At Real Nappies for London we have always been a source of impartial information. However we’ve been concerned for some time now that the upfront cost of starting to use real nappies has risen and may be putting some people off trying them. If you think you need to buy 20 nappies at £15 each then £300 is a lot to spend when you’re also not sure whether they will work for you.
But there is a way to enjoy the benefits of these new, well-designed birth-to-potty nappies without spending that much. You could consider buying 6 flat nappies @ about £3 each – muslin, towelling or pre-folds - and 1-3 of the birth-to-potty nappies, such as the Bum Genius. Once you've tried these out you can buy more according to what works best for you and your baby.
In North America the humble pre-fold has remained popular and is seen as an essential part of the nappy wardrobe. A pre-fold nappy is a flat nappy, usually made of layers of muslin. It has layers sewn into the centre that build in extra absorbency. Visit You Tube and Google ‘pre-fold’. Follow the link at the end of the blog to see an example. And look at how many times these videos have been viewed!
You can use the modern pocket nappy in the normal way (with the micro-fibre pad stuffed into the pocket.) But you can also wrap your baby in the cotton nappy, as shown in the You Tube example and then use your birth-to-potty nappy as a waterproof wrap or you can just lay the cotton pre-fold inside. Using a flat nappy next to your baby's skins mean you don't have to wash the whole nappy at every change.
There are lots of benefits to having a stash of pre-folds. Most of us prefer cotton next to our skin, so surely that’s more comfy for baby. They can also be used on the changing mat for bare bottom time. Another advantage is that a cotton nappy gets wet so your baby learns the difference between wet and dry, which helps your baby develop bladder control.
As well as these benefits 100% cotton pre-folds can be put through a very hot wash when necessary. They are also durable so last for more than one baby. Another advantage is that they dry quickly and in winter you can dry a cotton pre-fold on the radiator without any danger of ruining it. (Never dry a waterproof wrap on the radiator – it makes them leak.)
Another advantage is that the organic, unbleached version is affordable – so the ethical choice. And at the end of their working life they can go in the compost or be sold on for recycling - so the zero waste option.
See how to use a pre-fold on You Tube
Terry nappies! A pack of six costs about a tenner from Boots. So for twenty quid you have all the nappies you need. Buy a pack of 'nappi nippas' (around £3.50) - the wonder-cure for the old-fashioned nappy pin, and away you go.
ReplyDeleteThen you can splash out on some super-duper wraps (say £10 a pop for a Motherease wrap with a lovely print. You'll need perhaps three per stage... buy more as you go along and spread the cost - you can even find good ones second-hand at NCT sales).
That's an outlay of fifty quid, all told. Trust me, terry nappies work a treat and dry in a flash. Once you add in a flushable liner (a couple of pounds for 200 or so) you are faced with very little mess and a very happy wallet!
The fact that terry nappies dry so quickly is what ultimately sells them to me! I had a full complement of birth to potty training nappies, from a variety of brands, for my daughter, and I've passed them on to my sister who has a son. If I have it to do all over again, I'll definitely go for terry nappies, especially as night nappies. As Q says above, £50 all up! That's so a bonus!
ReplyDeleteMy other top tip is to buy enough nappies and a big enough pail from a hardware store to wash only every three days, which means you need enough for four or five days' usage - this makes a full load of nappies (I never washed nappies with clothing laundry - I just couldn't bring myself to) - and that saved me loads of time.
I've only every used a terry nappy once, and as a mop-up cloth, and must say that in that case, I found the prefolds to be superior for absorbancy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was building up my nappy stock, I didn't think I'd be using the cheap prefolds that much other than on the change-table (where they catch little accidents beautifully!) but I've completely revised this now.
Now the prefold (with a Bummi's wrap) is my nappy of choice because I know it will last at least 3 hours and very seldom leaks, whereas our collection of pocket nappies (despite costing a lot more) are much less reliable.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have used lollipop's organic cotton birth to potty nappies for my son who is now 15 months all this time. We invested couple of 100 pounds initially(again some of it came from money we asked people to contribute at baby shower rather than giving us what we dont need for our baby) and in all these months all we have spent on disposable nappies( we used when we stayed overnite at friends) is a max of 20 pounds( that also came off from the vouchers people gave us present) and he is already been indicating for his potty since he was 10 months old and has started telling when he wants wee lot of the time... so the initial cost is a bit but if you plan to use your money carefully its worth it and the best gift your child can have as he/she is potty trained earlier. All i would say buy less in life but buy what is sustainable and best fulfills the purpose.
Another money saving tip: I have discovered there is no need to buy special paper nappy liners. Just put baby wipes into the nappy bucket with the nappies and wash them with your load of nappies. Depending on the brand, they are generally lovely and soft, wash well and save you 3p a time. Probably not a good idea to put them down the toilet though. I expect they might block it, so I always put them in the bin.
ReplyDeleteAlso, does anyone know if there is an organisation which accepts good quality, second hand real nappies to redistribute to people who would like them, and perhaps can't afford them? If not, perhaps Real Nappies for London could set one up?
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