Preparing to use Cloth Nappies from birth

I am so excited to announce that TotsBots are very kindly providing us with everything we need to go from birth to potty in reusable nappies for baby boy, in the hopes that we will be 100% cloth converts, 24/7! I poo-poo’d (ha, get it?) the idea of cloth when I borrowed a couple of cloth nappies from a friend when Athena was 4 or 5 months old, one horrific poop experience and that was that. We tried again when she was around 10 months and on solids and did find it easier. However she’s never been in them full-time (due to nursery/ my mum having her a day a week and the fact they made me heave when I was in early pregnancy!) but once I am on maternity leave I my aim is to have BOTH babies in cloth full-time! Nursery are happy to use cloth nappies apparently (which is great of them!) and I plan to have my mum fully trained too, she still harps on about how naff cloth nappies were when I was small, things have come a LONG way in 30 years, mum!
You may have seen my excited tweets a month or so ago when our lovely bundle arrived, and now that Christmas is out of the way and baby will be here in a matter of weeks (okay, still double digits at the moment but time flies!) it’s time for me to start preparing the nappies and getting ready to use cloth nappies from birth!
cloth-nappies
In the Birth to Potty kit you get:
  • 15 x Rainbow Easyfit nappies with Hook & Loop (3 each of blue/purple/orange/red/green)
  • 5 x Natural Bamboozle Stretch (size 2) nappies (natural in colour)
  • 1 x size 1 wrap (white)
  • 1 x size 2 wrap (white)
  • 1 x 16L bucket
  • 2 x laundry mesh bags
  • 1 x wet nappy bag (white)
  • 20 x reusable fleece liners
  • 1 x roll of paper liners
  • 1 x 750g tub of Potion nappy wash

That’s everything you need to get started on your ‘cloth bum’ journey! There is actually a lot less to do to prepare than you’d think, if you have the kit above in fact all you need to do is a) pre wash your nappies and b) find a nice way to store them ready for use!

All cloth nappies need washing before use, to ensure that they have maximum absorbency to soak up anything that they need to, plus make sure they are fresh and clean to adorn your baby’s bottom! The bamboo nappies (Bamboozles) will need around 10 washes before they reach full absorbency, but the EasyFits only need 3 or 4 washes to get there. Some people like to soak their nappies overnight in the bath, but for ease I plan to do my washes in the machine overnight with my regular washing when there is space, and a few nappy only washes. You don’t need to let them between washing either, so the whole process will only take a couple of days. All the velcro tabs need to be folded down to stop them getting caught up in the spin and snagging the material.
Sadly we have no outside drying area, being in a first floor flat but I’ve hung a shoe organiser on the back of door where our boiler lives and nappies tend to dry within 4-6 hours (double this for the bamboozles as the material is more absorbent)! It works really well, and I can fit plenty of nappies on the door to dry! We do have a washer/drier but I prefer to save electricity by letting them dry naturally when I can although with potentially two babies in cloth next winter it might be a necessity every now and then, but Tots Bots are fine to be tumble dried on a low heat.

The difference between Easyfits and Bamboozles:

Easyfits are an ‘All in one’ (or AIO) nappy, so everything is attached and ready to use. They are slightly slimmer, and don’t need a separate cover. Supersoft Binky/Minky cores,  You can add a booster if needed, attached via a popper and coming as standard with each nappy. Easyfits come in a variety of colours and styles too, some being quite sought after! There is also a Teenyfit version, for small babies, although the Easyfits can be used from birth as the poppers on the front allow you to make the nappies the perfect fit for your baby. Fast drying.

Bamboozles are a two part nappy, and are perfect for overnight and for heavy wetters. The bamboo material is super absorbent, and the cover that you place over the nappy helps to keep everything in. They are stretchy, and also have poppers to adjust to your babies size. You don’t need to change the wrap each time you change the nappy either. These take longer to dry, but wraps dry very quickly.

Both types of nappy should be used with a liner to protect little baby bums from extra moisture, there are fleece liners (washable) and paper liners (disposable, can go down the loo) and they also help to protect nappies from staining too.

So whilst I get super acquainted with my washing machine please help me out for an idea for a future post:

  • Did you contemplate using cloth nappies?
  • If you don’t/didn’t use cloth nappies what reservations did you have?
  • What questions do you have about how to use cloth nappies etc

I’d love for you to answer any/all of those questions and to fire any more questions around cloth nappies at me and I’ll answer them all in a future crowd source post! Thank you in advance!

 

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