Reuseable nappies - are they worth the effort?

When I was pregnant I became almost obsessed with researching reusable nappies.  I loved the prints, I loved that they were environmentally friendly and I especially loved the fact they would save us money in the long run.

After much deliberation I purchased several different birth to potty nappies which we have been using since Little J was 6 weeks old.  On the whole I love them and cant imagine using disposables.  I wont deny they can be hard work but once you get your own system in place it just becomes part of the routine.  And it is all worth it when you tell someone you use washable nappies - their face is usually one of admiration or disgust!

Here are a few questions I am frequently asked:

How many nappies do you have?
I have 15 reusable nappies in total which are all birth to potty.  I have a variety of makes from Bumgenius to totsbots and even some cheap ones from eBay.  This number seems to suit our routine well.

What sort of nappies are they?
I chose birth to potty as they seemed to be the best value for money.  I have a couple of all in ones, 8 pocket nappies and 5 fitted nappies with a wrap.  All the terminology can be confusing so do your research first (I've recommended some websites below) to see what suits.  I find different nappies are good for different things. I always plump for fitted nappies with a wrap for long car journeys as they absolutely never leak for us.  The pocket nappies dry really quickly (overnight hung in the kitchen) and the all in ones are compact and are great for popping in the change bag when you are going out.

How much do they cost?
They can vary vastly but if you buy in bulk and take advantage of offers then I usually pay around £10 for a nappy.  The cheap ones from eBay cost about £4 each but I got these to top up my stash.  While they work well at the moment they don't appear to be as hard wearing as the other ones.

Dont forget many local councils give you money to use them.  I got a £25 cheque when I spent £50 or more on washable nappies. All I had to do was send a copy of the receipt.

How often do you wash and dry them?
I wash them twice a week.  I usually do a rinse first with a dash of tea tree oil then a 60deg wash.  They don't smell at all when they come out.  A few of them have a few stains that don't come out but as long as they are clean I don't mind - who sees the inside of a nappy anyway?

Whenever possible I dry them on the line.  However, in reality and this being the wettest year EVER, I have two peg racks (which I think are for socks and underwear) which I hang in the kitchen or living room.  No, they don't look great and I do try and move them if we are having visitors.

Would I do it again?
YES!  Plus the more you use them the cheaper they get! Or you can still get a good price for used nappies on eBay.


Where can I find out more info about reusable nappies?
The Nappy Lady - Great advice.  Check out her videos, they tell you everything you need to know!
Go Real - Loads of info and links to local sellers.

Warning!!
Reusable nappies can be addictive - you have been warned!

If anyone has any questions about reusable nappies just leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer them.

M
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My house is full of plastic tut!

When I was pregnant I thought we would have beautiful wooden and educational toys which would fit seamlessly into our country cottage style house.  How wrong could I be?  Little J likes nothing more than a brightly coloured piece of plastic tut which usually takes lots of obscure sized batteries.  I need to teach that lady about style.

No where is the off switch...

The pesky mortgage

As we enter a new phase in our lives, we have decided to start trying to pay off the mortgage in as little time as possible.  I've played about with the figures many, many times (bordering on the obsessional) and have come up with a rough plan to have an overall goal of ten years - 01/07/2022.  The overpayments seem reasonable for this goal (extra £425 per month) and we could manage even with the extra cost of childcare.  But once you start playing with the figures...

So I started wondering if we could do it quicker, perhaps have my 40th birthday as a target which would take it down to 7 years and 6 months.  This gives us an overpayment of £750 per month which would be incredibly challenging and would mean looking for savings in just about every area we spend on.  But if you are going to take on a challenge then you might as well go for it, eh?

Say yes, yes, yes to second hand!

We were incredibly lucky when I was pregnant and was offered lots of bits and pieces that friends and family who had older children were getting rid of.  Not to look a gift horse in the mouth I readily accepted anything and everything.  So much so that practically the only thing we really need to buy for little J was a pram and car seat!

I know that some people would shudder at the thought of hand-me-downs for their brand new baby but it honestly saved us a small fortune.  And the little ones wont remember or know if their tiny babygros they wore twice were preloved!

From memory, here is a list of things we have been given so far (we are still getting things now!):

• Clothes (lots of!)
• Vests
• Babygros
• Socks
• Blankets
• Books
• Bumbo
• Toys
• Teddies
• Baby shampoo
• Growbag
• Leapfrog learning table
• Baby walker
• Door bouncer
• Cot mobile
• Stair gate
• Potties (wont need these for a while but every little helps, eh?)

Thanks to everyone who gave us stuff - we realise we have been very lucky.  To return the favour we will be passing it all on to the next unsuspecting victim!

M

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Back to work....Boo

Just found out that I have to go back to work full-time, I'm disappointed to say the least.  Trying to look on the positive side though...we can have a cleaner (because of course I would have cleaned the whole house on my extra day off ;) ), we can focus on paying off the pesky mortgage and we can focus our weekends solely on spending time with little J.

How does everyone else cope working full-time and looking after children and the home? I've probably got a couple of months maternity leave to get myself in a routine!

M
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A new chapter

Since having a baby in September 2011 I've not done much in the way of reading, gardening and have had to give up our allotment :(

There will be a change of direction for this blog now. I'm hoping to chart the challenges of baby led weaning and review/comment on all things baby.

Here we go on a new journey...

merry crimbo

Hope you all have a good one!