Having limited drying such as no outside line or tumbledrier doesn't mean you can't use cloth nappies.
I would use a fast drying nappy made of microfibre. Microfibre dries amazingly quickly so you won't have to worry about having nappies hanging around drying for ages.
Examples of microfibre nappies are the Teddy nappy which is a shaped nappy. The nappy comes out of the machine and it is virtually dry. 15mins in a tumble drier or 1-2 hours on an inside airer/radiator will dry it and it'll be ready to go.
Another alternative is the microfibre Bumgenius pocket nappy. The pads inside the pocket nappy are flat and quick drying and again after a few hours are ready to go.
I've got many parents living in one bed flats, no outside line or balcony and they have been using cloth without any problems. The key is to get a quick drying nappy.
Before you get excited and start buying it is really important to get some good advice about the right nappy for you. If you go to our website www.thenappylady.co.uk and fill in our advice questionnaire we will recommend the complete set that fits your priorities and requirements best. For getting advice you get discount off your order too!
I've been looking at the various brands and have noticed a significant price difference betweent he traditional fold yourself terry nappies vs, ready shaped popper/velcro type eco friendly nappies!
Is it worth paying the extra for the pre-shaped nappies, or do you think that the terry nappies are actually easy enough to use?
Great questions and answers on here so far - really useful by the way!
We've reached 1pm now so no more questions, please. Thanks Wendy for letting us pick your brains about reusables! Thanks too to all members who asked questions.
It is perfectly possible to use cloth from birth however we always recommend you use disposables to start with as it's far more important to establish breast feeding in the early days.
many parents just use disposables for the first week but equally many parents wait until baby is a bit older.
When i switched to cloth on my first Son i started part time just at home for a few weeks until my confidence grew, then i used them when i went out and finally i took the plunge at night time (thought they would keep him awake or leak - they didn't just put in an extra fleece lined booster).
Folded muslins for when baby is very tiny and perfect, folded into the Jo fold, fastened with a nippa and with a small wrap over the top.
Shaped nappies will fit from 8lbs. If you go for nappies in two sizes size 1 will fit up to 18lbs and then size 2 will fit from 18-35lbs.
There are also nappies that fit from birth to potty (8-35lbs). These work out cheaper however there will be a compromise on fit. They will be bulkier on a newborn and tighter on a large toddler. Example of birth to potty nappies are Bumbles and Onelife nappies.
There are so many brands out there now and all have pros and cons. Everything on The Nappy Lady website is tested first and we only stock what really works. If it's not on our site there will be a very good reason why.
Some great brands are Totsbots. They make a wide range of nappies such as Flexitots, Bamboozles, Cotton Tots, Easyfit. Each of their nappies suits a different person and criteria better. They also make the funky Flexiwraps as well.
Bambinex also make some wonderful nappies. Bambinex nappies are a very slim cut. They make the super fast drying Teddy nappy or the super slim Bambinex Bamboo. The size 2 in each of these nappies can be made into a birth to potty option.
Onelife make a clever birth to potty nappy and fantastic wraps.However the nappy is shorter than other nappies so doesn't suit tall chunky children.
Motherease are also another fantastic brand who make nappies and wraps. Their nappies again suit different criteria better.
Get some advice from us first as you'll be guided to what is the best nappy for your circumstances.
Shaped nappies are more expensive than flat nappies such as terry squares. You can buy junior joy terry squares from just ??1 each.
Terry squares are the most economical nappy system and are easier to use than many people imagine however they are not as good at containment and have lower absorbency than shaped nappies.
I used Terry Squares on my first Son for the first year but found i got poo on the wrap more frequently than i did with shaped nappy. This was due to the elastic in the legs of a shaped nappy. I also found putting a shaped nappy on a wriggling toddler easier as i didn't have to worry about the shape falling apart. I did however come back to my trust old terrys when i was night time training him. I folded the terrys into a pad so it didn't feel like a shaped nappy he was used to and he could take it off easily when he did use the toilet.
Finances are the top of everyone's priorities at the moment and we're having lots of people using a mixture of terrys and shaped nappies to bring down the cost. If this is something you'd like to consider i can help suggest relevant quantites etc.
Thanks for all your questions, i hope i have helped you understand your cloth nappy options better.
If you would like further help or a personal nappy recommendation please click on the link below and it will take you to our Nappy Lady advice questionnaire.
Replies
Having limited drying such as no outside line or tumbledrier doesn't mean you can't use cloth nappies.
I would use a fast drying nappy made of microfibre. Microfibre dries amazingly quickly so you won't have to worry about having nappies hanging around drying for ages.
Examples of microfibre nappies are the Teddy nappy which is a shaped nappy. The nappy comes out of the machine and it is virtually dry. 15mins in a tumble drier or 1-2 hours on an inside airer/radiator will dry it and it'll be ready to go.
Another alternative is the microfibre Bumgenius pocket nappy. The pads inside the pocket nappy are flat and quick drying and again after a few hours are ready to go.
I've got many parents living in one bed flats, no outside line or balcony and they have been using cloth without any problems. The key is to get a quick drying nappy.
Before you get excited and start buying it is really important to get some good advice about the right nappy for you. If you go to our website www.thenappylady.co.uk and fill in our advice questionnaire we will recommend the complete set that fits your priorities and requirements best. For getting advice you get discount off your order too!
I might be cutting it too fine for an asnwer!!
I've been looking at the various brands and have noticed a significant price difference betweent he traditional fold yourself terry nappies vs, ready shaped popper/velcro type eco friendly nappies!
Is it worth paying the extra for the pre-shaped nappies, or do you think that the terry nappies are actually easy enough to use?
Great questions and answers on here so far - really useful by the way!
Many thanks
Rachael
It is perfectly possible to use cloth from birth however we always recommend you use disposables to start with as it's far more important to establish breast feeding in the early days.
many parents just use disposables for the first week but equally many parents wait until baby is a bit older.
When i switched to cloth on my first Son i started part time just at home for a few weeks until my confidence grew, then i used them when i went out and finally i took the plunge at night time (thought they would keep him awake or leak - they didn't just put in an extra fleece lined booster).
Folded muslins for when baby is very tiny and perfect, folded into the Jo fold, fastened with a nippa and with a small wrap over the top.
Shaped nappies will fit from 8lbs. If you go for nappies in two sizes size 1 will fit up to 18lbs and then size 2 will fit from 18-35lbs.
There are also nappies that fit from birth to potty (8-35lbs). These work out cheaper however there will be a compromise on fit. They will be bulkier on a newborn and tighter on a large toddler. Example of birth to potty nappies are Bumbles and Onelife nappies.
There are so many brands out there now and all have pros and cons. Everything on The Nappy Lady website is tested first and we only stock what really works. If it's not on our site there will be a very good reason why.
Some great brands are Totsbots. They make a wide range of nappies such as Flexitots, Bamboozles, Cotton Tots, Easyfit. Each of their nappies suits a different person and criteria better. They also make the funky Flexiwraps as well.
Bambinex also make some wonderful nappies. Bambinex nappies are a very slim cut. They make the super fast drying Teddy nappy or the super slim Bambinex Bamboo. The size 2 in each of these nappies can be made into a birth to potty option.
Onelife make a clever birth to potty nappy and fantastic wraps.However the nappy is shorter than other nappies so doesn't suit tall chunky children.
Motherease are also another fantastic brand who make nappies and wraps. Their nappies again suit different criteria better.
Get some advice from us first as you'll be guided to what is the best nappy for your circumstances.
Shaped nappies are more expensive than flat nappies such as terry squares. You can buy junior joy terry squares from just ??1 each.
Terry squares are the most economical nappy system and are easier to use than many people imagine however they are not as good at containment and have lower absorbency than shaped nappies.
I used Terry Squares on my first Son for the first year but found i got poo on the wrap more frequently than i did with shaped nappy. This was due to the elastic in the legs of a shaped nappy. I also found putting a shaped nappy on a wriggling toddler easier as i didn't have to worry about the shape falling apart. I did however come back to my trust old terrys when i was night time training him. I folded the terrys into a pad so it didn't feel like a shaped nappy he was used to and he could take it off easily when he did use the toilet.
Finances are the top of everyone's priorities at the moment and we're having lots of people using a mixture of terrys and shaped nappies to bring down the cost. If this is something you'd like to consider i can help suggest relevant quantites etc.
If you would like further help or a personal nappy recommendation please click on the link below and it will take you to our Nappy Lady advice questionnaire.
http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/public/submitTAQ.aspx
I can also be contacted direct on
wendy.richards@thenappylady.co.uk
Wendy Richards - Nappy Lady Advisor
www.thenappylady.co.uk
Tel: 0845 652 6532