Our Cloth Nappy Update And Why It Was A Great Change!
This post is well overdue but what with sleep deprivation, the baby still wanting to boob far too much and he is still sleeping in with us plus with the start of school for Jake, things have had to be put on hold for a while. Anyway, here is my cloth nappy update…
I wrote about making the change to cloth nappies back in June and once I had my stash built up I took the plunge. I must admit I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t know how William would like the change, how I would get on with the extra washing and how I would cope when we were out and about. But until you try you really don’t know. So, I dove straight in and was very surprised about how much I loved it all!
That may sound crazy but for starters, have you seen how cute they are?!
Bee Print Nappy from Bambino Mio
Then there’s the actual weird excitement about not throwing the nappy in the bin and your money along with it. When you say it like that it sounds insane doesn’t it? You buy nappies, that aren’t all that cheap, your baby wears them once and then you just throw them away! Instead, I now wash them, they come out looking like new and I get to use them all over again. Such a simple concept.
I also love it when I get to pick my favourite prints to put in the baby bag for the day. I can reach in and pull out a pretty nappy and wait for the ‘Oooo what’s that?‘ comments from friends.
New Woodland Collection from Baba and Boo
Nothing about it has grossed me out. There isn’t much you don’t do and touch when you become a parent so tipping the poo down the toilet, handling the nappy again to get it in the washing machine (if I haven’t put them into a wash bag) doesn’t faze me one bit. I’ve already dealt with poonami’s with Jake. I’ve had poo on my hands, up my arms and on my carpet in the past AND I have had to shower both of them down when the mess has just been too much after experiencing one of these poo explosions!
Cloth nappies have actually proved to be less messy compared to all this. There are NO poonami’s with cloth nappies as it is all contained thanks to the elasticated waists. The nappies rarely leak– the only times have been when the nappy hasn’t been put on correctly (hubby!) or if it’s been left on for a bit too long or if he’s drunk too much which I would say is completely on par with disposables anyway.
They are far more comfortable and you can see that in his movement, that there is no drooping when they get full, again there’s the fact that they don’t let the poo explode, even nappy rash is reduced (he’s only had a bit of redness from teething) and they keep him cooler… because they are not made of plastic!!
I could go on but I have already covered every question I have ever been asked in this post here, so please do have a read but I think you get the gist that making the change to cloth nappies has been very positive.
I started out by using all in one cloth nappies but have also purchased pocket nappies (where the insert comes out) and to be honest, these are my preference. The reason being that the brand I use (Baba and Boo) have a gorgeous fleece liner, they have absorbent bamboo inserts and they fit William’s shape perfectly. They are also fastened with poppers which may be a little more fiddly when your baby begins to move around but it also means that they won’t be able to undo them as they get older. I have also found that velcro loses it’s shape very quickly and is a pain for gathering fluff and threads which are a nightmare to remove.
However, having said that, the night time nappies we use do have velcro but as they aren’t used as much (just one a night!) they are lasting fine. We are using Totbots Bamboozles (I know great name, eh!) with a Peenut wrap which is the waterproof cover over which goes over the top. The Bamboozle is a completely material nappy and it fully absorbs the pee which is why your baby can go all night without needing to be changed.
Daydream Bamboozle and Peenut Wrap from Totsbots
I know some people worry that cloth nappies are bigger and that finding clothes to fit is difficult but honestly, retailers are definitely accommodating for this change and since having Jake I have seen fewer jeans being sold in stores and more harem pants and leggings which fit a cloth bum perfectly. Independent businesses are also taking this into consideration which you will see in my review of clothing from Little Drop in the Ocean.
As for the wipes, well I cannot believe the waste I was creating by using wet wipes. I could easily use 4 or more wipes for a large poo eruption yet with my reusable wipes 2 is more than enough. Most of the time I am only using one. These go in the wash with the cloth nappies and are good to go all over again. They are also amazing for hands, faces and also work surfaces and toys. I am thinking I may just buy some for wiping down my bathroom and skirting boards! Did you know that disposable baby wipes also contain plastic? We can’t escape the stuff!
There’s not much else I can say, except that I wish I had discovered cloth nappies when I had Jake because I feel so guilty for sending so much to landfill and I cannot believe how much money I wasted!
I can also happily admit that I have a very healthy cloth nappy obsession and I am very proud of that because if my passion rubs off on just one other parent I can feel happy that I am doing as much as I can to save our planet from the ever worrying plastic problem.
If you have any further questions please do drop me a line, I am more than happy to help you to make this important change to cloth nappies and guide you where need be.
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