Alternatives to Fluffies - easy peasy, right?

[tikki]

Lolla the article refers to microfleece as a liner, which is different from a booster.

A liner wicks moisture away from the baby's skin and keeps them dry.

A booster is added to a nappy for more absorbency. Some boosters are topped with microfleece which is placed against the baby's skin doing away with the need for the liner.

um, the person who suggested that microfleece wouldn't be absorbent in a booster (which it wouldn't) is responsible for maintaining the ozcloth site and would have probably written or edited the article you are referring to

Trust us, we speak from experience in using these products

[waawa]

Originally Posted by tikki

um, the person who suggested that microfleece wouldn't be absorbent in a booster (which it wouldn't) is responsible for maintaining the ozcloth site and would have probably written or edited the article you are referring to

Guilty as charged

The section here might be of help in clarifying the terminology also:
http://www.ozclothnappies.org/info.html#booster
"* What is the difference between a booster, a doubler, a liner and a soaker?"

I've got "more intra-FAQ links" on my very long to-do list... one day.

Lara

[waawa]

Curse the short edit window...

Meanwhile - if anyone is finding the article ambiguous, please do drop me a line about which bit is specifically difficult to understand and I could try to improve it.

[Beanie]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but would your friend use 2nd hand nappies?

With the stash that some people in the MCN community have, when they do sell some off you know the nappies have been treated well and haven't been worked into the ground because they were in a large rotation. Quite often you can get real bargains on nappies that are still very good quality.

For example, there was a big sale recently on another parenting site where a lady was selling off her stash at $9 for every nappy - good stuff too, some of it. I've also seen really good sought after nappies go for 50% the retail price, having been washed once but never used.

So that's something to think about?

[Emma]

Originally Posted by Beanie

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but would your friend use 2nd hand nappies?

Beanie, the person I was referring to in my OP has actually replied to this thread: Lolla

She has already been given a heap of Fluffies as a gift, and they were fairly inexpensive as they were purchased from a discount outlet.

I think secondhand is a great option for others starting out, especially in the smaller sizes which might get less use than say a medium size (which Mischa seems to have been in forever, lol).

I just thought I'd add that I think the Fluffies covers are OK. WE've had a few, some of which have disintegrated in the wash (but I think that's because they went in the dryer), but we've got one that's still in use.

[Emma]

Originally Posted by Lollichka

I've got a question though - if some of the 'more expensive' nappies need to have extra absorbancy added also, then what's the difference in buying a 'more affordable' item if you need to do the same?

I made most of our newborn stash, so making extra absorbency (a lay in booster) wasn't a drama. But I did buy one newborn sized fitted nappy - a Thumbprints Behinds - which didn't need added absorbency. It came with its own lay in, fleece topped booster. The two Fluffies nappies we had (I think we still have them somewhere) were ones that my mum bought me to deter me from making them (Long story, I won't bother with here, but her intentions were good.)

I have bought other nappies which haven't come with boosters (for example our Baby Eco Organic Cotton Sherpa Rainbow nappies which as far as I know are no longer available) so I get where you're coming from.

For me the main difference between Fluffies and other (more expensive) fitted cloth nappies are:

* the non-absorbent wadding in the middle of the Fluffies, which didn't seem to serve any real purpose (but this has already been talked to death, so I'll leave it at that)

* the fit. At first they fit fine but I found the 'wing' on the nappy quite short and they didn't do up around my big buddha baby for very long. It didn't go the distance through the full weight range (I can't remember exactly what size/ weight she was when she outgrew them) As you say though, this could be about the individual baby and may not be an issue for you

* the velcro/ hook and loop is much scratchier/ harsher than other nappies and than the stuff I have bought online from nappy supplies shops. It was (is) perfectly functional though.

* there's not much fabric to them compared to other nappies. other nappies may have a sewn in (hidden) soaker in the "wet zone" or three "body layers" or some kind of lay in booster or something, all of which contributes to the absorbency of the nappy. IMO the Fluffies nappies appear the same by adding the wadding but have less fabric to do the soaking. BUT in fairness this might not be that much less fabric (eg. possibly just missing an internal soaker)


(I'm starting to feel like I'm not explaining this very well, so if any of this needs clarifying please someone tell me )

I don't think Fluffies are necessarily a bad option, I just prefer other options
And as I've said elsewhere, I think you've got them at a great price. I hope they work for you

Originally Posted by Lollichka

I'm not overly keen on pulling out the wadding and adding in more absorbancy as this will all add to drying time (and sewing time!!) and especially with winter approaching - but hey I 'may' still do a few just to try this all out!!.

I had a suggestion put forward to me to make hourglass liners/boosters and sew them only at the top onto the nappy, that way if line drying, the nappy is kinda separate from the liner/booster if you know what I mean and drying time won't be such a pain.

There's alot of info on the types of fabric to use for extra absorbancy... so thought about going with the following:

combination of: (away from baby skin) micro/polar fleece + terry + flannel (closest to baby skin)

I'm also going to experiment with the idea of adding in a woolen layer (you know the really thin woolen blankets you can buy 2nd hand) so it would be something like this:

(away from baby skin) micro/polar fleece + wool + terry + flannel (closest to baby skin) - if I need more absorbancy (obviously the wool would take longer to dry!) - or just play around with different fabric configurations and work out what works best.

I understand you've got a lot on at the moment - there's so much to do to get ready for the bubba, plus work etc etc. So here's my suggestion: Don't sew to add absorbency to the nappies. You can just use face washers/ flannels and fold them up into thirds or quarters depending on the size, so that they are like a pad in the crotch of the nappy. They will dry quickly too (quicker than if they were all sewn together). Then cut your liner and put that on top (next to bub's skin).

So the end result would be (starting closest to bubs skin) micro/polar fleece, folded up face washer, nappy, cover.

I think previous posts have explained that liners are not absorbent, not much purpose in putting microfleece in the nappy unless its a liner or the cover etc etc, so I'll leave that.

Not sure about bamboo/ hemp for sale in Melbourne in "real life" shops, but you can buy it online in lots of different places.

Anyway, I think you'll do just fine. Newborn babies tend to poo a lot, so you'll find you're changing the nappy often anyway -- absorbency might not be that much of an issue. See how you go, and if you need help (and I haven't scared you off) just sing out, either here, on OzClothnappies (where this conversation started, lol) or feel free to contact me (or others) offlist/ via Private Message.

Good luck.

[Beanie]

Oops, sorry Lolla! I was in a bit of a rush :-D

[Lollichka]

Hi all. Our gorgeous baby girl arrived on the 11th April 07 weighing 6 pound 6 ounces! Petite little thing but an absolute spunk. Morgan.

As for the verdict on the fluffies nappies. From day 1 we have been religiously changing her before each feed and still continue to do that today.

The terry towelling ones teamed up with a bummis cover - Polar Bummi or Bummis Pull On Whisper Pant have work a treat and I have had no leaks. (Have bought fabric to make my own now also).

The flannel ones have absolutely zero absorbancy so i have bought some hemp/cotton as well as malden mills fleece to make my own boosters for extra absorbancy. These I shall use with both the terry and flannel.

As for liners - the reject shop (MElbourne) sell a large roll of 75 chux wipes for 10.00 so i use those for liners.

I also make my own wipes by cutting the chux wipes in 1/2 and putting those into a huggies pop tub that we had (before we used huggies wipes),
A secret also about huggies wipes... i accidentally put one through the wash and absolutely nothing happened to it. That is, it didn't disintegrate or break etc. Perhaps if you are strapped for cash, consider re-using your huggies wipes. Just make sure you submerge them, otherwise they do dry out and break like a tissue!. Below is what I make for our wipes recipee:

Makes 500ml
2 cups demineralised water (cooled bolied water is also good enough)
6 drops Lavender oil
2 drops tea tree oil (optional)
X1 squirt Sorbolene Cream / 100ml water (Apricot Kernal Oil or Jojoba oil – x5 drops of one)
Camomile tea bag / 500ml water (helps with nappy rash)
1/8 VIVA Paper Towels (when out n about) or Chux wipes cut in ½ for home use

Experiment a little with the above also. Morgan never suffered from Nappy rash so i haven't put in the camomile tea not that of the tea tree oil.

One thing Morgan did have was a dry scalp - not cradle cap - and I used two squirts of Sorbolene cream and 2 drops of almond kernal oil. I left it on for a few days and literally her scalp had cleared up. Much better than just putting plain ol cooking olive oil on her head that some folk do. The thought of an oil slick just didnt appeal to me!

As for the velcro - yes crapola. So I bought a professional snappy press and snaps and snapped all her nappies -so much better than velcro, and so many more thing and projects to snap now.

Mum has suggested i write to the fluffies factory, so that I shall do. The fluffies pilchers that come in lemon and mint are an absolute waste of money. I figure i will stuff them and sew in the legs and waist and make some cushions for her and her dolls for when she is old enough to use them! But not first without seeing if i can get a refund!

My 2 cents worth. Hope you found this informative..

gotta run

Lollichka

[bilbylove]

ha ha - i thought this was going to be a thread comparing

the Easy Peasy Nappy (sold at Nurture Nappies) vs. the Big W Fluffie Nappy

i had one of each and CAN compare them

but it turns out no-one is discussing the Easy Peasy nappy at all!!!!

ha ha

english is a funny language

(I thought the Easy Peasy nappy totally rocked). it's a pocket fitted and dries in a trice.

[Emma]

congratulations lollichika! and thank you for the update