Thank you again for the tips... liners sound like a good idea too.

Thanks x

Hi Emma, congrats on the birth of your little one.

I'm another real nappy fan. I have used disposables when travelling at times but I find that real nappies offer better absorption, despite what people think, so I almost always carry real nappies with me for night-time at least - just had them with me for 2 weeks staying in Bangkok! 

The reason you're unable to find any single recommendation of a 'good' nappy is that there are so many kinds out there and it's a very personal thing, both in terms of fit and suitability for a particular baby, and in terms of washing and what works well for mum. This is why most people suggest trying a few brands before paying out a lot of money for a set.

I use bamboo nappies almost exclusively as the absorption is so superior to any others I have tried and my son was a heavy wetter (now he's only in nappies at night). However, they do have longer drying times and that doesn't suit all mums.  

Before you buy anything try looking at this page on cloth nappies, especially the buyer's guide and the reviews. I've used a lot of different cloth nappies as I've had to review them for the site, and some of my favourites include:

Wonderoos - one-size pocket nappy (but preferably with a bamboo insert). No need for a separate wrap

Fuzzibunz - Like the Wonderoos but not one-size - I'm not a fan of the microfibre stuffers as they weren't absorbent enough for us after a couple of months 

Wambamboo - Shaped bamboo nappy  - needs a wrap

Bamboozles - Tots bots bamboo shaped nappy - needs a wrap

Wrap favourite - Popolino  Vento (or Motherease Air-Flow, almost identical)

Like MG I use different nappies for different times of day and have preferred different nappies at different ages and stages.  

 A couple of personal preferences are to avoid aplix as it pulls at the material of other things in the wash, and can easily be undone by baby at a later stage. Poppers work well for us on outers and nappi-nippas do well for giving you good adjustability on nappies. 

 I prefer to dry-pail using a waterproof nappy bag that I can tip out into the washer and so don't have to touch the drty nappies. I don't use flushable liners for environmental reasons, so do sometimes have to sluice out nappies in the loo before pailing them.

 There's a lot more info in the articles I've linked to, so do have a look there before I reproduce the whole lot here! Hope that helps,

Maria 

Hello all i'm so glad you have started this thread at 35 and on baby no4(big suprise) you would think i had this sussed but i am a little confused. nappies were a bit simpler when i started as in all i needed was some terry squares, nappy pins, disposable liner and plastic pants.

I was trying to work out the savings between using disposables and real nappies. I would prefer real nappies as i cant quite come to terms with the amount we would be throwing in land fills on our little island but i have to be practicle i will be going back to work and it must be cost effective.

What i would like is a recommendation of a kind of all in one package or maybe how many nappies, fasteners and covers(?) and in what size to take me through from birth to potty. The initial cost is a little scarry and i want to try and off set it by perhaps getting some of ebay. I have to say i have found it pretty confusing and have nearly resorted to just buying terry's but my OH and potential childminder would be nervous of using nappy pins.

Hi

I got a trial pack for bambino mio and Diddy diaper and my baby hates both... He could not stop crying (which he does not cry) since I tried both.  So changed him again after an hour to disposable and he was a happy bunny.

So will probably use disposables for a while and give the reusables another go later.

Hello all these are the ones i was looking at they are super cute but as i've never used them an upfront opinnion would be appreciated they look simple?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-CLOTH-NAPPIES-DIAPERS-n-LINERS-REUSABLE-SMALL_W0QQitemZ250273404928QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250273404928&_trksid=p3286.m14.l1318#ebayphotohosting

Hello all these are the other set i was looking at but there doesnt seem to be enough of them i dont think to last the week even washing every two days. Do i need 2 packs? I love the look of them and these look simple enough for OH to use but the website doesnt tell me enough.

http://www.kittykins.co.uk/popup/id/3167/imagenum/0/kit/

Hi Debbie - I would recommend for childminder and OH friendly nappies to choose either a 'pocket' style one (bumGenius, Nappies by Minki pockets, Fuzzi Bunz etc,.) which you 'stuff' with terry squares, pre folds or whatever really to make them a ready to go nappy!

I am just off doing toddler stuff, and will reply with some more info later - if you are worried about drying times/washing loads then I recommend the prefolds and pocket nappies for ease of drying - or microfibre nappies which stay super soft and dry uber quick even in winter

Emma - I am sorry to hear your first trial of cloth nappies has not been a happy one!   My youngest Benji has *very* sensitive skin and when we first put him in cloth nappies we found using a fleece liner (not as impractical as it sounds even in this hot weather!)  really helped him feel more comfortable.

Fleece liners work to 'wick' the moisture away from baby's bum and keep them soft and dry - they also don't stain - meaning your nappies are less likely to end up with mustardy newborn tinges!  LOL!

Also Debbie don't be put off by terry squares by the pins!  you can now use one of these nappi nippas

I wouldn't rule out the shaped nappies at all, I find them so easy to use. It would have to be a pretty stupid or stubborn childminder that couldn't come to terms with using motherease or other shaped type nappies: you could give them an instruction sheet if they really needed it!!! I think resistance is more in the mind because they are really no harder to use than disposables- and if you just get a bag of used nappies back at the end of the day they don't even have to worry about the "hard" bit of washing!!

What really annoys me is the nurseries that provide disposable nappies as part of your nursery fee- and refuse to discount if you don't want to use their crappy disposables!

Also I'm not sure if anyone so far has mentioned The Nappy Lady- if you want to see and trial some different nappies they have local reps who could come to your house; there's another company (sorry, can't remember the same- try google) that does "Nappuccino" mornings that similarly give you a selection to look at.

Please don't give up on reusables, they really are worth it!

Hi as were going to be using a childminder rather than a nursery its realy about educating her as shes of the disposal generation and i agree with the shaped ones its hard to see how you can go wrong, we will see how i get on.

As i'm not on the main land anything i choose i will have to get used to myself and wash myself not a big hardship i just need to keep it simple. The choice is pretty overwhelming and i dont want to waste money if i start down the track of reuseable then we will continue. Its just a big outlay initially and i want to make sure i get the right type i was never very keen on the squares and folding myself as mind would be ok and OH's would be down round one ankle.

he he, men!!!

TBH, use the nappy lady website and see their recommendations, also try the questionnaire on kittykins (and any other website you find) and you'll soon get an idea of the types and brands of nappies that fit your needs. They'll also have advice on how many to get and wraps, liners etc. I like the shaped nappies rather than pocket and in this style you probably couldn't go wrong with cotton or bamboo (especially if you have a tumble dryer). Motherease One Size are pretty ubiquitous and deservedly so. I like my Baby Beehinds. I bought mainly birth-to-potty (bamboo BBH's) so they'll last the distance plus a few size one (little baby) nappies so they weren't quite so bulky, these are better for carrying in the changing bag as they're smaller! These are cotton-hemp, I bought them to be more quick drying than the bamboo, which they are, being thinner

Good luck with your choice to use reusables. Once you take the plunge, it will be so easy you wondered why it all seemed so hard

Debbie, definitely try the nappies before you invest in a whole set. IT really is an individual thing and you'll want to see how your baby likes a nappy before buy several of them. It takes  a bit of time and patience testing different ones out, but well worth it when you find the ones that suit you best.

 You can get trial packs of more than one type of nappy on the web, so organise it all by post.

Like MG I recommend fleece liners - very comfy and nice and dry.