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I really want to get flannyl nappies for when bubs is just newborn, as, i have heard that they are not as bulky as the terry.
But, i cant find any. If i just buy a couple of meters of material, and cut it up, do i need to hem the edges still? Or, being that type of material, will it just not fray?
And i suppose, is that way of thinking (not being as bulky) right? Will it be just as effective as using terry?
I used flannel nappies with Shelby until she was about 9 months old. Honestly you are changing them so frequently when they are little that they don't have time to leak, especially if you are b/feeding. Terry is definately too bulky on newborns and really stay that way until they are more mobile.
I priced up the cost of making my own, Spot light sell the material, and I would say you would definately be best to overlock the hems, with the amount of washing they would start to get very tatty. Saying that, I found target, and BIG W sold flannel nappies, (however you have to be quick) and they are slightly cheaper than making them surprisingly.
yeah - seen them once at Target at the Galleria - kicking myself now for not buying them! Have never seen them there since. But, also think the target galleria's baby section is abit crap. Have never seen them at Big W thou, again, have only looked at Mirrabooka. And, i dont have access to an overlocker, so, will keep on looking then.
Thanks for your input! :)
Do you go to Midland much? With all 3 stores, i figure its prob worth the bit of extra drive for me.
I've seen flannels at all the majors... I bought a dozen and a half, but TBH I didn't use them much - I found them still very bulky. When I did use cloth (I mostly used sposies :redface:) I ended up cutting terry flats in half and sewing a hem down the cut side. They were less bulky and I find terry more absorbent than flannels, even at half-thickness. I put a fluffy cover over the top.
I agree - that's what I found with the half-size terrys.:
i suppose, i could, in terms of absorbancy (and tell me if this is stupid) but if i use flannels for less bulk, could cut up a terry and use a booster?
How often do you change the baby? Is it after every feed?
Do you mean use the terry as a booster? Sorry - didn't follow that so well... Probably if you use a full flanny flat you wouldn't need the terry. (But I still found the full square flanny flat bulky.)
I use half-square terry flats folded into four as boosters or to stuff pocket nappies for Natalie now and I find them absorbent enough for her atm. (Though I wouldn't use terry o'night, only between feeds.)
I usually change after every feed.
I live out near Midland and tend to go there every Wednesday to do my shopping. I will keep an eye out for you this week if you like. I can always grab some for you if they have any and drop them in when I go see Michelle next. Next time I see you I will show you how to fold the flannel for a newborn, I found them very absorbant and didn't ever worry about boosters or anything, and didn't find them too bulky the way I folded them. I also have a friend with a 3 year old who still only wears flannel nappies (even at night, but he still wakes at least twice :redface: ) Once Shelby was old enough to sleep all night I started using terry then went to a disposable just at night, but up until then everytime she was fed I changed her.
I have just started buying pocket nappies to use at night instead of disposables, (smell better at 7 am after having it on for 12 hours)
Snacks - yep - that was what i ment! Congrats for figuring out my jumble of words :)
Clare - i figured you would shop at Midland lots - if you do see them, if you can grab some for me, would be great. I will see you at Alex's birthday i assume?
Mum2Bee
I have lots of flanny flats. I bought one lot new at Target and then 2 BB girls sold me theirs. Do you have access to the wanted/for sale thread? You could post in there and ask if anyone wants to sell their stash.
Much easier than making your own unless you have an overlocker.
Guess what!
I went to Target at the Galleria and "Surprise Surpise" they actually had some, 4 packets left, one had been opened, so grabbed the last 3 packets. Packs of 12 for $36.
Then, i went to Target in Joondalup, and they had Target brand ones in Packs of 6 for $13. So, i brought 7 packs.
Now, i just need to go back to Target Galleria, and return the ones that i brought there!. I felt to scabby to do it at Joondalup.
So, now i have 42 Flannel (or fleecy, i hope thats the same) and 36 terry. Will that be enough? Or should i get some more?
Kar, i dont think my member status allows me to post in the sale thread, so will just keep my eye out.
mum2bee
42 ought to be plenty unless you are only planning to wash every 4th day or so! Now you just need to find the right fold. Have you found the nappy lady website yet?
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yep I should imagine 42 flannel would be enough! I think I have about 20 flannel, 20 terry. Make sure you now start stocking up on plastic pilchers (get a few packets and start stocking up on different sizes) they can be quite hard to find sometimes too. I suggest the ones from Big W, they seem to be a softer plastic. Are you planning on using nappy pins or snappies? I found I had to shop around to get the best pin too!
i think snappies - they seem easier.
are the pilchers from big w, the same as the ones at woolies?
They are the same style, but a different brand. I just found the woolies ones were quite a hard plastic, but the Big W ones are alot softer/pliable plastic. Are you planning on using normal (huggies etc) baby wipes or are you going the whole hog and doing the flannel reusable wipes as well?
wipes - was just planning on having store brought ones for the nappy bag, but using flannels at home. Have heaps of them.
I would suggest you get about three decent PUL covers rather than plastic pilchers. PUL is water resistant, breathable and will last a few years (plus you can get some gorgeous colors and prints), opposed to plastic pilchers that crack, heat up and are more of a hassle to put on. Plus it kind of negates using cloth when you're still throwing away plastic on a regular basis IYKWIM? Hope I don't offend anyone here...not meaning to.
If you have a good fitting cover you wont need snappis - I used flanny flats with just a cover on Caty for her first few months and her nappy never came undone. Used the bat-butterfly-chinese fold under a BBH PUL cover.
HTH.
No offence taken, but the plastic pilchers from Big W are $1.89 for 3. If you hand rinse them and hang them to dry after use, they do last quite a while. I know that if they are put through the wash or dryer they do crack (but the cleaning instructions specify hand wash) You don't have to soak them, just rinse and hang them out. You can also afford to have enough so they can be changed at every nappy change, unlike the PUL where you may have to use the same cover a couple of times. PUL covers are nearly $20 each, that is an awful lot of plastic pilchers you can buy.
I do agree though that the PUL covers are nicer looking, but unless bubs is walking around without pants on I just don't see the point in nice colours and pretty prints. KWIM.
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"Plus it kind of negates using cloth when you're still throwing away plastic on a regular basis IYKWIM? "
You really don't throw them away that often. I think I may have thrown away only half a dozen pairs in 16 months with Shelby. I personally didn't go for the modern covers because $20 a pop was just to much money.
I do have to say though, I swear at my nappy pins every single time I use them. Most of them are blunt when you buy them or I put them through my finger.
i have to say - i was sooo tempted to go MCN as well - but the expense at using MCN as opposed to flats - i just couldnt do it. I have a few MCN - all in ones ( i think 6), for baby sitters (ie - my SIL's :) ) to make it easier on them if they want.
Economically - flats and pilchers are the way to go for me, and that is probably my biggest motivation when it came to the decision to go cloth over disposables. I have seen a few covers that i might be tempted to get and use in summer time for the odd occasion, but, not on a regular basis.
There are heaps of different methods, and theories - and time will only tell if mine is the right one for me! OMG less then 60 days now..... :)
hey there... im using mostly terry, MCN for overnight and big outings... bought a packet of what my mum calls "swans down" nappies from target... is this the same as you ladies are calling flannel flats?? if so how do u use snappis on them? ive tried and they wont go thru the fabric... any ideas would help as im busting to dye them and use them as they dry faster than terry and are o so soft
Edensmumma - not sure what 'swans down' nappies are - not heard of it before. But, what we are referring to as flats are the normal terry or fleecy flat nappies - about 60cm square.
Cant answer your question on snappies thou, havent got that far myself.
Edensmumma I am also not sure what "swans down" nappies are? Are they just a different fabric, but still square pieces of material?
Mum2bee, we used to buy a pack of disposables when they were on special for baby sitters, but ended up getting some MCN too. (we also don't have rubbish collection so disposables are not an option for us)
Also (after 16 months of washing cloth) I have discovered that homebrand powdered laundry bleach (coles have it in beechboro) is exactly the same as nappy san! Only it costs about $2 for a box as opposed to $6 for nappy san. I also found that homebrand nappy liners are just as effective as johnson and johnson ones, again $2.50 as opposed to $7.00!!! I also wash the liners if shelby has only wee'd on them (cheap skate I know)
Don't be afraid to go the cheaper option, most often they are just as good as the expensive stuff.
I've used flat flannel nappies for all 3 of my children and they are just starting to wear out. I am now boosting them with cut up (and overlocked) terry fabric rectangles. Regarding liners: I found the disposable ones to be too flimsy and annoying to use. Best bet (and most economical) are nylon triangles that almost cover the whole inside part of the nappy. Mine have lasted 3 babies and have been excellent; no moving around inside the nappy as it's being worn and less sticking to the baby's bottom when it's dirty. I don't know where my mother bought them from though (she bought them for me)... and they were bought about 10 years ago but I'm sure you could make your own.
Thanks heaps girls. Its very re-assuring to know that others are doing (and successfully) what you are planning on doing yourself.
Clare - dont worry - i will be abit of a cheap skate myself i think - have already got 2 boxs of liners ready to go. Just from woolies. Will check out the Coles homebrand ones as well. Will get some of the Laundry bleach as well - when i actually have a laundry back to put stuff into - oh the joys of renovations! Only a couple of weeks to go!
hey i forgot to say that you can see a piccy of one of my flannel nappies with reusable liner if you click on the link that says "website" above the ticker photo of my children in my signature. It's a direct link... no passwords/searching or opening albums etc. Click on the photo to see an enlargement.
bathsheba - how cute! (and NO, not the nappy!) Have never looked at your webpage before, and my heart just went - ooooooohhhh look at the little baby!!
Bloody preg hormones!! Niall is so cute!
But I get what you mean about the nylon bit now. The edges i assume are hemmed? The fold that you have used i think looks similar to the one that i was thinking of using (DH is excited, as he has the fold mastered!)
I have seen in woolies re-usable liners - although, i cant remember what they are made of, i think maybe cotton? They are a solid white material, which is why i am thinking cotton, but, cant recall.
Aw thanks :) yeah, he's extra cute at the moment... because he's sleeping! hehe
Regarding the liner fabric: it's overlocked and it's very important that it's not absorbant. The whole concept of a liner is that it allows the moisture to flow through to the absorbant nappy. The liner is meant to protect baby's skin from being too wet so it must kinda repell moisture if you know what I mean. As a baby grows older and is on solids the liner also helps to deal with poos... they help you to carry it to the toilet without scraping it off the actual nappy etc. The type of liner you see in my piccy work really well at keeping baby's bottom a little more drier even when the nappy is wet. if it was made out of cotton the wetness would be able to remain next to the baby's skin and cause a rash... so avoid cotton :) Hope this helps. Oh and the type of fold in that nappy is what i call The NewBorn fold... but as Niall is still quite little we are still using this fold at 10 months. And I use pins.
Just wanting to put it out there that...............no bleach is needed for nappies....dare you to just wash them without any soaking (put them in a bucket with a lid until the wash) then watch the sun bleach out all the stains and smells. Amazing.
Bathsheba - thanks for advise on liners. Still, since i dont have an overlocker, still no point me making them my self, but, if i see reusuable ones out and about, i know what to look for.
Chocolatecatty - does the same go for the middle of winter? That is part of the reason i have brought so many nappies, as i dont have a dryer, so, figure its prob best to have to many then no enough if we get stuck with a heap of wet days.
Bathsheba- yeh they are the ones i've got.... i think my mum calls them that caz she used to be a nurse?? so what do u use to do them up?? im so bad with pins, i use snappis on he terry's.
Gill... oooh that's a clue! My mum's a nurse too! maybe she nicked them from work instead of buying them! LOL They are so good... I've had them for 13 years and they are still as good as the day i first got them. What are they actually called? I think you made a typo :) I've never seen them in shops...
I use old fashioned nappy pins as well as snibs as a pilcher with a trainer pant over the lot. I had a snappi but it always fell off.
Chocolatecatty - I have been told that before about not needing to soak etc as the sun bleaches etc, but we found that because we only wash every 3 days (on rain water only so have to wait for a full load) the laundry STINKS even when they are left in a sealed bucket. I don't know why but I have also found that they have a slight acidic smell to them even after washing. Also, as far as winter goes, they definately still smell after being put through the dryer if they aren't soaked, currently having the same problem with my MCN.
i dont remember what the packet actually called them- dont think it did, but it was big softies brand? i think ill just have to be hardcore and use pins, i just get the poo's with them.
A trick with the pins is to rub the pointy end against your scalp before you push it through... a little old lady told me that and it works! Amazing. i think the idea is that it is slightly lubricated so it isn't so hard. Also buy good quality pins. Try a few different brands... i'm not sure what my favs are called but they are much better than most. Be guided by price... I think you get what you pay for in this instance. And ditch them when they get blunt or if they bend.
Stay away from the nappy pins you get at coles! Every single one I have bought is blunt from the get go. I always rub the pin through my hair before I use it, such a habit that now when I put on a MCN I still go to lubricate the pin :redface:
Yes, I can confirm that Coles nappy pins are cr@p. I think the best ones I bought were from a local baby shop called Baby Bunting... but I think that's only in Victoria. They have pastel coloured safety covers IYKWIM. The primary coloured ones (red/yellow) have always been rubbish.... that might just be coincidence though LOL
Hi ladies , just read over the thread , I have bought the triangle liners from woolies for about $2 each ... the work a treat.. they are by the little wishes brand !!
cheers
Ah yes winter isn't friendly, though even on overcast days the uv makes a difference to the stains but yeah, given that Caty's my first baby and hence I have no experience with drying nappies in winter....if there's no uv then there's no natural bleach. My flanny flats don't have a funny smell though. And the dryer makes all nappies hold onto smells...very annoying so I don't do it often.
Mum2bee - microfleece, or any fleece for that matter, doesn't need overlocking or even sewing.
Just confirming - is it 1 liner per packet?:
Thanks Nixonsmama for solving that mystery! It's bugged me for 13 years! I won't need to buy any more though... my current batch will definately see me through to the end. Oh and rack drying flat flannel nappies isn't too inconvenient... they dry faster than clothes. I just place my rack over a heat duct.
Hi all ,
yes its 1 per pack ! thats not too bad tho ,
and as for plastic pants, i didnt use them as ds had nappy rash soooo bad , I just popped training pants over a terry and it worked fine !! but if you left it too long they soaked thru... also Nylon pilchers are longer lasting and breathable too ... only in america tho but you can buy them on ebay search nappy covers and tick worldwide search ... you'll be surprised what you can find for a decent price !!