PDMBA

Hi everyone,

I am trying to put together an article for the newsletter about using cloth nappies with multiples and was hoping to hear from those of you who have used cloth nappies- either full or part-time.

I would love to know:

• why you decided to use cloth
• what type of nappies you tried and what worked for you (ie., styles, brands, number of nappies needed)
• how often you wash and what system you use for pailing etc.
• any hints and tips you can offer other parents of multiples who might be thinking about using cloth nappies

You can either post here or email me at dom_krista@hotmail.com.

Thanks for your help

Krista

Hi there , I am using cloth nappies with my 12 week old twins.

I ordered them from Greenkids.com  - an online company based in Waneroo.  They are one size from newborn to toilet training, you adjust the way you fold them to make the smaller for when the babies are younger. However they are quite large so it was not really until they reached about 4kg that we started using them.

The package that we ordered contained 30 nappies with Bamboo liners plus some boosters for overnight use. This means that we are washing daily in order to have clean nappies for them both. The machine goes on at 6am, out to dry then usually ready for use the next day. We have not run out yet! The Bamboo is super absorbent so great for babies skin, but takes ages to dry. Im sure it will be a lot easier in the summer.

The outers and the liners are dry pailed then can go straight in the machine with a small amount of detergent and no fabric softener, they mostly wash up well, but occasionally there is some staining, however if you put them out in the sun for an hour or two the staining disappears.

We decided to use them after doing some financial calculations and working out it was so much cheaper over 2 years than disposables. Also loved the idea of not contributing to the landfill with disposables !

The babies seem really content in them and they look very smart too , after having used disposables for the  first few weeks we were really happy to move over to them, they look so ,uch more comfortable. You cannot however use most nappy rash creams( zinc or oil based)  with them though as it affects the waterproof barrier , so we are using the Curash powder and have not had any nappy rash.

I suppose the one downside of them is that as they are more bulky than a disposable it makes packing your bag for going out quite tough, trying to fit two of everything in is bad enough and the nappies make it a bit harder, but we manage.

The person that runs Greenkids is so helpful though - and I emailed loads of questions before buying them which they were more than happy to answer. The website is www.greenkids.com.au which will tell you more.

People who find out that I am using cloth with twins think I am mad as they think that they create so much more work, I don't think they do as the machine is on every day anyway with two of everything and as long as you are organised and get them in the wash early then it is not a problem.

I hope I have covered everything but any questions welcome!

Kirstie

Hi Krista

I am currently using cloth nappies with our 17 month old twins. I used disposables for about the first three months as I didn't have my nappies back from my sister-in-law and our washing machine was not behaving itself! I decided to use cloth as I already had them from my older two children and back then I decided on cloth because we determined that it would be cheaper and I felt it was better environmentally.

I use terry towelling nappies bought from Target, nappy liners and waterproof pants (these have become a little easier to get recently, Big W is the easiest I find). With my first singleton I did try some fitted type cloth nappies given to me by a friend but I found that they tended to leak more easily and took ages to dry. Once we got a new washing machine I was set to go and probably started off washing most days. Now that our girls are older I usually wash nappies every second day.

I have recently changed the way I pail and wash as I felt that washing all the nappies together was a waste of power and water. Now I pail wet and soiled nappies separately and simply wash wet ones with a small amount of detergent on a quick cycle and keep the soiled ones soaking until I have a load and then wash them on a heavy soil cycle which allows a prewash and uses hotter water. This seems to work well and gets the bulk of them through the laundry a whole lot quicker.

The only down side I find with using cloth is that you will have leakages sometimes and when you are already washing as much as I do, I find it frustrating to have to change more than just the nappy, particularly after nap time. To keep myself sane I use a disposable at night and usually if I am going out for more than an hour or two.

We have had very few problems with nappy rash, if their little bottoms get a little bit red I just use a cream for that day or two and we have been fine.

I hope this is helpful.

Rachel

Thanks Rachel and Kirstie for your replies . We will probably run the cloth nappy article in November's newsletter so look out for your stories. I would love a pic or two of your twins in cloth nappies so if you would be willing to share, please email me dom_krista@hotmail.com.

I have actually just started using cloth nappies parttime with my 4 month old singleton (my twins are toilet trained now- yay!). I have five fitted cloth nappies and have been using them as well as a few flats too. I will probably buy a few more fitted nappies as I love how easy they are to use. I have also been really surprised at how little extra work it is- having four kids I am already washing all the time anyway. I love that I don't have to struggle to perch all those huge boxes of nappies on my pram at the supermarket any more and I am saving an absolute fortune on my shopping bill. We haven't had any leaks at all with cloth (so far!) and funnily enough with disposable nappies we had regular leaks. Now I am wishing I had used them with my twins as well!

Thanks again ladies

Krista