Anyone using cloth nappies?

lazygal

I've been looking into using cloth nappies once my yet to be born baby is in some kind of routine and we have things a bit more settled. Has anyone used/now using cloth nappies? Any recommendations/advice?

annamcmahon

I use Fuzzi Bunz on my 15month old and have gotten a second set for baba due any day now. I have 12 for each and find them great. They are the same shape as an ordinary nappy with 2 inserts and close with poppers. To be honest they only create about 5 mins extra work to put in the washing machine, unload, hang up and restuff the inserts. Washing is just rinse, wash at 60deg with a little detergent then rinse again.

I got a set of 12 for €180 and they will fit from newborn (about 3wks in my first's case) until potty trained.

If you want to know anything else feel free to ask.

lazygal

Thanks a mill!
I do have some questions (you'll be sorry you offered!:).

Did you buy the one size or a couple of different sizes? Do you find you need to strip them often? Where did you buy from, as they only seem to be available online? And finally, has it saved money in the long run?

annamcmahon

I bought my first 12 of what Fuzzi Bunz call One Size as oppose to Perfect fit so the legs and waistband can be expanded. They didn't fit between her legs until she was about 3 or 4 weeks old. They should last her until she's out of nappies. I got the same for the baba due soon but they seem to adjust slightly differently.
I got them on hipbaby.ie but I have seen them being sold at little baby fairs. There is a site where you can buy them secondhand. I can PM you the name if you like, can't remember right now but I know people who use it and can check.

I've never stripped mine in 13months of use, only heard about it last month but from what I can tell it's really easy to do just wash them in a vinegar solution or throw a dishwasher tablet in the machine and do a few rinses afterwards.

I think we've saved money and certainly will over 2 1/2 -3 years. As I said I paid €180 and a pack of nappies is at least €7 for 50 own brand. I use disposables at night because my daughter pees a lot and needs changing after 5 hours if in the reusables. I don't know if you save loads when you factor in the cost of washing but I suppose I don't notice the extra electricity but I notice when I have to buy a pack of nappies. For me the hassle of not needing to remember to buy nappies more than once every 2-3weeks is a big bonus.

aviendha

I also use the FuzziBunz - got a starter pack of 20 second hand from a mum who had bought them but then didn't like them, so pretty much brand new
Love them to bits, but only problem is, they're the small size, so even though I've used them from 4 weeks, at almost 15lb now at 8 weeks, DS will soon be out of them

I had also tried the TotsBots but with 2 layers, too fiddly IMO
the FUzziBUnz all in one is the way to go!

Absolutely brilliant, no effort and definitely saving money
Best of luck!

lazygal

Thanks-what size are the ones you have? I'm thinking of getting the one size ones, I plan on using the disposable ones to start and then switching over so would want ones that could last a while.

annamcmahon

You want the One size ones then. Here's a link to them on hipbaby.ie.
http://www.hipbaby.ie/butter-elite-fuzzi-bunz-size-p-583.html

Little My

I'm using Bumgenius one size and they are great. No real hassle, they dry outside in a few hours.

Thenappylady.co.uk has a questionnaire which helps you decide which nappies might suit you best.

http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/submitTAQ.asp

NextSteps

I used the bum genius for the first six months or so, but found they started to leak when baby became more active. I was changing him all the time and his clothes were getting wet. Maybe I was doing something wrong?

Little My

Well in fairness K is only 9 months and hes not particularly active yet, he is only just starting to crawl now so I'm not sure how they will be when he is properly moving.

I had leaks at the beginning but I think he was too small for them and I hadn't realised that for newborns I was supposed to be using the two liners at once.

I bought all my Bumgenius second hand on ebay, some are more used than others and I know the elastic is not so good on some of them anymore. I have considered buying the elastic fixing kits but its hardly worth the effort for second hand nappies which were less than €5 each.

Rosy Posy

I use Imse Vimse because I wanted an all natural nappy and cover although they do have plastic covers as well. I tried a few brands before deciding on them. I have been washing cloth nappies for five and a half years now...you just get into a rhythm with it and get used to it. Saying that I live in the country in a much drier and sunnier climate than Ireland. The sunshine is brilliant for bleaching out any stains. I used cloth from the start because I thought that if I got into the habit of using disposables it would be too hard to go back. I liked the Imse Vimse because you can use the same inner parts the whole way up and its just the covers that change sizes. With the wool covers you only need three or four and you can just hang them up to air and they don't smell- you just have to wash them if they get soiled. I also use flat nappies inside the covers now, to stretch my supply out so I don't have to wash them as often. One thing that I would say to you when you're calculating the cost is that now, on baby number three, the original nappies are in tatters. I've had to throw out a few and the rest of them are no more than rags really. Now this doesn't bother me but if you were planning a big family and expecting one set of nappies to do you for the lot then I'd definitely say that you'd be pushing it to get them to last three babies.

LegacyUser

Hi,
I use the Irish brand, Little Comfort, I found them the best of all the types I tried. Bum genius leaked within 1 1/2 hours, no matter what I did, Fuzzi's as well, I think it's the microfibre inserts to be quite honest. I felt they were like a sponge so when baby sits it comes back out. So then I tried Little Comfort and haven't had a problem with them at all. It's the Bambee V2 that I have. Their site is www.littlecomfort.com