Wednesday 17 April 2013

Starting out with Cloth Nappies... #RNW13 Guest Post

Carly is fluffy mum to two under threes and blogs at Mummy and the Chunksbelow she  shares her experiences of starting out in the world of cloth nappies...

Zach in a close parent pop in cloth nappy

I am relatively new to the world of cloth nappies. I am mum to two year old Gracie and 6 month old Zach. I was a young mum when I had Gracie and had absolutely no idea about modern cloth nappies. All I knew was that old people used to use them before 'normal nappies' were invented. I never even gave them a thought and spent a fortune on disposable nappies. It was only when I started reading blogs and joining social networking groups talking to other mums that I discovered the new generation of cloth nappies. I still wasn't ready to make the switch though until I discovered I was pregnant again. The thought of how much it would cost to have two babies in nappies was shocking so I asked around to find out how to start and what to do. There are many advice groups and I have found that all the cloth bum mums I've asked for advice have been amazing in explaining everything to me. The best piece of advice I was ever given was to try different brands and types to see what I was most comfortable using and what worked best for me and my babies. I have now tried a massive variety of nappies and have favourites for different times and situations eg. nighttime nappies, nappies for going out and nappies to wear around the house.

I know some people are scared off by the start up costs but there are many different affordable ways to try cloth nappies. Many local councils offer incentives such as nappy vouchers, free start up kits or discounts. I was unfortunate as my local council is one of a small few that offer no incentives but I made it affordable for me by taking advantage of Real Nappy Week. There are many great offers and competitions around so I entered as many competitions as I found and bought one or two nappies from a few companies with great discounts on. 

A big portion of my nappy stash is made up of cheap pocket nappies from Tiny Nippers which are a great price and work fantastically for us. What we love about Tiny Nippers is the huge selection of designs and prints including the character prints which are Gracie's favourites. These are the nappies I use most around the house as they are so easy to use and I can get them washed and dried quicker than any others I've used. The quality for such affordable nappies is amazing too. 
Zach in a gnappies cloth nappy

Since Zach has been born and I've become more aware of the different brands I've found new favourites. gNappies have a very unique concept as they provide a reusable nappy cover which can be used with either a cloth insert or biodegradable insert for those who don't like the idea of washing dirty nappies but hate the environmental impact of disposable nappies. The biodegradable inserts can be either home composted (only wet ones) or binned with no harm to the environment. I personally use the cloth inserts as they work out cheaper to use. There are two things I love about gNappies, firstly the beautiful designs on the reusable covers for both girls and boys and the fact that they are so slim fitting I have no problems with fitting clothes over them compared to some bulky nappies. These are the nappies I like to use when out and about as they are so reliable when fitted properly and I don't tend to get as many disgusted looks when doing a nappy change!

My favourite night time nappy is the Close Parent Pop-In nappy. I bought one of these at the Baby Show last year as I love their print nappies. They come with ultra absorbant bamboo inserts which make the nappy really bulky but they can last all night with no leaks for us and the last thing you want is to wake up to an upset baby who is soaked through. 

Well I could go on and on about nappies and could rave about almost every brand I've tried but don't want to bore you all! If you are tempted to try nappies but think well I've already used disposables why start now? Take a leap of faith by one or two to try you don't have to spend lots of money to try them and who knows you might just love it like I did. Switching to cloth was a big decision for me but its one I'm so glad I made. 

If you'd like to ask me anything about cloth nappies then feel free to ask below or get in touch through my blog.

For those that have already made the switch or even if you've always used cloth nappies, I'd love to know what was your main reason for wanting to use cloth?

Thank you for a introduction to the world of fluff! Please do show Carly some comment love and feel free to ask any cloth nappy questions you may have in the comments! All comments get entered into our prize draw! Why not join us tonight at 8pm on facebook for a cloth nappy chat with special guest and expert Babipur? See you then!

27 comments:

  1. Have never tried gnappies before, but certainly might be tempted now after reading this!

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  2. Lovely post, loving the pictures!!! x

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  3. also never tried gnappies, off to look for the rnw offers on them :)

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  4. I really want to try g nappies and our owl pop in arrived yesterday :-)

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  5. I have never tried gnappies before, they do look lovely too. Summer is just round the corner, all that fluff on a washing line will be back to brighten our gardens.

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  6. We have a gNappy for our nappy library and we were really impressed with it, Close parent pop-ins are another favourite of ours! I made the switch later on too and just wish now I had done it sooner!!

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  7. The start up costs do put me off but its good to know theres cheaper alternatives... since Monday I have to say I do like the look of the Closer pop in Nappies and the gNappies.. I havnt braved to buy one yet though! I also like the thought that if we have a hot summer (wishful thinking!) baby can lounge around in his nappy and with real nappies they're so cute... he'll still look adorable!

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  8. What a lovely post! We are big TN fans too, great affordable quality and fab designs! X

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  9. I'm new to cloth. Haven't risked nights or out of house yet, but definitely will now. Will look into TN, never heard of them before. x

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  10. I'm in the process of making the switch to cloth at the moment. My little girl is seven months old but I've just potty trained my boy and i'm tired of the expense and environmental burden of disposables. Thanks for the recommendations, I will have a look at those.

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  11. Great post, I'd love to get more people using cloth nappies. My work colleagues are so sick of me talking about them! But I do love 'em. I've just ordered some Tiny Nippers minus the insert to use as funky wraps for my man over the summer :)

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  12. Fab post - think I had better have a look at the tiny nippers website!

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  13. your little one looks so cute in the photo. i like the look of the gnappies will have to look on there website.

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  14. Good post - really interesting, might check out Tiny Nippers

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  15. Thanks for all the info. My stash is growing quite nicely, but I don't have much variety. Need to expand a little I think! Off to explore Little Nippers!

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  16. Im new to this and have had advice from babi pur. My boy is really long and weighs 20lbs at 6 months and I'm worried he'll grow out of the nappies really quick, I don't want to waste money on makes that aren't going to last us.
    How do you find the close pop in fit wise?
    Do they mark babies leg? As im finding little.lamb wraps are!

    Thanks for all of your info.
    Laura
    Ps. Had to submit.as anonymous as I don't have any if the other accounts

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  17. Great post! Tiny nippers really do have some great bargains. We have some of their wipes and wet bags.
    I'd definitely agree that it's good to try a few different types out

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  18. I had no idea there was help out there for the start up!! Great post with so much info, just what I needed :) X

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  19. Great post.. this is my third time trying to comment! I'd just like to add that its a REALLY good idea to try a few out before committing to a whoel stash of one kind (like I did!) Different types of nappies for different times is often the way forward. Also, if leaks or other problems arise, ask for help! And if you want to switch cloth nappy types (like I had to!) there are loads of preloved nappy buy / sell sites and Facebook pages. I have saved a fortune being able to sell and then buy preloved ones and it would be a cheap way of starting up too.

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  20. all tips are gratefully recieved here ... i need all the help i can get , completely new to cloth , just started buying sale items for when our little girl is born

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  21. chantelle GawlerMonday, April 22, 2013

    I am also relatively new to cloth but I'm loving it! may take a look at the tiny nippers

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  22. Was wanting to try a Close pop-in but now I def will. Their prints are gorgeous too

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  23. I've heard good things about gnappies am going to have a look at tiny nippers too xx

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  24. Gemma CruttendenMonday, April 22, 2013

    Got a Pop in at the baby show at Bluewater at the weekend and even with just a prewash it's amazing!
    As for start up costs - as long as you don't mind it Preloved ia a great way to go. Especially as there's so many that have only ever had a prewash, not even been worn!

    A friend has leant me a gNappy so I'm looking forward to trying it!

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  25. I think it's the trying lots bit that has me worried, don't you mix them all up?

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  26. kathryn stAnnardTuesday, April 23, 2013

    I'm getting more to the side of converting & great post! Zach such a cutie and may give gnappies reusable ones ago!

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I love to read your comments, thank you for sharing your thoughts.