Cloth nappies

Sheepdish1

Hi guys,

Has anyone any experience using cloth nappies?

Are they economical in terms of cost? Disposable nappies seem like such a waste in terms of environmental impact. I know they are handier but I would like to look at other options.

A) Do they work well?
How many do you need to use them ?
C) Was experience positive or negative ?


Thanks

Loveinapril

I am due my first baby in just over a week and will be using cloth. I have researched the hell out of them and have a decent stash. I think I have nearly 30 of different types. I am using cloth wipes too. I hate the idea of my little baby having a huge carbon footprint before he can even walk so that is the biggest draw for me. There are great Facebook pages where you can buy preloved ones or ask questions.

Millem

I did a trial of them with earthmama. They were not for me!!!

shesty

I use disposable myself but the few people that I know use the cloth ones tend to end up doing both cloth and disposable.Mostly for practical reasons, disposable are easier when out and about for long periods, and as the child gets bigger, disposable seem to be better for night time.(obviously this isn't everyone but most of those I know).And the odd time if the kids are sick or teething, disposable nappies work as they can get through a lot of them in a short time.
I have two kids myself and my laundry loads are enormous, so there is no way I would be adding the additional loads of cloth nappies to it.
I would say there is nothing wrong with them but keep an open mind.

Millem

I found them a pain to dry as well. I started a thread a few years ago about nighttime nappy woes. I tried everything including cloth nappies

waterfaerie

I use cloth nappies and wipes and would never switch to disposables. I love them. As well as creating less waste, I'm also much happier about putting them on my baby's skin. She never gets any rash and never has any leaks.

We used disposables in the hospital when she was born and I just hated putting them on her skin. We have a pack of disposables in the car for emergencies and have never used them. I can only imagine needing to if we were to go away for more than one night.

I use a 2 part system with bamboo nappies and separate covers. I have 22 nappies and about 10 covers. You can get away with less covers but I overbought because there are so many cute ones! You just change the nappy every time but can reuse the cover for a whole day or more. I usually change to a new cover every morning.

The ones I have (Totsbots Bamboozles) come with booster inserts as well, which we use overnight and sometimes for days out when I want to change her less often. We use fleece liners, which wick the moisture away and keep her dry. The nappies can handle a really thorough soaking so we can get away with leaving them on her for ages and the fleece liner keeps her comfortable.

People talking about leaks are probably doing something not quite right. From my research, the two part system seemed the best for no leaks. It's all about getting the cover fitted well around the legs. The velcro covers are so much better for this than the ones with pops. Also, things like using too much washing powder, using fabric softener and using oily barrier creams are all common mistakes that ruin the absorbency. We did our research and have no trouble, even overnight.

I also have 40 cloth wipes which I got very cheaply on Aliexpress. They are super thin and soft. I use a spray bottle with water with them.

They are so simple to use and I honestly don't know why people think they must be trouble. They are certainly no more trouble to change. The only extra work is the washing but it's literally just throwing a bag of nappies in the machine instead of in the bin so it's not extra work really. We do a wash every 2 or 3 days so it's not that much.

We have two of these nappy laundry bags. They're really good at keeping the smell in. We keep one hanging in the bathroom for the dirty ones and when it's time to wash them it just all goes in, bag and all, and we switch to the second bag. Out and about, we just put the dirty nappies and wipes into a smaller version washbag.

Remembering to hang them out is the main thing as the drying can be tricky. You can get fast drying ones but we wanted the bamboo because it's the most absorbent material, although it is the slowest drying. We have a covered drying area outside so they line dry, which is much better for them than a dryer. They take up to 24 hours to dry. Sometimes we just finish them off in the dryer for 5 minutes to get them thoroughly dry and it softens them a bit, too.

We spent about 300 euro upfront but the nappies we have fit from birth to potty, so we will never have to buy nappies or wipes again. There hasn't been a noticeable difference in our electricity bill so, overall, the savings are enormous. They can be reused on multiple babies and also sold on afterwards so the outlay is tiny when you think of it that way.

Between the cost saving, the smaller environmental impact and the fact that I know for certain what is touching my baby's skin, it's a no brainer really. I know it's not for everyone but, if you're up for it, you'll probably love it.

I'd recommend checking out the Nappy Lady for advice. You should also check out the Cloth Nappy Library. You can rent trial kits and they also have information about local groups that meet up. As Loveinapril says, Facebook is great, too. There are even some people on facebook selling some cool looking home made ones but I haven't tried them so I don't know what the quality is like.

Oh and finally, another bonus is that the big bum on the baby looks very cute!

maxsmum

For comparison - Aldi nappies are 9c each, Pampers more like 13c each - may be less when supermarket deals on. Baby goes through 7-10 nappies/day in first few months, then more like 5-7. Aldi are probably the cheapest/best quality in my opinion and the small crowd of mums I know. No experience with cloth nappies myself.

On the drying issue, I researched cost of tumble dryer as we use it a LOT since having a baby and it's only c/50 cent per hour. I can't find the link now but it was on a UK Govt website with info for students on the relative cost of all household appliances.

Moonbeam

http://www.clothnappylibrary.ie/ is a great resource for cloth nappies

lazygal

Used cloth nappies and wipes on mine-had two in cloth at one stage. Never had a tumble dryer and bought some second hand so it was cheaper and more convenient all around. Used disposables at night for convenience. Modern cloth nappies are easy and so much less wasteful.