Um...It's like I am reading in a different language... Cloth confusion

[myturn]

So.... I know its early days... But.... I think I'm going cloth with the nappies.... So.... I'm reading these threads and I am confused by all the brands and lingo... So.... Can someone please direct me where to start.... I think I want those ones with the clip insert things... Although I will probably consider folding ones too as my parents used them with all of us, and I remember them with my little brother (who is 18 years younger than I) and they weren't too bad... The fitted ones just look nicer.... So.. My questions....

Which brands I should investigate.... ?
how much should I spend.... Ie... How will I know of I am being conned....
what do all the lingo acronyms in here mean, cause it seriously just reads like a whole load of jargon and I am confused!

i might come back with more questions, but for now I just want to know where to start! And you guys have so much experience it seems silly for me to reinvent the wheel!

[OceanPrincess]

Lol you are very funny Another language is about right!

There will be a baby expo coming up in March, if you wait til then you can get your hands on them, touch them and work out which one you think would be better. Actually see them, give them a feel and put them together. They have good specials sometimes too.

Let me try and give you a brief run down. From my point of view

Two basic groups. All in one, or nappy + cover. All in one the waterproof layer is attached. Nappy plus cover the nappy needs some sort of cover. Covers can be made of all sorts of materials but mostly either PUL (breathable plastic), wool or micro fleece. With me so far?

The nappy part of the nappy plus cover combo can be as complex or simple as you like. And likewise - as cheap or expensive as you like Cheapest way to go is flat nappies - like what your parents wold have used. Terry towelling or flannelette are the most common. Like $10 or $15 for a packet of 20 somewhere like Target or Big W. Covers range in price.

Then you get into fitted nappies. Can be made from bamboo, hemp, cotton, all sorts of material. Shaped like a disposable nappy. Dead easy to use. Elastic around the legs and waist. Velcro or popper fastening.

So back to the all in ones. They are also fitted nappies, with the same elastic shaping and Velcro or popper fastening. But they have the cover attached. All in one.

How we doing so far?? I haven't even started on pockets or snap ins

[HotI]

if you are going to start with a newborn, you probably want to look at sized nappies (small, med, large) rather than osfm (one size fits most)

you can often get newborn or small nappies second hand in great condition. people sometimes change their mind (and don't use them at all) or they only get used for 4-6 months, and so still in good condition.

for newborns, i like prefolds with a cover (similar to the old style nappies you fold, but they have a middle panel that is already 2-3 layers so don't need as much folding) or fitted nappies with a cover.

when baby gets to medium size, i prefer ones that don't need a cover. so, either all-in-ones (aio s), pockets (where you put an absorbent pad in a 'pocket' of the nappy), or snap ins (where the absorbent pad/booster gets attached by snaps)

I am a bit of tight ass and never spend more than $15 on a nappy. I have bought heaps second hand, or get them on sale. Sign up to the nappy companies' newsletters you like, cos they all have sales fairly often.

darlings downunder sell different brands and have some good info and pics of nappies if you want some visuals of what each type looks like.

[Ladylove]

Hello! Yes I agree with Hotl re sized nappies to start with. We used a bunch of smalls to start with (plus a few brands made especially for newborns as we still got leaks from the fit being a tad loose on newborn DD) then moved to a mix of mediums and OSFM (one size fits most). We do also have a bunch of sized ones in medium and large. I love the trimmer fit of sized nappies but in many ways the OSFM are a simpler option as you just adjust as they grow, though as mentioned OSFM are often too much for tiny bums and thighs.

We also use night nappies, DD is a heavy night wetter so we need extra good ones. Some people just add extra boosters (the fabric inserts that can be laid over top of / clicked into the nappy interior, even layered with other boosters) to a normal nappy for nighttime use but DD needed an extra heavy duty one.

Speaking of boosters if you go down the track of MCNs (modern cloth nappies) I highly recommend buying some extra boosters. I use mine if we are out and about for a while and for DD's day naps (2-3 hours) as it means you can go a bit longer between changes and avoid leaks.

Also keep in mind any nappy cream with zinc or a beeswax/waxy base (the ones that act as a barrier) will get onto the nappy and affect absorbency as they do the barrier thing and it is so hard to remove so you need some kind of cheap and cheerful fabric that prevents the cream from getting through to the nappy. I just got polarfleece (or was it microfleece- someone might clarify) which is really cheap and cut into strips.

I also buy flushable bamboo liners which make it easy to dump poo in the toilet rather than scraping off. I love them but others don't bother.

We use them full time, washing every 2-3 days (usually 2 but occasionally I forget) and We have about 20-24 on the go.

[wysiwyg]

I am a bit of tight ass and never spend more than $15 on a nappy. I have bought heaps second hand, or get them on sale. Sign up to the nappy companies' newsletters you like, cos they all have sales .

This is great advice, I got an email today Green Kids 40% off some of their stock in a two day boxing day sale. (I loved their OSFM pockets). Other places might have sales too.

[peanutter]

I'm a real stingybum when it comes to nappies - cost was a big factor in our decision to go cloth in the first place, and I thought it was bonkers that people were spending $35 on a single nappy when you can get 10 AIO (all in one) pocket nappy (where the nappy has a hole inside, which you insert one or more pads into, so that it's absorbent) in a OSFM (one size fits most) size.

So I got 20 online for about $110 including postage, and I got 24 white terry flats for about $20 from a major chain, and 16 coloured terry flats for about $36 from another local chain. We then got 3 x 3 packs of snappy fasteners (those Y shaped silicony fasteners with little grippy claws, like what you attach a bandage with) and we got 3 x 3 packs of good old plastic pilchers (about $5.50).

I didn't really care about the look (we basically never use nappies as an outermost garment) and while pilchers don't breathe as well as some other covers, we find they do a perfectly good job.

Having pottered around here for a bit, I gather there's a bit of distaste for what are labelled "chinese cheapies" for various reasons (don't support WAHMs, inferior quality, etc) but all 20 of ours are still going strong 3 years and 7 months down the track. There may well be some of inferior quality, but the ones I got aren't.

A couple of the terry squares are fraying at the hems, and there's a tear or two, but that's ok. They get used for everything from laying under bubs when they're still perking, to laying under bottoms when on the change table, to using as boosters in a pocket nappy overnight, to wiping up spilled milk and laying under bubs when feeding them to protect my clothes, perk rags, toilet training accidents, and everything in between.

The pilchers haven't fared so well, but they have always only fallen apart when they're at the end of their size capacity, and frankly at $1.90 for a three pack, I'm ok with that. Sure plastic is nasty and all that, but I don't think it makes any difference at the end of the day, unless your little one has particularly sensitive skin, or is particularly susceptible to fungal infections, etc.

We got flushable liners initially, but have found that the cloth is gentle enough to not need one, as long as you're changing them frequently enough (which you aim to do with cloth anyway).

We have two buckets with snap on lids, which we use for dry pailing (when you just chuck used nappies in a bucket, rather than putting them straight into a soaking bucket).

Our washing machine has a soak function and a heavy duty function - a round of washing with both those options has never failed to clean the nappies.

We dry them by air (anything with PUL or similar shouldn't go in the dryer) and outside in the sunshine where possible.

Ummmm .... other than that, I strongly encourage you to use disposables in the first week - that meconium is a nightmare to try to get off cloth. Save yourself the headache and the hassle and use disposables until it's cleared through.

Good luck!!

Good luck!!

[Mumma T]

I did pretty much exactly what peanutter said above until DS started daycare, then I found as they were supplying disposables it wasn't worth my effort washing 4 nappies every 2 days. Oh I also used disposable overnight as no matter how much I bulked his mcn's up they leaked.

[Teeki]

I think the type you prefer won't really be obvious until you can actually use them. I tried all kind, pockets, snap ins, all in ones, prefolds, the works lol.

For me, when bub is small I prefer a prefold. The centre third is more absorbant so it's better than folding up your own flat nappy, and then just hold with a snappy and pop on a cover. I like these because they're usually cheaper than a small sized nappy and they hold lots of wee, and if you have a good cover poop won't be a problem.

When they're bigger I like one size fits most. I don't want to by small, medium and large, I want the nappies to last from now til toilet training. I don't like the pocket nappies because I could never get the soaker pads just where I want them, and I don't like ones that need a cover because DH will always think the nappy is it and forget the cover. I prefer snaps to velcro too, because the velcro gets fluff from the clothes in there.

So those are my reasons for choosing a particular nappy, but someone else might be the exact opposite on every point I've made. There's also the matter of how your baby is built - maybe a small waist but chunky thighs, maybe tall and needing the nappy to rise up high at the waist, or maybe shorter. It will all affect the fit of different nappies.

In the end I've gone with itti bitti. They're more expensive but they lasted DD from a few months old to toilet training in October (so nearly 2.5 years). In particular I use the Tutto, because it's osfm and the soakers all snap in so they dry quickly. DS is big enough to be in them already, and I've never had a leak. I'll easily be using these until he's toilet trained.

[Frangipani Lou]

Lots of great info and advice here.

I bought almost our entire stash all at once in a 50% off in January sale from Itti so it's definitely worth joining their fb page and getting their newsletter.

[Ladylove]

We use a normal rubbish bin with a swing lid, saves fiddling around with lids with an over-eager toddler at my heels. It is the perfect size for two days of nappies if I'm washing every second day.

[lady_neon]

I tried the whole she-bang before settling on the itti bitti tutto. Have you heard of a nappy library? Probably a good way to try out a mix before buying a whole stash.

[forshelby]

another itti fan here. I have mostly tuttos, plus the odd medium and a single all in one. they're the best by far. I also have a bunch of China cheapies which are a pocket nappy, one size fits most.

I could go on all day about cloth. but the other ladies have covered pretty much everything. oh I also use a mcn safe barrier cream- CJs butter. it's lovely and now my babys bum smells like blueberry crumble and warm vanilla cake. lol!

[myturn]

Some great info here guys! Thankyou so much! I'm still a bit confused and overwhelmed by the choices, but at least I have some things to go one.

What is it about Ittis that seems better than some of the others?

[emmjayt]

I find ittis idiot and dad proof. DH is intimidated by some of the pretties, cushie tushies and bonnibuns we have but he has no probs with the ittis. Seeing he's a SAHD who does most of the washing, that's essential.

They just work for us - leaks are very rare and mostly caused by operator error. Unlike sposies and velcro fasteners DD can't undo them.

[HotI]

ittis are quite trim, so fit under most clothes without having to go up a size.

I didn't like their tuttos (their osfm model), but have a number of their sized ones. they do good sales where you can get them for 40-50% off. I like them, but If im going for a long drive or somewhere it's not so easy to change, I will use another brand that is more absorbent.

also consider where you live and how easy it is to dry nappies. nappies that come apart are easier to dry, and so you may not need as many oof these nappies compared to all-in-ones that take longer to dry.

other brands to check out. - baby beehinds, greenkids, genesa forge

[Jennifer13]

My tip is to try Gumtree, or the secondhand nappies from here, or FB groups. I picked up heaps for a bargain price and could then figure out what worked best for us.

I started with DD2 two years ago and I picked up the lingo, but not quite the obsession. I like to not spend a fortune and I'm not that fussed on really pretty or 'special' ones (have some secondhand). But I'm def going to get my money's worth as there's plenty for DD3.

I did prefer the tiny ones for newbies too. Esp since my NBs are really small. And night nappies are also great when they're a bit bigger.

[Ladylove]

I am a little obsessed

I too love Itti Bitti! Trim fit, so easy to use and dry, and mine have all been leak proof and hold a lot of moisture.

I have a few other brands but Itti wins for me. Bambooty would be my second choice but I find I need to add an extra layer. I buy on sale online and occasionally from ebay.

[OceanPrincess]

Don't go nuts on Itti Bitti - try them first. They didn't suit my kids - leaked around the legs. And as for being dad-proof, my DH hated them, hated how they all snapped together differently... Every child is different, every parent is different! A nappy library is a great idea if you can