Kushies cloth nappies

[rebeccamum]

Hi there, I'm using cloth nappies with my 6wk old girl. They are tailored cloth nappies called "Tots Bots", made from ordinary terry towel like traditional cloth nappies. They're good and very absorbant but the only problem is they are very thick and my girl seems to get a sweaty bum in warm weather like this (her bum is quite red today :( ) I found a website called
www.cleverbabies.com.au

these guys make fancy cloth nappies as well but the material looks a lot lighter. I think they are cotton flannel, are they great in summer? Does anyone use them with their bubs? What is the best kind of cloth nappies for warm weather? I don't use disposable nappies (unless really neccessary) because of the cost (mind you these fancy cloth nappies ain't cheap either) and my girl gets a bit of rash from them.

Any suggestions?

[LucyE]

I haven't tried them myself but have not read many favourable reviews about them. If the fabric is flannel, it will absorb less than the terry of the Tots Bots so you would have to compromise absorbancy.

What sort of covers are you using? The more breathable the cover, the more evaporation it will allow and therefore the cooler your DD's bottom will be. Wool is the most breathable and you can get them in very thin fabrics which helps to cut down on the bulk. Have you considered not using a cover at all? I personally don't like this because I have a super heavy wetter and I'm not interested in changing a nappy more than every 3 hours-ish.

[rebeccamum]

LucyE, I use Tots Bots pilcher as well. They made from PUL and are claimed to give very good breathability. They really help prevent leakage but without them the nappies I use are doing pretty good job for leaking problem (only poop, pee still leaks but doesn't bother me too much). I don't use covers during the day because I want to let her bottom area breaths a bit. Sometimes I take off her nappies and let her have a bit of kicking, she really enjoys it.

I try to change nappies as immediately as I can as i know that cuases nappy rash. The only problem is that I'm concerned about the heat during summer. I changed her nappies once on a warm day and when I unwrapped her, i could feel the heat coming out off her bottom area and it's a bit sweaty. I use huggies occasionally as the leg elastic leaves red marks on her and I'm afraid that may hurt her. Are disposables better than cloth in warm weather? Is flannel is more breatheable than terry towel?

I read your comment on another thread about cloth vs. disposable and I'm impressed. You have really good knowledge of nappies!

[LucyE]

Could the sweatiness have been just moisture from urine? Sorry if this sounds condescending but I wasn't sure how to explain it otherwise :o Evaporation takes heat from the body to change the moisture in the nappy into 'air' (for want of a better word) and this process actually cools the body down. So maybe that was the heat coming off her body that you were feeling??? Disposables are worse than most cloth nappies in any weather because they are not breathable (dispite what they try and lead you to believe). A Swedish study has shown that they are consistently at least 1-2C warmer than cloth which can lead to infertility problems in boys later on.

I don't know if flannel would be more breathable than terry towelling but I would assume they are both 100% cotton so it would depend on the number of layers in the nappy.

I'm not sure if I've helped you :p

On a side note, the urine leaks that you're having makes me wonder if you need to boost your nappies? Is the nappy really wet when you change them or is the binding on the Tots cover wicking from contact with the nappy?

[waawa]

I know PUL is labelled "breathable", but put it up to your nose/mouth and try to breathe - there's no way it lets the amount of air through that wool or fleece does! In summer we usually go with coverless or a light wool cover. PUL works well for carseats and so on; but there are certainly a significant minority of parents who say their child gets a red bum in a PUL cover, though they're a lot less sweaty than PVC. Frequent changes, cover-free time, and nappy free time should clear up the redness very quickly. Microfleece liners help a lot of babies; some people prefer the deluxe knitted raw silk liners, which seem to heal any rashes very quickly (but need hand washing).

What are you using for wipes?

And I would echo that if you're not letting the nappy get saturated (and at six weeks, it would take the average baby a fair while to saturate a Tots), a newish PUL cover shouldn't leak. Could they have been washed with vinegar at same stage (it's said to erode the waterproofing)?

[loobeelu]

If you are finding tots bots sweaty Kushies will be worse, the covers are non breathable plastic, and they are not very absorbant.
I use Fuzzi Bunz which were created by a Mother in Louisiana, so are made for hot climates.