Nappies!

TheBardWest

Hi all - My family and I are relocating to Dublin from Seattle, WA next month, and we're looking into our options for nappies (we call them diapers) for our newborn (she's 10 weeks old).

Here in Seattle, we have a service that brings us clean (cloth) nappies weekly, and we return the soiled ones. I haven't seen anything like that in the Dublin area, so I'm wondering what most others are doing.

We're open to the idea of purchasing a cloth nappy system, though I'm not entirely sure how much work (washing, drying, etc) would be required.

Any advice is appreciated!

Moonbeam

After weighing up the pros and cons I just use disposables for my baby.
I am not aware of any similar service to what you had in Seattle running here.

http://www.thenaturalbabyresource.co.uk might be able to help you esp http://www.thenaturalbabyresource.co.uk/site/nappy_agents.html

Nevyn

There used to be about 5 years ago but it closed as there wasn't enough people intrested.

LegacyUser

As far as i know there is no service like that in ireland.

Doing it yourself isnt really much more work. you have to buy the nappies (theres sooooo many types, pre-folds, covers, all-in-ones etc) and a bag to put the soiled ones in and then you just wash and dry them in your mashing machine and dryer/line.

It dosn't really take much time, just throwing the bag in the washing machine every second day.

you would have to buy the nappys over the internet as I don't think they sell them here.

Do whatever works for you and your family, but I havnt found cloth to be time-consuming or inconvenient at all.

caprilicious

Hi TheBardWest,

I'm planning on using cloth nappies with my little lady.
I've bought two types of cloth one's, at the moment I am using disposables but plan to start with the cloth one's in the next few weeks when she gets a little bigger.

I bought the 'pocket diaper' one's on ebay, they're shaped like a disposable nappy and have popper fasteners at 3 different sizes so they can be adjusted to suit baby.
I think it worked out as approx €100 for 12 nappies, they're bamboo and do dry quite fast (I'd to wash them 3 times before first use) I think they dried in about 30 mins in dryer when I washed all 18 in one go.
These are the type I bought;

http://www.mylittleshrimp.com/12-premium-20-bamboo-one-size-allinone-pocket-diapers-amp-12-i122012.html

The second type I bought are Disana knitted wrap style ones;

http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/acatalog/1086.html#a1086

These worked out as I think 30 for €100 incl. a roll of 100 disposable liners, 3 x over pants & special washing solution for the overpants.

I'm going to try using both styles quite soon so can let you know then if they're any good.

I had planned to use them from day one but had bought a pack of disposables in hospital and got into the habit of using them.
I think initially it does work out cheaper using disposables (I'm using Tescoes own brand €2.59 for 24) & going through 2-3 packs a week; Versus washing & tumble drying cloth nappies every day - Though I could be wrong.

It is a shame that there is no cloth nappy laundering service here in Ireland, though from what I'm told once you get into a routine with the cloth nappies they're not too bad to manage.

There are other types of pocket nappies that can be purchased, but I did find them an awful lot more expensive (approx. €10 - 15 PER NAPPY! :eek:)

I worked in childcare some years ago and one of the parents used cloth nappies for their baby, it was just the small square pieces of terry towelling but held closed with a 'nappy nippa' - much safer than the old style safety pin close.
The provided us with a pail/bucket with a secure lid in which to store all the dirty nappies baby used during the day, they took that home, steeped them for a few hours then bunged them in the washing machine.
They were on child no. 3 by the time they started their baby in the nursery where I worked so it seemed to work for them

HTH :cool:

ooh just came across these on the website I bought the disana ones;
http://www.spiritofnature.co.uk/acatalog/4860.html
I'm going to order a few (I'm a gadget/new baby stuff junkie ) they look a bit easier than the disana tie one's.
I'm going to bite the bullet and start using the bamboo one's tonight, here's hoping they're nice and snug, my little lady has some very unladylike nappies!

cbyrd

This is a bit off topic but i remember changing my younger brothers nappies and they were the terry cloth ones with a plastic pants over.. my resounding memory is scraping the poo out of them into the loo...:eek::D i still slag him about it!!! i once stabbed him in the belly with the big pin, but i remember the way they had to be folded and pinned, i was only 6 at the time how things have changed!! the next two were in disposables i remember my mam saying how brilliant they were.. it's come full circle..:D

caprilicious

I know what you mean cbyrd, my mam couldnt understand why I would want to use cloth nappies after all the hassle she had with them years ago, trying to dry the heavy towelling before the days of tumble dryers & worrying about poking us with the big safety pins!

Ok well I tried the Disana wrap around knit nappies. I think they'll be donated to a pregnant friend
They're very very fiddly! will give them a bit more of a chance but not sure if they'll work for us long term!

The bamboo pocket nappies are really good, very absorbent, though not suited to my teeny lady just yet.
Because she's still a bit on the small size (9lb 2oz) they're a bit large on the legs and liquids leak out.
Will definitely use them on her when she's a bit older (and chubbier!)

TheBardWest

caprilicious wrote: »

...
Because she's still a bit on the small size (9lb 2oz) they're a bit large on the legs and liquids leak out.
Will definitely use them on her when she's a bit older (and chubbier!)

I know EXACTLY what you mean - this made me laugh out loud.

Thanks for the advice!

cbyrd

http://www.ecobaby.ie/ecobaby_home_01.htm

found this by accident...thought of this thread..:D

ash_18x

Hope I wont be given out to for digging up this thread but I am currently pregnant and thinking of using these bamboo nappies. I am only 11 + 3 but I suppose its something to be looking into now!

How have they gone for you all? Would ye recommend them?

My mam suggested it initailly as we used to have them when we were small and the more I look into it the better they seem. Some people are horrified that I am even thinking of using them LOL

caprilicious

The only advice I could give is maybe buy only a small quantity of them when baby is born & see how you get on/if you're happy to use them.

I spent a small fortune buying bamboo one's, but they weren't a great fit. After using them several times I ended up going back to disposables altogether.

The one's I'd bought were the 'pocket fit' ones with pop button fasteners. Some of the manufacturers sell starter kits with a small selection of nappy types for you to try before committing financially to a large quantity.

ash_18x

Thanks for that advice, this is our first baby so as my husband said it would be good to get into them now as we have never used any other nappies if you know what i mean. I think I will get a starter pack to start off with so.
Those pocket fit ones looked really good when I was looking them up. I suppose it depends on the size of the baby?

MHDesigns

For those of you considering buying cloth nappies dont buy a lot of one kind. Different nappies suit different babies and a lot of people give up because they use a nappy that doesnt suit. I use Bumgenius and WeeNotions mostly as I get the best fit with them. I also use Tots Bots Easyfits and Little Comforts but occassionally I get leaks with them.
Cloth nappies are not much more work than disposables, you just throw them in the wash every 2-3 days and they dry so quickly.
Check out clothnappytree.com for preloved nappies and loads of info & advice

NextSteps

I'm using the Bumgenius ones for my six-week-old and so far they're great.