump the poo into the loo before throwing the nappy out?? I had NO idea about this (it's apparently on sposie packets but who reads them??). So... actually, you probably DO have just as much hassle with sposies when you factor in having to dump the poo aswell! LOL
One more argument FOR cloth nappies I reckon ;)

Also.. you won't be washing nappies every day once you get a good stash happening. I wash every 3 days. I dry-pail (just dump the poo then throw the nappy into a bucket with a lid) then wash when I have a load's worth. Not hard at all :) It's kind of fun hanging the nappies up and then putting them together once they're dry. It's not a chore like regular clothes washing ;)

As far as savings go... cloth nappies will cost you a few hundred (maybe more if you get addicted like most tend to do!). Either way, you're looking in the "hundreds of dollars" category but spread out over time. If you start collecting now and build up a good stash, you'll be surprised how easy it is to do! Ok... on the flip-side... a baby in full time disposables will put you in the "thousands of dollars" category. They cost a fortune!!

I'd definitely go with some baby beehinds nappies. Grab a trial pack (the day-night one is a good one). They're great value for money. Better still, you could have a baby beehinds demo at your house! I had one of these at my place and it was GREAT! I had stacks of people show up (mainly out of curiosity) but I learned SO much. There's other places that do nappy demos at your place too... not sure how many do them in Perth but I imagine there'd be some.

HTH matey!

WOW I didnt realise that you actually had to dump the poo out of a disposable nappy before binning it!! After I posted, I thought that you do have to worry about the nappies once you bin them cause the bin could start stinking...

Thanks everyone. I will keep on reading and I will jump in to the sticky thread too and try and follow along. Would it be worth going back and reading the very first one?? Because you are at 40 something right now and I wont know what is going on! I think the best thing to do is to buy some prefolds and see how I go... I think my sis may have given me some cloth nappies that she never used, I will have to dig them out and have a look what they are.

Another question, how do the dad's go with cloth nappies?? I guess a big concern would be that DP will not be too keen on them because he may see them as too much hard work.

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Would it be worth going back and reading the very first one?? Because you are at 40 something right now and I wont know what is going on!

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Nah - we repeat ourselves a lot in there ;) Just jump in and start asking questions :)

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Another question, how do the dad's go with cloth nappies?? I guess a big concern would be that DP will not be too keen on them because he may see them as too much hard work.

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Remind him of the $$ saved LOL. My DH has been really good with it.. hasn't balked at any of the nappies. I think he finds it a challenge to work out what goes with what, when to boost, when to line.. etc. hehe. He's been fine from the word go :) I think some guys appreciate the nappies being completely ready to go tho so they don't have to think too hard ;)

Ooo yeah! The bin stinks BIG time! I used to Gag when throwing Gabby's nappies out.
I'm so glad I do cloth now. Since we've moved to a small town, we don't have as good a garbage system as Geelong. In Geelong we had a massive green-waste bin, an equally as large recycle bin, then a small garbage bin. We'd fill all the bins most weeks with no hassle (recycle and green waste only gets collected once a fortnight). Here, all we get is the small garbage bin! No recycling at all!! I was mortified when I first got here. So it means everything has to go in the rubbish bin... a bin I used to fill with no hassle in Geelong even without the recycling!! If I had to throw nappies out aswell, we'd have SO much rubbish left over.

Neil isn't confident with the clothies but he wasn't exactly confident with disposables either. I reckon the Dads cope ok with whatever type you end up going with cos, well, there'll come a time when they'll just have to! LOL
Just be patient with him. You'll probably change way more nappies than him so you'll get more practice. He might make mistakes (put a day-time nappy on for night or vice-versa) but it's not worth having a go at him about it or else you'll scare him off completely! LOL
I make it easier for Neil (and anyone else) by putting all the nappies together after they are washed so that they are ready to go. Neil doesn't have to worry about which bits go with which nappy - he just has to take one off the shelf and pop it on her. I've labelled the shelf too with nappies that "don't need a cover" and nappies that "do need a cover". Then there's a container with covers in it. Neil generally just goes with the nappies that don't need a cover (it's built-in).

Veronica - hi - i also going cloths. At this stage am going to go mainly flats, but have a few of the One SIze fits All from Baby Beehind (i think that where i got them from) just to try them out. It was abit overwhelming for me to buy off the internet, espically since i didnt really know what i wanted/needed/was best. Despite best advise from others on BB, all babies are different, and the idea of spending $30 on a MCN without knowing how good it would be was abit scary.
As far as savings go, depend on which website you read, I think 4 - 5grand per child on disposable nappies. Also says anywhere over 150years for the nappy to break down.
My DH is all for the cloths. We figure 4 or 5 grand better spent on a holiday, or the home loan, then on disposables. Get your partner involved. We have had a few nappy folding sessions in front of the computer, and being a typical male, they enjoy it if they can figure out how to do the fold before you can....so, they get a kick out of being able to contribute. Well, not all men, but, mine does.
Clare (from Perth) is a flat nappy person, and i quizzed her abit on using them at the first perth meet i went to. Perhaps next time you come along, ask her a few questions. I felt it was abit easier to talk face to face, and acutally see it in practise. I didnt know Shelby was even in cloth, until Clare told me. And that was benefit for me.
I am getting flannyls from Target for newborn baby. Apparently not as bulky as the terry.

Hey Veronica!

As a first time mum to be as well I have also been really confused about cloth and have debated whether or not to give them a go. After reading the cloth nappy threads I've decided to try!

So I've got some terry flats which were given to me (about 12 I think) and I'm also going to get some prefolds. Also as already suggested I'm going to order some sample packs of fitted nappies, probably baby beehinds as they seem to be highly recommended and maybe some others (not sure yet which ones, I'm open to suggestions ladies!). Then once bubs arrives I will just see how I go and then order more of whichever I like the best!

Anyhow this way if it all seems too hard then I haven't spent too much money. Also someone suggested to me that I try alternate days of sposies and cloth and then that way there won't be too much washing to do in the beginning whilst I adjust to new baby etc.

As for my DH, at first he wasn't sure about cloth either but when I told him how much money we would save he suddenly changed his mind lol! He is now happy to give it a try!

Lis - you can't go past the baby beehind bamboo nappies (the coloured ones). They are lovely and soft and really absorbant! They take a bit longer to dry than the hemp ones (which are also great nappies!). You'll find that you'll get a feel for them over time anyway.

And.. hey... there's no rules to say you can't use sposies occasionally. I do! They certainly have their place. I use cloth the majority of the time and disposables when travelling or when Gabby is having extra sloppy poo moments! hehehe

Thanks Debbie - Yes I am going to try the baby beehinds bamboo. They look really cute! I'm a little worried that they may take too long to dry though and I'm having a winter bub! Anyhow I'll get one and find out!

Yes I will use sposies as well, I did mean to say that! Especially seeing I have been given two big boxes of the huggies newborns!!!

Lis - you'll find yourself getting pretty creative with drying. In winter I'd hang them out on the clothes horse (unless it was raining of course) then bring them inside and pop them in front of the heater when the sun went down. We muddled thru.

I am brilliant at using the flats when the baby is newborn but once they start wriggling I end up giving up - so I'm hoping thats where mcn will be a help.

Veronica hope its ok to ask this on your thread, but in regards to the poo issue, obviously you dispose of what you can in the loo, but there will still be poo on the nappy, how do you find the smell if you dry pail them, and dont wash for a few days?

Also (sorry Veronica xo) I am going away for 5 weeks when bubs will be 7 weeks old so have decided I will use disposables whilst away (I know I could probably manage both, but we'll be travelling a fair bit, so just think life will be easier), does this mean I should be able to go straight for the all in one's? - that they will fit?

Had another question but lost it - thanks.

Kris - apparently dry pailing is less smelly than old way of soaking (and napisan isn't good for MCN because it can ruin the elastic). With the lid on, we hardly ever notice the smell. When Gabby's wees are a bit iffy it can get stinky but I've only got to suffer through it whilst I throw them in the washing machine. Not too bad really. No different from having to open the lid of the garbage bin and cop a whiff of that... ewwwww!! LOL

Kris - more than likely your bub will be big enough by then to use the fitted nappies. AIO's are good but you'll find that different nappies suit different purposes. Fitted nappies with a cover tend to last longer (imo) and are good for at home and night time. Pocket nappies dry really quick because you wash and dry all the bits separately. You can also boost them up where you need it boosted (perhaps bubby tends to wee at the front more?). There are AIO's that have "snap-in" inserts (so they're not really AIO's) so they dry quickly too.
I guess it's good to try different types of nappies. If you buy heaps of the one sort and they turn out to be not-so-good, you won't feel like you've got your money's worth. Does that make sense?
I find that Gab has stages too. She never used to be a heavy wetter but, lately, she's a peeing machine!! So nappies that used to be good on her don't cut the mustard anymore unless I boost them up some more. It's all trial and error but it's good to have options :)

Kris - no worries for jumping in!! The smell from the bucket was another thing I was thinking about...

Well I have just found the cloth nappies that I got from my sis and they are just plain cream ones called Flannelette Nappies from Flufflies. They seem to be very thin. I dont know if my sis ever tried them out, I will need to ask her.

The folding instructions not look too hard!! May need to get a doll to practise tho :p