Reusable nappies

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Reusable nappies
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ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 12:12 am Post subject:

when dd was wee we used disana wool wraps and disana tie on nappies with organic cotton squares for boosters.

i quite liked the disana's, they were only tricky to tie on the first few times and if you start on a new baby they just lay there and don't fight against you so it's no trouble learning. the great thing about disanas'

1. organic cotton
2. very inexpensive even brand new the nappies are less than £2 each and the boosters about the same
3. they dry VERY quickly even just over a radiator
4. they are one size, it's all how you fold them. my daughter could still wear them at 3 and she's very big for her age.

you can use whatever type of liners/boosters you like but we found the the cotton squares the best, they could be folded in 3 or 4 depending on your needs and the babies size. you can also just add in another booster for night nappies or, if you're in a pinch you can cut up some old towels and place a bit of towel inside the cotton square booster. we made our own fleece liners out of some old fleece shirts we had (keeps the poo off the nappies), i'd definately recommend that option!

we chose the wool wraps because you really only need 5 tops and they last for awhile before they grow out of them. because the wool has antibacterial properties you only need to wash them if they get poo on them, otherwise you leave them to air dry between wearings. they'll last this way for up to 6 weeks or so when they should definately be washed again and lanolised. the lanolin is about £5-6 bottle but it lasts for ages, we only use 3.5 bottles for 3 years of nappies. we also used olive oil soap to clean the wool (get it cheaply from your asian market) this was fantastic at taking out stains! the wooly pants are NOT itchy and they really aren't hot, they breath very well and this system is excellent for babies with sensitive skin or who are prone to nappy rash.

the disana wool wraps are also fairly inexpensive at about £8-9 each... we actually bought most of our stuff second hand with the exception of about 4 wraps (you have to buy larger wraps about every 6-8 months or so depending on your babies size) i think in total we spent about £80, new really wouldn't be too bad... about £60-75 for 30 nappies and boosters and perhaps £100-125 for wraps over the course of 3 years (could be less if your child potty trains before that)... you could of course buy less nappies, we preferred to have extra, just in case

there is a thriving buying/selling forum specifically for nappies on uk parents www.ukparents.co.uk regardless of which you choose to buy i highly suggest you check out the forums as the lovely ladies will be more than willing to help you. that site is the place where we got all our used nappies from (which i sold on ebay recently for £27 and that only included 2 wraps!)

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 9:16 am Post subject:

I've no personal experience to add to this thread (yet anyway!) and I wouldn't consider using anything else, but I'll pass on a couple of tips my cousin's (who have both used reusables and are very happpy with them)

If you have white nappies and you dry them in the sun, it bleaches them naturally.

One of my cousins made her own liners and reusable baby wipes, out of toweling and fleece, and said this was much cheaper, and very easy. She keeps the baby wipes in a old plastic box (that originally contained baby wipes!) but I don't know what she puts in the solution. I must ask her (she's on hoilday)

All nappy services aren't equal - one of my cousins found that you didn't get your own nappies back (which I suppose is fair enoguh) and she didn't like the idea of not knowing what they washed them in.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 9:36 am Post subject:
For baby wipes we cut up old t shirts and run them under the tap. If we were going out a few damped off ones in a plastic box. Take a carrier for dirties!

ButteryHOLsomeness

Joined: 03 Apr 2005
Posts: 770

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 5:57 pm Post subject:

alison wrote:

For baby wipes we cut up old t shirts and run them under the tap. If we were going out a few damped off ones in a plastic box. Take a carrier for dirties!

we used old flannel sheets cut up into squares. we soaked these in a solution of 1tablespoon veg oil and about 1tablespoon baby shampoo (or regular shampoo if your darling doesn't have sensitive skin, the cheap tesco's 35p a litre stuff works fine) then we mixed well in a large tub of warm water.

simply soak, squeeze out most but not all of the water and put in a covered plastic tub. you can use those little plastic travel boxes from pampers and the like for taking some when you're out and about or you can just put them in a plastic bag. this solution mix was enough for about 1.5 to 2 of the standard tubs of commercial wipes.

cede

Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 62
Location: surrey

Posted: Fri Apr 15, 05 1:54 pm Post subject:
yes thanks bugs i did read it but i checked out the laundering service local to me and i think that £9.75 a week is a bit dear daydreaming can you give me more info about tots bots - i looked on the nappy lady site and they seemed to be a good choice. why did you choose these over another make?when did you order them (before baby or after)? where did you get them from? and any other tips? thanks

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:18 pm Post subject:

I was in a conversation with an old mate of mine about this a while back. He used nothing, thats right nothing. As you can imagine it is totally environmentally friendly and really good for the baby too as 0 nappy = 0 nappy rash.

I do not have any more details than that I am afraid but will fill you in on the details when I do. Although he does live in a flat in London, so it is obviously something that many can do.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:23 pm Post subject:
He is a very brave man!

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45440
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:26 pm Post subject:
Obviously hasn't got carpet, or upholstered furniture, and is very alert

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:38 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Obviously hasn't got carpet, or upholstered furniture, and is very alert

I saw an article about this no nappy business, and I think those are all key. Plus not needing to do anything apart from watch your child.

selfsufficientish

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 2:39 pm Post subject:
Will find out more, can't imagine that it is something that I would give a go.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue May 03, 05 7:55 pm Post subject:
Is this the same thing as the potty training at about 6 weeks. I believe timing was everything from anything that had gone in.

Quelly

Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 29

Posted: Fri Aug 05, 05 3:46 pm Post subject:

It's called elimination communication... basically you tune in with your baby's need to "go" in the same way you learn your baby's hunger cues. I think also not wearing a nappy makes the baby more aware of his/her own body and therefore gives clearer signals.

Anyway I was never brave enough to try it...but I read alot of anecdotes about it to know it can work

We use fuzzybunz here. They are pocket nappies which you stuff with anything you want! The good thing about this is that you take the muslin cloth out after you have washed them and it all dries really quick. Plus they are fleece so very soft on the skin and not bulky at all. I found kooshies took forever to dry. Tots bot do some nice toweling ones.

frewen

Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 11405

Posted: Wed Dec 21, 05 9:45 pm Post subject: reusable nappies

I am presently using reusables on my baby. I have been considering the no nappy idea but try as I might baby doesn't follow cues I can pick up. I use tots bots and engels (second hand). I find the more a nappy is washed the more absorbent it becomes. I soak (plus a few drops of tea tree oil) and wash every day and have 16 nappies, 8 booster pads, 3 wraps. I cut up fleece liner from an old fleece blanket and if the paper liners are only tiddled on then they can go in the wash for a second use too. Baby doesn't get nappy rash since going to cloth and although I have to admit to using a drier I try to keep it to a minimum.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Fri Mar 03, 06 8:10 am Post subject:

I got the Ecologist newsletter and see they have an offer on a trial pack of cloth nappies, with three different "models" for people to try:

https://www.theecologist.org/offer3.asp

"Motherease, Tots bots and Popolino"

£24 from a supposed RRP £35, I don't know if that's either true or good but thought some of you might be interested, there are several threads on the subject so I didn't know where to put this one.

Helen_A

Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: MK, Bucks.

Posted: Fri Mar 03, 06 8:14 pm Post subject:
The ones in the Ecologist deal are nice ones generally, and its a good price for them. But if anyone is looking for cloth nappies could I please smile sweetly as its funding my downsizer life (and is why I need to move house cos they're taking over, lol, cos there are so many lovely ones out there ). Or is that just too cheeky? Helen_A

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