advice appreciated....i dont want to give up on cloth...

[rokki]

thank you, everyone has been very kind and informative, its hard when there isnt the support, and its easy for my confidence to go, especially as this is my first baby

i find it strange that people i dont know are so helpful, non critisizing and supportive when friends and family arent!

its hard to beleive right now that he will be happily in cloth nappies again but i will try and try again and hopefully eventually i will crack it

any further info or advice is still very welcome!

[bilbylove]

there are many abbreviations with Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN)

FOE = fold over elastic (like bias binding, but an elastic version)

the motherease cover you have, IS made out of PUL. Your baby MIGHT reaction to the binding used around the legs.

as you are in the uk, here's a uk website with a night time cover (no FOE or exposed binding to irritate your bub's legs)
stacinator - cloth nappy wraps - kittykins
this is fleece fabric, quick to dry.

if you want to try wool, they have these:
babylonglegs - cloth nappy wraps - kittykins
(which in Australia we call shorties)



That site has a blog too, with nappy hints.

You'll find lots of Aust MCN sites on this forum mentioned. Remember that your UK sterling gets alot of Aust dollars, so if you buy internationally, you'll get a good deal. A few Aust nappy brands are being sold in the UK too (itti bitti, baby beehinds?)

Have you read about "drypailing"?
that method, as described in previous posts, involves NO NAPISAN (a very harsh bleaching agent used years ago on flat nappies).

My bub developed an intolerance to fleece inners (e.g pockets) around age of one, and part of my solution was like Kermi's, to have baby in natural fibre fitteds and wool covers for day - and only use fleece lined nappies at night - the night nappies.

but there are still some pockets we use for going out, that are fleece lined - i put inside them, a double layer flannelette (natural fibre), so that baby's skin is not touching the fleece inner. that is working for us.

On the home page of this forum (Nappycino), click on the link WHY WOOL - that will explain heaps to you about breathability of wool. I never thought i would use it, but now, i can really see it's value, i've done a 180 on it.

It IS lonely when the people around you in real life, are so ANTI MCN.
i have learnt to build networks with people online who are using MCN, that live in my city - but most often, it's the online support - like on this forum, that keeps me going.

sometimes you just have to stick to what you feel is right.
same with so many things in life - e.g at times in my life, everyone around me smoked, and tried to convince me i should too. Do what is right for YOU and YOUR BABY - everyone else can go jump if they stick their oar in!

choose your battles

know where it IS safe to talk about MCN without copping the raised eyebrows, don't even risk their BS, just don't talk about it with unsupportive sources, you don't need the grief. Being a new mum is PLENTY enough to deal with!!

[rokki]

thank you, you are so right, i dont really talk about it to family anymore, but when they come visit we get the comments when they see him in cloth nappies
here in the uk there are very few people using real nappies - dont know if it is more accepted in australia?

thank you so much for the links to the fleece and wool pants, am a bit uncertain about the fleece ones in case he has a fleece sensitivity and i'm also a bit concerned about wool and lanolin allergy so i'll try and work out what's irritating his skin with what we've got and then try one of the fleece or wool ones - they look really good, i cant beleive i've not heard about them before!

and i knit as well, so if i get on with a bought one i could have a go at making my own and really save some pennies!

we really appreciate all the effort people have gone to to help us out
i'm still doing the strip washing and i'm a bit nervous about trying the cloth again but i've got a bit more confidence now with all the advice and info i'm getting on this thread
i'll keep posting to let everyone know how we get on, and in the meantime any ideas are still welcome!

[kermi]

Seriously I sure wish Australia's council's would take on some of the UK's council's enviromental policies regarding cloth!
Can you research your local area and see if you can lobby the council to take on the scheme? Sometimes it takes something like this to make the family members sit up and listen. Or we do have plenty of links to articles that you can bombard them with!
Then they would either leave you alone or join in the crusade!

ETA: Here are another couple of councils doing similar schemes!
Cloth Nappies Information - Colchester Borough Council
Chichester District Council - Real Nappy Initiative

Oooh and a rather comprehensive list here!
TreeHugger Mums | Cloth Nappies | Real Nappy Network - updated 11/04/08

[rokki]

right, its operation cloth nappy today!
i've strip washed all his nappies and bodysuits (i used ecover detergent)
he's having loads of nappy free time
i'm wiping him with dilute chamomile tea and using calendula cream on the potential sore bits and he's now in a bamboo bambinex, no liner, no wrap
i was going to use flat bamboo terry but they werent dry in time!
keep everything crossed for me, he looks so cute in his bamboo nappy, i hated seeing him in disposables

[rokki]

just wanted to let you all know that so far no flare ups with the strip washed bamboo nappies - not been using liners or wraps and been changing them virtually as soon as they get wet (necessary when no wrap!) and loads of nappy free time as we're having some nice warm weather here in the uk for a change!
also been wiping him with chamomile tea and using calendula cream which is really lovely to use and his skin is lovely
so far so good, i'll progress onto other nappies, one sort at a time, and eventuall liners and wraps
just wanted to thank you all for your help, its really appreciated and you've all been very kind
lets hope cloth still rules in our house for a while!

[kirrily]

oh that's great news!

[johT]

yay

[kermi]

Glad we could help!

[MadMumof3]

yay