Reusable nappies

[Fuzz2]

I'm keen to try reusable rather than disposable nappies and wash them at home as i just can't imagine throwing so many nappies away into landfill. Does anyone have experience of this that could help me make my mind up?

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My sister who has given birth to her 2nd child 6mths ago now swears by her resuable nappies she absolutly LOVES them. She used them with her 1st child & has only needed to buy a few more outer liner packs for the new arrival.

As im now pregnant with my 2nd baby im definetely considering getting some now because i i believe using these can save pounds "which means extra money for bills & things" & if you look at all the numerous websites now which provide good value packages from Birth to toddler ages it is very attractive.

My sister says the best websites are:

LittleLambs.co.uk or BambinoDirect.com.

xx

[Clairew7]

Hi there, I am pregnant with my first (due in 4 weeks) and we have opted for reusable nappies after seeing a demo from the local council.

My advice would be to definitely try and find a local shop or supplier that can demo the different options for you, as there are small variances to each brand, including materials such as microfibre vs bamboo etc. \we found the demo at our local shop thecottonnappycompany.co.uk invaluable, and the first hand advice given was excellent, just knowing which brands and types to avoid etc. They take orders on-line too if you do find a brand you want and do some great offers and price matching, I'd highly recommend Anna who runs it to anyone.

We have opted for the pop-in birth to potty nappies by close parent, as these are a one piece nappy that you can add additional insets to if you have a heavy wetter and position them where needed if you have a boy etc. They can be washed as one piece and they just seemed the closest to using disposables as we could get take the old one off, pop it in the bucket until wash day and pop a clean one on....fingers crossed the theory works in practice now!!

We've worked out we'll save about £200 in the first year alone.

Good luck!

[Fuzz2]

Thanks for the answers I will definitely look into it now. Let me know how you get on. Thanks again xx

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just wondering if anyone knows, how many would u need to buy to get u going? cos in the long run doing a wash of just 7 or so nappies a day ur going to use more in electric and washing powder and tumble dryer (electricity) you would want to do a full load and u wouldn't want to wash with any of your other clothes so it has to be all round cost efficient.

[Clairew7]

Hi there, following all the advice we've had they recommend starter packs of 20, based on 8 changes a day, washing every couple of days on a half load or economy cycle. But obviously depending on number of changes and drying time you might want to get some extra spares.

They recommend you don't use fabric softeners and only using a small amount of non bio washing liquid (or equivalent), or there is something I discovered called an Eco-Egg which costs £20 and does 720 washes, so it should last about 3 years if only used for nappy washes.

From what we've been told you also shouldn't tumble dry some parts of the nappies as it can affect the absorbency and the waterproofing of the outers (some would also argue that it counteracts the environmental benefits of using reusable), so best to pt them in an airing cupboard overnight or line drying them, but this is where the material choice comes in to play as microfibre apparently dries very quickly but isn't as absorbent, whereas bamboo is more absorbent and natural but takes longer to dry.

It is all very much personal choice, and these are the types of things we found so useful to talk through face to face with someone, as where one brand and type may work for one person it not suit another. My husband and I knew we didn't want to be faffing around separating out different parts and drying them separately as we knew we'd be less likely to stick with it.

Good luck!

[lottiesmum]

I used them with my first having bought a pack of 20. I would recommend finding someone who will rent you a trial pack of different makes before you make you mind up or looking out for a local nappy library. your local surestart or NCT branch may be able to help with this ( you dont need to be a member). Most birth to pottys dont fit newborns that well s so there is no rush to have all you need before they arrive. ! Check your local council isnt offering an incentive, some offer a grant, some a discount with a retailer. I have had bumgenius reccommended to me by a number of friends. Good luck!! Ebay is also a good soyrce if you ate Ok with 2nd hand.

[rhibot]

Hi - good on you! I feel the same about the landfill, and also over time the disposables will be so expensive. However, I have had nothing but people laughing at me for even thinking of trying re-usables, my husband thinks it's hysterical and reckons I won't make it past changing one. Hmph I'll show him! As a compromise, I've bought a pack of 10. I went with the Close parent ones - same as ClaireW7. The people were really helpful, they did two types of fabric bamboo and "minky", They even split a pack of 10 for me, so I could try 5 of the minky and 5 of the bamboo. If I make it through day one with them OK, hubby has promised to grovel appropriately and go get another pack of 10 - which should be all we will need. There's also 20 quid riding on this!!

Good luck!

[mmc224]

Hi

My friend used little lamb with all three of her kids (oldest just turned 5), and got most of them from my sister who has used them first for her own wee girl. The same set was used for all four kids, only bought some extra outers, and it seems to be they can be used over and over again if you take care of them properly.

It looks like the savings are much bigger if you plan to have a second child and use the same set, but still better than landfill, even if you only use them once.

She had more than recommended as she had two kids in nappies at the same time - about 30 - 35 I think - and only washed twice a week (or when she started to run out), which made the washing more efficient too.

The little lambs seemed to dry overnight on a drying rack or quickly outdoors on a line (assuming not rain....)

[Skyblueboston]

Since reading this thread, I went on to the little lamb website, seems very reasonable, I might get a few bamboo newborns see how they actually work, but the reviews are great, only thing is just wondering how much hassle washing and drying is going to be, not to mention I will be using more electric! Interested but pessimistic : /