New and confused for more than the usual reasons :)

Dear moms,

I am an expectant mother (due end of May next year) and really want to use cloth nappies. Trouble is the more info I search for, the more confused I get. Going through the topics here I got even more confused by the acronyms used. Let me be more precise: I live in Cyprus and have very limited access to cloth nappies, so far I found only two shops that sell two brands: Mothercare (selling their own brand) and Bambinex. As a result, the brands that you are discussing are all new to me and don't think I will even get to see one from close-up unless I buy it. This brings me to my next issue: living in a hot climate I really don't want what to go for, even for trial kits, I therefore am trying to summarise what I think I need, and maybe you could guide me from here, if you would be so kind. So, here I go:
1. I need something that is not bulky
2. I am horrified of leaks, not for myself, but for the nursery, later on (I am sure I will have a hard time finding one to accept to change cloth nappies)
3. I need something higly absorbant for night time, as I am not sure how I'll cope with it otherwise, I fear not to be discouraged and give up before even trying properly
4. If you think the wool wraps/leggings are suitable even for a hot climate like this here
5. drying time may not be such an issue due the many sunny months a year, so I am ready to compromise here


Many thanks for having the patience to read this

C.

Hi, and welcome! I'll try to answer your questions, but will skip the first as it's so long since I've bought for a newborn. I'm sure someone else will gladly help though.

1. I need something that is not bulky - pass! My experience is that most nappies look a little bulky on a tiny newborn though.
2. I am horrified of leaks, not for myself, but for the nursery, later on (I am sure I will have a hard time finding one to accept to change cloth nappies) - most cloth users find that cloth leaks far, far less than disposables.
3. I need something higly absorbant for night time, as I am not sure how I'll cope with it otherwise, I fear not to be discouraged and give up before even trying properly - you'll find you probably need to change a newborn during the night anyway. As baby grows you might find that you don't need *that* much absorbency. Absorbency is easily remedied anyway, by the addition/subtraction of boosters.
4. If you think the wool wraps/leggings are suitable even for a hot climate like this here - definitely. More so than PUL (plastic) - which would you rather wear? A thin wool sweater or a hot sticky plastic jacket? I've used cloth and wool in Israel, so similar climate and not had any problems with overheating, etc. If anything the boys were much more comfortable in wool. Wool is breathable and helps a child to regulate their own temperature. Plastic is pretty unbreathable and, well, sweaty and horrid.
5. drying time may not be such an issue due the many sunny months a year, so I am ready to compromise here - I'd go for bamboo over any other fabric, for absorbency. It is probably the slowest drying fabric (with hemp), but also one of the softest and most absorbent. I personally didn't like hemp, found it held onto smells more than any other fabric and isn't very soft.

Welcome to the tree
Im due with my first in feb so authough I have theoretical knowlage, I dont have hands on experiance yet
Im sure there will be more along shortly who will be able to give you some more info

[clothmama]

Welcome to CNT I was living in the south of France and now Queensland Australia and I would heartily agree with everything that Shadow said! Wool really is fab fab fab in a hot climate - and cloth in general. When Louis was tiny it was a really hot day adn we were going on a bit of a drive so I decided to put him in a dispo (had a few left over from the 1 pack I bought when he was born) and by the time I changed him after being in the hot car for maybe an hour his poor little bottom was soooo red and horrible. I didn't put another disposable on him for a long long time after that I tell you!

Bamboo woudl be great for you too with beign able to dry them so quickly.

My suggestion would be to not buy a large pack of anything, hang out on the classifieds adn get a few different ones to try to see what you like. Postage out of the UK is pretty reasonable and most of the girls are happy to send abroad as we have a wide range of peeps from all over!

Dear ladies, thank you all for your quick and useful insights, I feel that I am starting from somewhere, finally. I will definitely check the classified section. If there is anything else you think I could use as starting info, please do not hesitate, I am all ears . The range, variety and combinations does surpass me and I am pretty overwhelmed, I must admit...

Hi & Welcome!

You might want to post a thread 'Anyone in Cyprus' as I know i've sent nappies there before just can't remember to who ??? It was the RAF Base I think. Just in case you have any local clothies around!

Even in the UK it is almost impossible to find things in the shops so you are not alone with having to buy them to see the.

I found fitteds & wraps (or wool) worked best on a newborn/small baby, that double containment is great for runny newborn poo, Tots Bots Stretch are Birth to Potty (BTP) & made of bamboo so absorbant & you'd be able to adjust the size as baby grows.

However that was before Tots Bots Teenyfits came out ... I have the BTP version, the Easyfit & they are great, lots of ladies here really recommend them. They would be nice & easy to use for Daddy & Nursery too, very similar to a disposable, one part, slim, applix (like velcro) closing.

Many thanks, zoeyboo, I am learning so much already. One more question, in terms of investement, would you advise me to go for the BTP (using my first acronym, so proud of myself ) from the very beginning, are they efficient enough against leaks? Basically, this is my greatest dilemma right now, so that I can narrow my search a bit.

Many thanks,
C.

Many thanks, zoeyboo, I am learning so much already. One more question, in terms of investement, would you advise me to go for the BTP (using my first acronym, so proud of myself ) from the very beginning, are they efficient enough against leaks? Basically, this is my greatest dilemma right now, so that I can narrow my search a bit.

Many thanks,
C.

You are welcome

My LO had very very skinny legs to begin with & quite a small waist (despite being big - he was just long) so I didn't find that BTP fit him well to begin with ... I had a few different ones ready as I saw it that if they didn't fit straight away then they would at some point & could keep trying them on him as he grew.

I would suggest getting a good mixture to start with, some BTP All in Ones like Easyfits/BumGenius etc and some sized fitteds (2 parters), don't go mad with newborn sized as they'll grow out of them quickly especially if you you have a larger baby. Some of the non-newborn sized ones will seem big & bulky to begin with, especially a BTP but this really is only a temporary thing. Sz1 Bamboo Little Lambs are good, as are the old style Tots Bamboozles ... you can get them in applix (velcro type) fastening or with no fastening where you then use a Nippa (modern replacement for Nappy Pin) which are great & make the nappy very adjustable for a newborn.

For wraps I would recommend the Thirsties Duo Wrap as it's very adjustable so should last you a while, they also have gussets on the leg openings so again good for newborn poo. You can get away with some relatively cheap fitteds to begin with as they won't be on long enough for absorbancy to be an issue... I would steer clear of anything that is all microfibre though as the wee seems to just squeeze back out of them and as you don't have to worry about drying time there would be no benefit to you to having any. Bamboo is probably the best to go for.

You could always post a wanted on the classified & list which you fancy trying,