Terry Flats, is this right?

[Calluna]

I'm thinking I'll use terry flats for our little one because the are the cheapest to buy (main reason) and seem to be simplest to understand (can't afford to buy some any try them out and don't have anyone to try them on yet anyway ).
I just wanted to make sure I've gotten this right, please correct me if I got anything wrong...

We'll need:
- about 30 flats
- 30 or 40 cloth wipes (washing every 2-3 days)
- for newborn we don't need liners because the poo's will be fairly runny, later on I'm thinking flushable liners (how much do they cost? worthwhile?)
- a bucket/ bin with lid for dry pail-ing

Washing:
- take nappy off baby
- dispose of poo for older child, not required for newborn?(what are QLD's regulations for this? or where can I find them?)
- put in "dry pail"
- wash nappy, wipes and liners if not flushable, every 2-3 days with 1/2 cup of detergent
- hang in sun to dry.

Also how do I fold them?
There's a few different ways isn't there?
Will a MW or someone show me how to do it or is it trial and error?

Hope this makes sense, if there's anything I've missed please let me know. It seems a bit too easy. lol.

[Ozstar]

I will be keeping an eye on this thread as we are thinking about using flats too. What about covers??? I know there is a website to show you how to fold them but I cant think of it off the top of my head, hopefully someone else knows it.

[rufalina]

The website is the nappy lady (she is from the uk), and there are heaps of folds there.

I used covers on mine, I like the Mother-ease Rikki Covers with the gussets. They were good for containment.

But TBH I didnt use them for long (I moved to prefolds and then pockets), so I cant comment on quantities, but I would think your numbers look good.

[Calluna]

Oh yea, I forgot about covers,
What kind is good for what I want? - the cheaper the better, don't want dodgy though, and I am definitely NOT a sewer.
How much do they cost?
How many do i need?

ETA oh and snappi's
How many do I need?
How much do they cost?
Alternatives?

OMG so many questions.

[rufalina]

Girls, You might also find some good info here from other terry flat users in Here....

I would think you would get 4 PUL covers 2 per day (one on and one to dry) and 2-3 fleece or wool covers for overnights...

And also, The terry flats are quite big for a newborn, so maybe some flannel flats for newborn, but they are not as absorbent ...

[Rach75]

ok use liners for newborns as well that sticky tar poo's are hard to get out of nappies LOL (flushables)

I use muslin liners after then about $1.50 from woolies coles etc

covers I use target brand ones they are very similiar to a modern clothe nappy in looks IYKWIM!!! contained everything for me we used terry's till jack was 8 mths and then went disp as well his bum was toobig to move

also 2 buckets is great one for wet nappy's and one for #2 nappy's well that what I did anyway...

the quantities sound fine I had 3 dozen I think I reckon 1 dozen never got used I also used to fold them ready to go when I got them off line or out of dryer

snappis cheap as chips I always had 3 on hand ...one never got used

[Calluna]

thanks everyone for the great advice,
please keep it coming I have lots to learn.

Would Chux cloths be a cheaper alternative to re-usable wipes and liners?

[Eugenia]

Hi, I'm no expert but I will tell you what I learned from personal experience.

I first started off with terry flats, flannel flats and bamboo prefolds for my newborn. I found the terry flats were much too big to use on a tiny baby so for the first few weeks I used mainly the flanny and bamboo. When he was about one month old I started using the terry flats more. I think I had one dozen of each and I found I needed them all at first, once he started pooing less I stopped using the flanny flats because they didn't absorb as much as the others so I cut them up to make cloth wipes. That might be another way to save money on wipes, just cut up some nappies and hem them. You can also buy soft face cloths from Big W or Best n Less and use them, they work just as well and cost less than wipes.

I washed every second day and I had three PUL covers per day plus one extra just in case of they all got dirty. I did try covers from Target but they are nowhere near as good as proper covers. For a start they are made from PVC, not PUL, and it doesn't breathe so it's more likely to give the baby nappy rash, also they don't fit as well and don't last as long. So it might seem a little more expensive to get the better covers but they are worth the money. I liked Motherease Rikki covers and Bummis covers. Once you're done using them you can sell them and get some of your money back.

Actually that's a good idea for you if you don't have a lot of money to spend. Have a look at buyforbaby dot com dot au, you can buy pre-loved nappies and covers there for a fraction of the price of new ones. That way, if you ever want to try MCNs as well you don't have to spend a lot of money to do it.

That's all for today. I hope I've helped a little bit.