I was put off using cloth nappies because everyone i asked told me i would have to spend around £500 initially on buying them. I don't have that osrt of money. Also, I live in Ireland so using cloth hasn't really caught on yet (along with other things…) so any sort of support or help was non existent (no "nappucinnos" etc) I was also confused as to size, best types of nappy, care,etc… Eventually bought some mothercare Smartnappys which may I say are rubbish…leaked constantly…so after a few months of this I eventually revertd to eco-disposables, where i have remained.
However a girl I know from online has recently started making & selling nappies for a lot cheaper…would it be too late to start using real now? DD is almost 11 months…what size/sort of nappy would be best? I don't have a tumbledryer or anything…what would be easiest, liners? And what is your usual nappy rota…how often do you change naps, where do you store them,how long it takes to wash them etc…???
Hi, its never too late to start using cloth nappies!
If you look on this forum there are loads of threads with advice on using them. I think with your baby being 11 months old already you would be safe using a one-szie nappy as it won't be too bulky like they sometimes are on a newborn, you just adjust the poppers as your baby grows. But it all depends on personal taste. The nappy lady has a good website packed with lots of good advice (I can't remember the web address but I think if you put a search in you would find it easily). As for the nappy wraps, I went through quite a few different types until I found one that worked for us, so it might be an idea to try different types and sell them on if you don't like them.
There is also a website - http://www.usednappies.co.uk where you can buy & sell second hand nappies & accessories which would be a cheaper option for you, and definately would not cost you £500 - I bought my nappies brand new 2 years ago (20 motherease onesize nappies, 10 boosters, 20 fleece liners (the best kind of liner in my opinion), a nappy bucket and some bum cream for £250!!), so in my opinion £500 is a bit of an over estimate
I would say you can get by quite easily on 20 nappies, I used to go through about 5 or 6 changes a day and wash over night every other day. I don't have a tumble dryer either so they were line dried outside in summer or on radiators in winter. And I store all nappies and wraps in a big bag hung over the end of DD's cot - very handy.
Hope this is of a little help, I'm sure you will get plenty more advice on here…
Never too late! and you can be as cheap or expensive as your budget allows. I reckon you could do it from £50 ish (buying new) and although the second hand market is a bit deflated since the ebay ban you can still get bargains. Also think about asking on freecycle, someone may have a load sat in an airing cupboard somewhere for free
never to late i would suggest buying a few second hand ones to find out what works best for you you may need nappies for 18 months or so more so still worth it finacially, if not definatly for the environment.
I would reccomend nappy nation shaped nappies, and try a prefold as these are the cheapest, and a pocket for ease of use. try looking at usednappies.co.uk
good luck and any questions send them our way
If you are really strict with yourself, you could just buy one or 2 nappies to begin with, and use them whenever they are clean and dry, as replacement for a disposable. Each time you use a washable, put whatever the disposable would have cost, had you used one, in a jar or money box. When you've saved enough, buy another washable, and quite quickly you'll have eradicated the disposables, and the washables won't have cost you a penny more than you would have spent in disposables. What's more, they are pretty well free after that! The only drawback is you need to buy nappies you can purchase locally when you go shopping, as it's a waste to pay P&P each time!
If you have a local council incentive, you could start out by just using the nappies you can get for free, and use the same method. It doesn;t take long to =have a workable full time collection!
Whereabouts in Ireland are you? I'm in County Down. I know what you mean about being a bit behind the times over here - we've got a lot of catching up to do!
I know a few nappy places in the south that might be able to help you out and if you're in the north I might be able to help you! There are plenty more options in mainland UK but I found that it always cost loads more in postage to get them sent over here unfortunately. (One of my motivations for starting my shop!) Let me know whereabouts you are and I'll see if I know someone in your area!
Yay!! I'm so glad there's someone else! We're in Saintfield so we're on the other side of the Lough but we're not too far from Newtownards really. Ards Pennisula is beautiful!
This forum is great. Everyone is really nice - I feel a bit envious sometimes though because there is so much over in mainland UK compared to here!
Sorry - this was completely off-topic! Just got a bit carried away there!
Saintfield, some nice antique shops if I remember correctly- last time i was there I was about 8 months pregnant. I actually can't believe there's someone else so close by who reads GP etc ;D I know what you mean about mainland envy… NI is just so slow on the uptake, I don't know anyone who has been BF for as long as I have (and I haven't for that long)...in fact i don't know anyone who BFs full stop..or babywears..etc etc etc :D
You should come to a La Leche League meeting! That's why I started going - so many like minded mums - breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping - I love it! My little boy is 2yrs 4 mths and still feeding and I started getting weird looks in other mother and toddler groups when he was 10 mths! Imagine what they would think now :D It is a bit of hike though…Carrickfergus. It's only once a month though so I feel like it's worth it to keep me sane!
Yup, lots of antique shops and very little else in Saintfield!
Definitely never too late. You may have an early potty trainer, you may not so it would be worth your while. As has been said cloth nappying can be as cheap or as expensive as you choose to make it.
Happy Nappy shopping.
I might actually go to LLL… when i googled it I noticed there was one on carrickfergus, was suprised as I thought belfast would be more likely….hmmm wonder would it be easier to catch the ferry over and go up that way or what…i'm hopeless at directions…
It's certainly not too late to try cloth nappies. I put my DD in them initially but they didn't seem to suit us very well and due to some well intentioned negative comments from my parents I gave up. We went back to them when she was about 18 months old and we were fine with them for about a year before I stopped using them to potty train. If you're not sure, you could always try a trial month with a laundry service and see how you go.
no tumble drier - use an indoors airer or an outside washing line
start with 12 nappies and 3 wraps, i have only ever bought 12 nappies and we manage brilliantly,
buy a few muslins for emergencies (rain/illness)
Hope you had a nice birthday! The next La Leche League meeting is Friday 11th July. It would be great if you coudl make it - Everyone is really nice and it's great to be able to talk about breastfeeding and baby wearing etc without getting the raised eyebrows and funny looks! How would you normally go to Belfast? Ferry or through Newtownards? It's only about 20 mins beyond Belfast - you can just get on the m2 and then the m5 to Carrickfergus. It can be a bit tricky to find after that but I'd be happy to meet you somewhere if you're intrested in going. How old is your little one btw?
second hand is a good idea as someone has mentioned or else try buy a roll of terry towelling and cut into squares if on a tight budget.
I have found terry squares excellent. I bought 16 and 4 wraps from the start and it has been sufficient. No tumble dryer either.
