Advice on re-usable nappies pls!!

[emma115]

Hi all,

I'm just about to pop with twins next week and have a stash of disposables to use while they're tiny but, having read somewhere that I'm likely to use 9,000 between birth and potty training (Aaarrgh!), I thought, for the sake of the environment and my purse, I'd ask the good parents of ED for their knowledge, experiences and recommendations on re-usables!

Thank you all and look forward to reading your comments!

Emma x

[Convex]

I'd wait until they are born and then get a local rep to come and do a fitting. Will save you time in researching types of nappies and trying them out etc.

Def worth doing though! I think we started reuseables at around 3 months.

[Pickle]

Agree with Convex, wait to see their size/shape before spending any money. I've used cloth from birth with two of my kids, and from 10 months with my first. I would never go back to disposables, cloth is so easy and so much more reliable when used correctly.

Good luck!

[KatDew]

I used entirely re-usables with my eldest. With my twins I did try and kept it up at least 50% if the time until they were about 15 months. The problem for me was keeping up with the laundry for two of them and all the rest of the family laundry. it was ok in the summer but I just couldn't get everything dry in the winter.

It's likely that your twins will be a touch smaller at first so it will take them a while to grow into the standard sizes

[emma115]

Thank you everyone so far for your helpful comments!

Convex could i ask which company you used for nappies/ rep? And did they offer a laundry service too? As like KatDew.... think i'll defo struggle with twins nappy laundry on top of everything else!

Really appreciate your help everyone!

[Pickle]

I had two children in cloth at the same time for 18 months (small age gap between #1 and #2) and didn't find the washing too bad, it becomes second nature! I (even now) find drying is easier in winter as I make use of the radiators and they dry very quickly.

The nappies I used for my youngest from newborn were the best of all the ones I've tried over the years - they were "Easy Peasy" nappies, used with nappy nippas which meant I got a really good fit on my daughter who was very small. Topped with a good cover they are excellent.

My word of advice would be not to put too much pressure on yourself. If you use them from birth, great. If it takes you 6 months (or in my case, 10 months after I had my first baby) to get on top of everything and then you switch to cloth, equally great.

P x

[Convex]

Also using a combo of reuseables and disposables can work really well. We use disposables at night and cloth the rest of the time. If I am going out for a full day or on hols and space is tight in my bag I will use disposables.

I don't find the laundry a chore, Especially if you chuck the baby's clothes in with the nappies. You def need a good drying space though, we have a sunny warm spot which works all year round. Or if you have a dryer, and use nappies that can be tumble dried, or the radiators as pickle says.

[Jo'sEnglish]

I've used reusables full time since birth on my son. I started out by using muslins so I didn't have to worry about fit as I could fold them to fit while I worked out what shape he was going to be and what would work for us. It was also fab at first as they dried super quick. Now I have a combination of different ones for different purposes.

The laundry really just becomes second nature and not too much of a problem. You can get microfibre ones which dry very quickly too if you are worried about having nappiesdrying all over the place (with twins you will get through a lot!) I would recommend www.thenappylady.co.uk for great advice, she has a questionnaire to fill in and will help point you in the right direction.

Also, I think having a partner that is on board with it is really helpful in the early days. My husband was a whizz at folding a terry square and sorting out all the nappy washing in the early days!

Oh, and I just got these ones from little lambs which are lovely and super fast drying and currently on special offer for only at 6 for ?24 which is a bargain if you fancied starting a stash! http://www.littlelambnappies.com/special-offers/6-osfa-nappies-for-24

[Convex]

I have found bumgenius free times dry quickly, but I imagine microfiber would be even quicker.

[The Nappy Lady]

Hi Emma

I used to do local demos but have stopped now my youngest is 4 years old.

The company I represented is still going strong & offers LOADS of help & advice & great demo videos too now. Check out

www.thenappylady.co.uk & maybe complete the tailored advice questionnaire.

The nappies Pickle mentioned (tiny new born ones) are Bimbles & I know TNL now offers hire kits for those to get thru the first weeks - with twins they should fit for the first 6 months at least if not longer assuming a 5lb ish birth weight.

Laundering really isn't difficult & I too found winter drying easy with radiators - all nappies on 1 with a drying rack attached so they are not all over your house.

Give yourself time after the birth, but if all goes well then from about 4 weeks post birth is a great time to aim to switch from. With a good cloth system you shouldn't get any leaks so if anything you will save yourself the work of washing lots of stained baby clothes & bedding!

Good luck with everything.

[dibden]

Hi,

I bought a selection of releasable nappies before my son was born but didnt start using them till he was 12 weeks old. I found I had enough other things to deal with in the early weeks but I use them most of the time now and I love them. I dont use them if Im on holiday or out and about for the day.

I use the Bumgenuis free time and they are really great. So easy to use. my main reasin for choosing them is they dry really quickly and we dont have a tumble dryer. If you wanted to see my collection Id be happy to show them to you. They are not absorbent enough for night time so we use the tots bots with a mother ease wrap for the nights.

www.thenappylady.co.uk is a wealth of information, I also bought nappies from www.fill-your-pants.com throught the web page I requested a demo from a local rep and went to a house hear Denmark hill to see the nappies. The lady who did the demo is independent rep so has lots or brands she can show you. I can send you on her details if you like.

Good luck with it all.