What do I need in addition to the Nappies?

[Tiffany]

Hi!

I've been having a great time preparing for my little ones Cloth Bum Expereince and think I will be ok with about 30 nappies made up of a combination of:
- Bamboo Flats (15)
- Prefolds (5)
- Fitteds (20 - some brought some homemade)
- 1 Pocket
- 6 PUL covers
- 2 Knitted Soakers

I've brought some Eco Wash and a couple of racks for drying indoors if the weather continues to be like it is today (grey, cold, rainy Sydney day). And plan to buy a couple of paint mixing buckets from Bunnings for Dry Pailing.

What I would love is some advice about other essentials ... boosters, liners and wipes:
1. How many wipes do you have? What fabric have you found is best?
2. How many boosters?
3. How many liners?
4. Is it best to have boosters and liners seperate, or if I made boosters (two layers bamboo with top layer microfleece) would this work? How many of these do you think would be best?

Is there anything else essential to the whole process that I've missed?

Sorry about all the questions but I'd really appreciate any advice you could offer this mum to be (in 5 weeks!).

Cheers,
Tiffany

[Pobie]

Originally Posted by Tiffany

And plan to buy a couple of paint mixing buckets from Bunnings for Dry Pailing.

I would see if you can find a second hand nappy bucket from an op shop or something. I picked up a really good one for $3 from a baby market. Some people find it useful to have a liner in the bucket (like a large bummis wet bag) so they can just pick it up and tip it inside out into the washing machine. I havent really needed one as yet but think its a good idea.

Originally Posted by Tiffany

1. How many wipes do you have? What fabric have you found is best?

I would be aiming for about 30 wipes. Make from flannel, sherpa or cotton velour. Cotton velour is my favorite for cleaning up messes but not essential. Wipes dry much faster than nappies so you only really need enough for about 3 days IMO if you are washing every day or every second.

Originally Posted by Tiffany

2. How many boosters?

I wouldn't worry about boosters till you need them. Alot of NB nappies dont really need them. Then after they dont fit anymore you can take the booster out and use it for the bigger nappies. If you want to have some JIC I would say about 5-10 bamboo or hemp boosters with 2-3 layers.

Originally Posted by Tiffany

3. How many liners?

I use microfleece liners in my night nappies, dont worry about it during the day. I didn't really use them on NB's either. Personal preference. I have about 15. The too dry pretty instantly after a wash.

Originally Posted by Tiffany

4. Is it best to have boosters and liners seperate, or if I made boosters (two layers bamboo with top layer microfleece) would this work? How many of these do you think would be best?

I would keep them separate. I put my extra boosters under the existing snap in booster in the nappy and then the fleece on top.

Originally Posted by Tiffany

Is there anything else essential to the whole process that I've missed?

I would consider adding a little squirt or a dedicated toilet spatula to flick off any soiling when the baby gets a little older. You wont need to worry about getting rid of NB BF poo as it washed off but when they get a little older you do need to get rid of it in the toilet before dry pailing.

Perhaps 2 or 3 wet bags as well???

[tikki]

I'd suggest some bubbaloo bum spray, it's the absolute bomb for shifting meconium poos so is high on the list of my priorities

[mokster26]

Just my 2cts.... I can't sew but bought some fleece topped boosters to use with my prefolds when Max was little - they were great and I'll use them again for the new bub. We used lots of MF liners which has kept all our nappies looking nice and helped when using the lil squirt.

[Tiffany]

Wow Pobie, thank you so much for you extensive comments - I really appreciate it!
Thank you also Tikki and Meagan - it's so great to hear what has worked well for other mums.

Being a virgo I like things to be o r g a n i s e d !!

Cheers! - Tiffany

[muchacha]

Suzanne has given you great answers so just a couple of things -I loved my 2 newborn fleece covers, so snuggly so maybe one or two of those?
Re cloth wipes i made 2 types, towelling & flannelette and microfleece and flannelette and I like both, the latter are nice and soft and I tend to grab them for just wiping a non-pooey bum.
I definately think separate liners because sometimes bubs can react to them, my boy did for the first couple of months only then he was fine.
Oh and I've heard of people keeping warm water in a thermos near the change table for winter nappy changes, such a nice idea I think. I keep my wipes in the bathroom and warm them there before using but I probably waste a lot of water waiting for it to warm up - bad me!

[Mozzie]

I bought a pack of 12 cotton washers from the Reject Shop when my first baby was born. She's now 2 and they're still going strong as bottom washers. I personally find the best thing to use between changes is just a warm washer - this seems to be the most effective and hygienic (and cheap) way to keep things clean. If you want to purchase some wipes solution, I recommend Bubblebubs Foamy Wipes Wash - Aussie made by a Brisbane mum and it contains no SLS.

As for liners...

I have a personal aversion to scraping poo off nappies and haven't yet been able to invest in a Little Squirt, so I use flushable liners and usually only put one on at that time of day when I know my 2 year will poo. It's a bit harder to guess that with a newborn, but you also don't really need liners for a few months anyway, as their poo is watersoluble for a little while.

If you want to use something specifically to draw moisture away from the skin, I'd recommend microfleece or polarfleece. You can just buy half a metre from spotlight and cut it into 5cm x 12cm strips - you don't even need to hem it.

Have fun cloth nappying!! :o)

Eva