Cloth nappies

[MumsieMel]

I have never used cloth nappies, but after i TT DD i hope not to need to buy disposables for bubs #3 except for outings.

So im looking for the cheapest alternative.

I have never folded a cloth nappy either, but sure i can learn.
What do i need? How much of everything? Liners? Pins/Clips?

If i used terry toweling ones, does anyone have any advice or tips, on where to get them and the best way to fold them?

What about covers?

Will they leak alot? My disposables hardly ever did and im a bit worried about that.

Thanks for answering my Questions girls! :D

[Oscar's mum]

Check out this site to begin with - I found it very useful understanding cloth link (http://www.allaboutnappies.com/understanding.php)


So im looking for the cheapest alternative.

The cheapest option is probably flat nappies. But then again buying 2nd hand fitted nappy's ins't all that expensive and even buying new fitted nappies works out cheaper in the long run than disposables.


I have never folded a cloth nappy either, but sure i can learn.

Check out this link for nappy folding instructions Nappy folding instructions Link (http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/Advice/Instructions.asp?InstructionID=2) (The Jo Fold is one of my fav's).


What do i need? How much of everything? Liners? Pins/Clips

Firstly you will have to figure out what type of liners you want to use washable are going to be cheapest and feel alot nicer but you can get all different types including flushable.

Pins will ruin your nappies you are better of using snappi's.


What about covers?

A decent cover is essential. I like the Bummi's covers they are very hard wearing and do a good job.


Will they leak alot? My disposables hardly ever did and im a bit worried about that.

No they will not leak alot, though it does depend on what nappies and covers you use on how absorbant they are etc.


I also have to mention that I like the Eenee system http://www.eenee.com.au/ what you do is you buy the Eenee nappy (alot cheaper on e-bay 2nd hand) and you get your flat nappies and fold them into the pad shape (see nappy folding instructions above) and then place inside the Eenee. When the nappy is soiled you take out the flat nappy and put in another flat nappy folded into a pad shape. They have a range of other products too to use in their nappies like flushable pads instead of putting a folded nappy into the Eeenee. I like this system because if you run out of Eenee's you can always use just the flat nappies on bub whilst waiting for the Eenee to dry (they are fast drying too, cause there is no absorbancy in them).

[cosmic]

Mel, if you are just after terry flats, I believe Canningvale (?) is the best quality. You can get them from DJ's I think. You can buy Snappis for doing them up (from woolies or KMart etc) so you don't need pins but I would highly recommend you get some PUL covers. They are breathable not like those yucky plastic pilchers. And for liners, you can use cut up pieces of polar fleece which you buy cheap as chips from spotlight. :thumbsup: It keeps their bum dry by wicking the moisture away from their skin.

If you are prepared to spend some money on good quality fitted nappies (so much easier!) my personal favourites are Totsbots for daytime and Baby Beehinds for night-time.

Here are a few websites to have a look at - there are HEAPS! I'm sure others will have more suggestions for you.

www.cleverpants.com.au
www.theweewuns.au.com
www.babybeehinds.com.au

[MumsieMel]

Thanks Cosmic and Oscars Mum

Ok so i sort of know what i am doing!! LOL But the folds looka bit confusing!!!! :eek:

I will go with Flat Nappies, so....
How many will i need?

How many PUL/polar fleece covers will i need?
Where will i get them for the best price?

How many pieces of polar fleece for liners? (what size should i cut it to?)
How many snappies?
Do i just need one nappy bucket?

If i did buy fitted nappies or prefolds, how many would i need in each size?

Thanks so much everyone! :D

[reAllytee]

Mel what size is C wearing ?
Cause i can lend you an Eenees if you want to try it out otherwise i can show you some options next time we meet up :)
Shouldve harassed you last time hey :p

If you going to use flats a newborn will need say 8 changes a day sometimes a little more & washing every second day would mean needing say 20 to be safe so an extra 8-10 if you were to wash every third day. If you go into fitted nappies depending on the brand you can get ones that grow with bubba so start from newborn then take them through to toddler training !
You should only need say 4 covers at first one say in the wash one in use & the 2 spares as back up. I would say get 4 PUL for the day & then try & get say 2 wool or polarfleece for nites which are better for evapouration & letting little bums breathe.
Start hunting around the few websites everyone has give you as they are great starting points & you can also get some second hand ones on say ebay or even here on the hub. If you can knit you could knit your own covers !
I went to Spotlight & got a metre of polarfleece that i cut into pieces that fit my terry squares when folded this cost me all of $3 & i got enough to line 20 nappies approx.
You should only need around 3 or 4 snappies but thats IMO others may say otherwise.
The nappy bucket i got from Bunnings tis a 20L lidded bucket that was called a Tradies bucket so can be used for heaps of stuff anyways i got if for like $5 but everyone has been saying Aldi has a great nappy bucket at the moment really cheap so have a look there if you can otherwise a cheap bucket that has a lid will do the job just get it as big as you can as that way it holds more !

[Mummabear]

Hi Mel,

I used terry flats on DS. As a general rule I would have to change him every 1/2 hour to every hour (he's a relatively heavy wetter). If money is tight then you might want to try the fluffies pilchers (not the plastic kind - the fabric kind). If you can knit then some knitted woolen pilchers are the absolute best (in my limited knowledge) or if you can sew some polar fleece pilchers are great too. If you would like a link to a site that shows you how to sew your own pilchers out of old jumpers then let me know.

I had 3 dozen flats and about 4 pilchers. I only used the one nappy bucket and I dry pailed, washing every second day. I never soaked. If the nappies were stained then I would leave them out in the sun for a few extra hours and the sun would bleach the stains out (I never believed this would work until I tried it myself).

If you're used to using disposables and you opt for the terry flats then be prepared for the shock. They will leak (not heaps, but they do leak) and you'll have to change them more frequently also (this was the biggest shock to me).

As we're having more children after this one, I'm able to justify the cost of some good fitted cloth nappies but will still be using terry flats in the early days until all that lovely meconium is out of bubba's system :p. But as someone has already said, the cost of modern cloth nappies compared to disposables for even just one child is still worth it (if your budget allows, which ours never did for DS).

I used to use the Jo fold for DS. When I first saw the fold on the net I couldn't work it out for the life of me. It was waaay too hard (i'm not overly clever, lol). But when I took a good look at it and broke it down it was really easy. This worked out to be the best fold for DS because of his heavy wetting. I used to bring the nappies in off the line and fold them straight away, putting the liner into them straight away also. That way when it was time for a nappy change it was honestly no harder than changing a disposable, you just took the dirty nappy to the laundry insead of the bin.

[MumsieMel]

ALLY
That would be great, Coralie weighs about 11 kgs.

As for the nappies, i have decided i will drypail, using a nappy bin, which we already have. :yes:
I also have one of those wet/dry bags, so can even use my clothies when out!! Gee this is looking good! :thumbsup:

I found these nappies, i think they look great and cheap, going to order the trial set and see how they go:
http://www.moonpads.com.au/Zappy_system.html
Has anyone heard of them before?

Im still not sure on the covers thought, i will still need them if i go with the Zapy Nappy above, but dont want to spend the money on the PUL ones! :eek: And the wool ones need to be lanolinised (sp?)
hmmm??? Any ideas???

Thanks again everyone!

[Oscar's mum]

Mel I have a Zappy nappy here that you are most welcome to have to check out before buying some. They are not too absorbant but do work.

All I ask is that you pay postage etc.;)

[reAllytee]

Oh thats hilarious C weighs less than Boof :rolleyes:
Will have to get out a couple for you & see how the sizing goes.
How about going with the Eenees which is what im going to lend to you because that way you use them as a cover over the terry flats ( fold the terry flat like a pad ) then chuck on a liner & this will last you 3hrs or so i have a heavy wetter & these last me this long.
I think thats probably a cheaper easier alternative to begin with especially as you can grab the older Eenees off ebay for really cheap ( but then you may end up fighting Oscar's mum or myself for 'em hehehehe ).
Anyways will sort out a few & then work out when i can get em to you :thumbsup:

[Oscar's mum]

you can grab the older Eenees off ebay for really cheap ( but then you may end up fighting Oscar's mum or myself for 'em hehehehe ).


And does it get vicious! lmao:laughing:

[reAllytee]

And does it get vicious! lmao:laughing:


Oh for sure !!!!!!!!!!!
Claws out !!!
Teeth bared !!!!!
*reow*
:p



Ive been good lately though no purchases for me even though i want to & im dying !!!! :(

[Oscar's mum]

Ive been good lately though no purchases for me even though i want to & im dying !!!! :(


There hasn't been that many on e-bay of late, so your not missing much! Alot of pads and liners though;)

[MumsieMel]

Mel I have a Zappy nappy here that you are most welcome to have to check out before buying some. They are not too absorbant but do work.

All I ask is that you pay postage etc.;)

Hmm, so would i be better getting eenees????

Thanks Ally, just give me a call :)

[Oscar's mum]

Hmm, so would i be better getting eenees????

Thanks Ally, just give me a call :)


IMO definately go with the Eenee's they will hold 100 times more than the Zappy nappy's will. And they will also work out cheaper than buying the zappy nappy and the cover as you can just use terry flats in the eenee.;)

[MumsieMel]

So average how much are eenees? And how many will i need?

[MumsieMel]

So had a look at the Eenee's website again.


How many Weenee Nappies (cover) will i need? $25 each
How many Inner water proof pouches? $9 each
Or do i just get the Standard Weenee wrap? $12 each

For Newborn size and Infant?


Do i still need PUL covers??
Thanks so much everyone for your help.


Oh ALLY
If its good for you i can call around to your place to pick them up, since i drive anyway, or maybe meet up at Mac Sq?
Thanks so much!

[waawa]

I would _strongly_ recommend trying out one or two nappies from a system before you sink your cash into it. Some people like Eenees, but others found them overpriced, leaky, non-durable, and poor value. Check it out before you buy!

Lara

[Tea Lady]

I agree - try out a few! Most likely there will be good and bad things about each type which mean they are more suitable for certain situations eg I like eenies at home, but find them a bit bulky under some clothes (with the terry flat inside) and the zappys are very trim, but not so absorbent (I also think they are wildly overpriced if you buy them new - I think there is better value for money out there JMO). I wouldn't be too afraid of the PVC pilchers esp to use as backup (ie maybe a couple of PUL with PVC spares) - so long as you're changing frequently the breathability doesn't make much difference, but they don't last long.

I have about 3 doz terries, 1 snappy, 3 PUL covers (only one really fits though) and about 5 PVC covers, 2 eenie covers, 2 Zappys and 6 pockets. This is easily enough to get by (I don't really need anything except the terry flats and covers) and I wash every day or two, but throw our clothes in too. HTH :)

[Oscar's mum]

How many Weenee Nappies (cover) will i need? $25 each
How many Inner water proof pouches? $9 each
Or do i just get the Standard Weenee wrap? $12 each

For Newborn size and Infant?


Do i still need PUL covers??


To begin with I prefer the older style Eenee's from E-bay so much prettier than the new ones and of course 10 times cheaper too.;) With the older style Eenee the inner waterproof pouch is actually sewn into the nappy and so you don't need to buy any extra pouches etc.

On e-bay a good price for an eenee is I think around the $10 including postage, I personally wouldn't pay much more than that.

You don't need to use a cover with the Eenee's as they are the cover.

As for how many you might need well that is a hard question, I guess it depends on how often you will be washing and if you have a dryer. I think with a dryer you could easily just get away with 5 Eenee's to begin with.;)

[MumsieMel]

Ok well after a little more research i think i will go with Baby Beehinds, or something along those lines, and use cloth if i run out.

I intend to buy 5 hemp, and 5 bamboo plus 4 PUL and 2 Wool clvers (are the fluffies ok?)
Do i still need polar fleece liners with these?

So looking at all that i need i will be spending about $400 in total. Which is fine, cause im buying them all new.So i can use them for Bubs #4 too! And DH wont let me get the 2nd hand ones.

Any more advice is welcome. :D

[tickle]

I would use a liner with them, it will keep all the moisture away from the skin.:)

[Oscar's mum]

Ok well after a little more research i think i will go with Baby Beehinds, or something along those lines, and use cloth if i run out.


Baby Beehinds are good too, you can go from newborn to toilet training with them. They can look a little bulky on a newborn though!;)