Clueless First-Timer

Hello everyone.

I'm so happy to have found this forum as I've been searching around for weeks with no joy for all the little niggling questions that I have before I take the plunge and buy cloth nappies for my first-born, due in June.

I'm going to have a quick snoop around first to save wasting anyone's time, just in case my questions have been asked a million times before (they probably have!), but mainly I'd like to know about cloth nappy laundry services, as we have a teeny house with limited drying space and the most badly behaved washer-drier (it's a brand new, expensive jobby but just completely unreliable).

Does anyone know of laundry services in Leicestershire that collect and drop off? Do any of you use a laundry service for your cloth nappies? Would I be better off just using a laundrette? Or am I getting worked up over nothing, and I really don't need a utility room, seperate washer-drier and housekeeper to help me get into a good cloth nappy routine?

Told you I was clueless and had a million questions!

Many thanks in advance.

Hi

Welcome to the tree.

Do you have outside drying space? the best thing you can do for nappies is give them some sunshine (removes most stains)... when the weather is good of course.

I don't have a dryer at all... in winter, the nappies go on a drying rack in the kitchen and most are usually dry by morning but it depends on what type of nappies you choose of course.

Don't be afraid to ask silly questions, we all have and everyone is friendly. Always good to check if you can see any previous post asking the same though.

If you have a 'teeny' house then a laundry service could make things worse. They usually pick up once a week and its prefolds only so you dont get to pick the nappies yourself. You would have to store them for a week and that's quite a lot of nappies. There are plenty of quick drying nappies on the market from fitteds to pockets so I would have a good look around first and see what you think might be suitable.

hi there and welcome! Sorry can't help with the laundry service as I'm on the other side of the world lol! Jump right in tho and don't worry about 'silly' questions, we've all asked them

Hi and welcome.
Never needed to use a laundry service, just washed every 2-3 days and I give the nappies a wee tumble on cool heat for 10-15 mins to keep them soft. Wouldn't use a laundry, don't think I would trust them

Thanks everyone for the replies. We do have outdoor drying space, just very limited as to where we can fit an airer/drier inside.

I'm very keen to use cloth nappies and hoping that I can talk around my mum and partner - would be such a shame if logistics of washing let me down.

Saw a selection of 'starter packs' at Kiddicare last weekend, but unfortunately nobody was available to talk us through them, I think that would have really helped. Nonetheless, I'll keep researching and hopefully getting into a good routine from the start will mean I don't have to resort to asking somebody else to help me wash and dry them.

Thanks again for the warm welcome.

do you have an airing cupboard? perfect place for drying nappuies

Hi and welcome.

I'm sure you will have tons of questions, we all still do!! I would really advise against you buying 'packs' of nappies. Probably best to try different sorts before you commit to buying a load of one sort. Many people regret it. Also important to remember that it may not be til little one is here that you can really work out what works for you both. You might buy nappies that don't fit baby's shape/DH doesn't get on with/dry too slowly.

Everyone has different tastes but maybe best to start off with muslin squares and wraps for newborn (although you can buy lots of Work-At-Home-MUm scrummy nappies for newborn!) and take it from there.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions at all

ETA: muslin squares/terries/prefold do dry really quick but you would be surprised the spaces you can find to hang nappies. And if you dry them overnight you couls even have them in the middle of the living room and move them/sort them in the morning when they are dry!