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Newbie Advice

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Sarah_F
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Newbie Advice

Postby Sarah_F » Wed Oct 12, 2016 11:32 am

So, I've been considering changing to cloth nappies and I really just wanted to know why you think it's beneficial?

Thanks :D

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littlesez
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby littlesez » Thu Oct 13, 2016 6:58 am

Initial main benefit for me was cost, I started off with some terry squares and little lambs, spent about £150, as the months went on I experimented with loads of different brands. Sold some on, kept some for bubs number 2. I once worked out that I spent about £1000 on cloth over the years. I made back half by selling them on. I would have spent about £3000 for disposable nappies and wipes.

Izzy has sensitive skin so nappies and wipes brought her out in rashes so cloth was essential for her, leon can tolerate them and I've used them occasionally.

A possible benefit was early potty training as in cloth its they are more aware of being wet. I didn't do potty training as such, just put a potty out. Izzy was in knickers at about 22months and wore night nappies til about age 3. Leon was dry in the day by 2.5 shortly followed by nights.

I'm happy about the fact I have saved thousands of nappies going to landfill. Our bins only get collected once every 3 weeks! I know some neighbours really struggle with smells and maggots in their bins.

Using cloth nappies has meant we use cloth for everything! Wipes instead of toilet paper, cloths for cleanibg, cloth sanitary pads, face clothes for me instead of wipes and cotton wool.

Cloth nappies are also cute :)

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Aeseldyr
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby Aeseldyr » Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:37 am

Short answer: YES!
Longer one:
For us it started with the big girl having constant rashes when she was about 1. Then I read about clothnappies on www (actually clothnappytree was one of the placed that I read about them first :giggle: ) and thought I might try them on her. Within a week she had no rash :shock: And we continued until she was out of nappies.

With number 2 it was natural to start with cloth and she has only had a few disposibles on her whole life.

I have 4 reasons for choosing cloth:
1. Not being exposed to as many chemicals as disposibles - we also mainly used natural fibers
2. The environment - in dk the garbage (e.g. disposibles) don't go into landfields and just lay there but are burnt which causes CO2 emission instead.
3. Cost - even though I have spent alot on cloth up front it comes no where near close to what I would have spent on disposibles. And I have made about half of what I spent back on selling them after my girls where done using them.
4. cuteness and comfort factor - so much more cute than disposibles and so much more comfortable for the kid . Both prefered soft compfy cloth over disposible plastic-like hard ones.

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clothmama
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby clothmama » Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:28 am

Comfort, cost, reliability, the environment and cuteness!

Cloth nappies are lovely and comfy, I remember when my number 2 was just in night nappies at 3 or so and I would sometimes not get the night nappies we had washed / dried in time so he had the odd dispo at night. I remember him saying 'not paper - want comfy nappy' one night when I was putting a dispo on him - says it all really :love: :giggle:

Cost was a major factor for me to start with as we didn't have a lot at the time. I bought most of my first size preloved. I think my total expenditure was 120 pounds and I sold them on for the same so my first 6 months of nappies were totally free other than washing costs! I'm not sure what I spent v dispo cost for the rest but I would have saved a lot of money! Here is an article where I looked at the cost comparison:
http://www.clothnappytree.com/info.php?article=6

Reliability was the one that surprised me the most, I remembered my little sister in plastic covers and terry sqaures and they weren't the best combo at all times ie nights. I'd used dispos on my first child and regularly had full clothes (and bed!) changes due to poo'plosions up his back and floods of wee, particularly overnight. When I was using cloth this never happened - the elastic stopped even the most explosive poo and I was able to boost to suit the amount of wee being produced at any particular time. Sure sometimes we get the the odd leak if there is an extra long nap or while working out the best combo to use as wee levels change (which they do) but all this ever amounts to is changing trousers and nothing like the changes that I used to have to deal with disposables!

The environment - as Marie said, not exposing my little babies to the chemicals in disposables and not filling landfill with thousands of nappies that take hundreds of years to break down makes me sure I'm doing my little bit.
http://www.clothnappytree.com/info.php?article=10

Cuteness:

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'Nuff said :love: :love: :giggle:

I hope that helps a little and please ask as many questions as you want @Sarah_F

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Sarah_F
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby Sarah_F » Thu Oct 13, 2016 11:12 am

I have to say, the reasons you all list are very persuasive! I'm all for looking after the environment, so knowing that I would be helping if I were to switch is a huge incentive for me, and a lower cost is also a bonus :D and they really do look adorable... the little snowflake one especially! Where did you get them from?

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littlesez
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby littlesez » Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:38 am

There is only one downside and that's the washing. Its really easy to just throw nappies in the bin, so having to wash them when you are not used to it is an effort. It never bothered me as I did it from week 1. I only noticed after they potty trained I was doing less washing

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girlinleeds
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby girlinleeds » Fri Oct 14, 2016 7:05 am

Cost was a huge factor to us, I didn't realise how much disposable nappies cost, until we went on holiday and took them with us I just kept saying to dh were throwing all that money in the bin, he wasn't sure at first but he very quickly came round to using reusable. our daughter was the first child in her nursery to use cloth nappies, reusable wipes.
And environmental issues, every nappy made and sent to landfill still exists, that's horrible.
There very cute and quite addictive to buy as well xx

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Sarah_F
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby Sarah_F » Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:20 am

littlesez wrote:There is only one downside and that's the washing. Its really easy to just throw nappies in the bin, so having to wash them when you are not used to it is an effort. It never bothered me as I did it from week 1. I only noticed after they potty trained I was doing less washing


I don't think I'll mind the washing side of things, I'll look at it as practice for when they're teenagers and probably going through clothes faster than I can wash them :P

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Ziggyzandra
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Re: Newbie Advice

Postby Ziggyzandra » Fri Oct 14, 2016 12:07 pm

Main factor for me was environment. I hated the thought of all the nappies going to landfill
Close second was cost. My little girl is 14 months old now and by buying preloved I have spent about £150-200 but sold some that I don't use.
Although I could quite easily spend a lot more if I had the money as they are so cute
A benefit I love is no poosplosions!

I now use cloth nappies cloth wipes, transitioning to cloth tissues, want cloth kitchen roll, use cloths for cleaning too. It opens a path to all sorts of money saving products and waste saving too

I definitely advise seeing your local nappy library though! I didn't and spent hours trying to understand them because everyone has their own terms for things and seeing them in person would have been so much easier and could have saved me more money.
Don't worry about it being branded either, I find 'cheapies' fit great on my lg xx


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