Advice on which nappies will suit my situation

[expatmum]

I am new to modern cloth and my researching is confusing me even more. I am working overseas at present so can't go to a shop to view them, but instead have to rely on the internet and word of mouth.

I am expecting twins (boy/girl) in July (my 3yo is TT) and we would like to use cloth. We will both continue to work though so need something with minimal effort that is effective and easy to use by myself, DH and our nanny.

I have zero chance of getting the hospital staff here to use cloth in the hospital, so am looking at using disposables until the twins come home and then start buying from small sizes.

My main concern about cloth is ending up with something that leaks or is not really effective or that will require lots of work to put it all together. DH is willing to go with cloth on my advice that new designs are almost as easy as disposables , so anything too complicated will not be an option.

I quite like the look of the Fuzzi buns, Bum Genius and Green Kids nappies. The birth to TT sound practical but do they really fit well at all stages? Is it better to buy a small size and then once the babies are a bit bigger move to the birth to TT ones? Also what is better a pocket or an AIO? I ask about these two as they seem to be the only ones that don't require covers.

As you can see I am a tad confused by all of this. I don't mind spending the money if I can guarantee good fitting, effective and easy to use nappies. I am also wondering if it is better to have a selection (eg Bum genius and fuzzi buns) rather than just get a big package of one brand. Do I need separate night time nappies - the simply nights ones seem to get good reviews.

Any advice/comments/experiences to share?

[Jo]

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your twins I personally feel that multiple sizes are the way to go, that's just from my own experience. If you want easy, try IttiBitti AIO's, they are super trim and super easy, I believe they will also be a lot easier to get soon You also can't beat Bubblebubs or Honeyboys for simplicity and reliability, although they are quite hard to get. In these types of nappies you will probably only ever need two sizes, small and medium. I also love the BumGenius AIO.

For reliability, you can't beat a nice fitted nappy and a good quality cover, but that is a two step process so a little more work For fitteds again, IttiBitti, Erica Nappies, Baby Beehinds, Cuddle Buns, Pookey Pockets, Bits for Bots, etc. etc.

Your best option is to buy a variety of nappies and see what works for your child. Get some "can't fail" workhorse nappies as well to fill in, such as the Baby Beehinds and perhaps some Bummis covers. What you find doesn't work for you along the way, you can usually sell off for a very fair price on Buyena.

[KristyMum]

Hiya!

Plenty of info to share, for now though just 'hello and welcome' and 'I'll be back'
and Congratulations on the new little ones one the way!

[expatmum]

Thanks Jo. You said you prefer fitted with a cover for reliability. Do many people use only AIO's or pocket's? If not, is it because of the price or because the fitted with covers are better? Are pockets and AIO's not seen as being an everyday nappy?

[2thorns1rose]

Welcome over to the cool side

You sound as though you're doing market research to sell nappies LOL Keep up the good work

[Jo]

Different babies have different levels of success with different nappies, but if you want one that simply won't fail, fitted with a good cover is the combo that won't fail

[WB]

Originally Posted by expatmum

Thanks Jo. You said you prefer fitted with a cover for reliability. Do many people use only AIO's or pocket's? If not, is it because of the price or because the fitted with covers are better? Are pockets and AIO's not seen as being an everyday nappy?

It all depends on the product, most AIO's are very simple to use, but a bit more pricey but they are also not as quick drying and the fleece ones are a bit on the bulky side.
It all depends on the brand, I love some fitteds becausde of the fantastic fit and they dry fast, I like some pockets because of the reason.
The thing that frustrates me most about fitteds is that some are really cute and I don't want to cover them up but they are a great excuse for wooleys and funky covers.

For new borns I would stick to one size fits all fitteds with covers, or flats and wait for a few months before buying the more expensive AIO's etc because they just grow too fast.

I would just watch out for nappies that are sold by non reputable sellers who don't test their products before selling them.
If they have a good reputation you can't really go wrong.

Good luck with the twins and the move

[expatmum]

2thorns1rose.

No just market research for myself. I thought changing to cloth would be relatively simple but there is so much to figure out. I am happy to spend the dollars, just don't want to end up with nappies that I don't use because they are too fiddly or leaky. Plus if that happens DH will be sure to remind me that I should have just stuck to disposables.

My work is quite demanding so between work and three children I don't really have the time to be trying lots of different types.

I think I need a crystal ball

[mummygeorgie]

I have used Green Kids pockets from birth (with plenty of other types too, lol), with great success. Particularly as your twins will probably be smaller than my 8-pounder, you could use GK as covers over some preemie or infant prefolds, that could be re-used as pocket stuffers later.
They are super-easy for husbands and carers to use!
As for night-time fitteds, you'll probably find you won't need them for a couple of months - I didn't really use them until Alastair started sleeping longer stretches, until then I'd change him every time he woke for a feed. In the interests of simple systems, I have used my Green Kids Anytimes at night with extra stuffing, though I prefer fitteds/covers at night.
I loved Alastair's small Fuzzi Bunz for a few months, but I found when he outgrew the smalls in the rise he was still way too skinny for the mediums, so that might put a kink in a nice organised system! We had one BumGenius that was a ncie fit on him, I found it fiddly to stuff the pocket opening, but once stuffed they're also a good husband/babysitter nappy.
If you're overseas, I can definitely see how packages make sense to save on postage. If I were you I'd probably get a package from GreenKids (they offer a variety of package sizes) or Bubblebubs (v. reliable AIOs, easy to use) and then visit one of the sites that sells a bunch of different types (The WeeWuns, Nurture Nappies, Darlnigs Downunder, for example) and either buy a package - Nurture Nappies offers a 'intro to modern cloht' package that has a few different types, I think - or just a few different types.

[Kylees]

I love love love bubblebubs as AIO's if you get the touchtape version they are very easy to put on!

www.bubblebubs.com.au