10 things I wish I knew when starting cloth nappies | cloth nappy tips for beginners

[@aboderie]

If you're feeling overwhelmed about cloth nappy options, you can get my eBook which walks you through the whole process so you feel confident starting cloth! aboderie.co.uk/shop/10-steps-to-cloth-nappy-success

[@awtawt2087]

Surfing the net, I stumbled onto the subject of food and then baby banks and was dismayed to see the amounts of disposable nappies in demand with the associated cost and disposal of same. I harked back to the old days when my wife and I were bringing up our sons, now all three in their 40's. It was heartening to see some of you are now resorting to reusable nappies. If it is of interest to anyone, we used Terry Towels, we didn't have a washing machine in those days, we soaked the dirty nappies in a bucket of Napisan (If my memory serves me right) the next day we would scrub them by hand then, my wife thinks we may have used something called Dreft at this stage then rinsed them out and hung them out to dry. My wife was always chuffed as the midwife who called used to say we had the cleanest nappies on her round. Buying disposable nappies seems to me environmentally wrong and such a waste of money in these cash strapped days.

[@aboderie]

This is a wonderful perspective! There’s definitely more and more people going back to reusable!

[@mrsc6917]

Thank you for sharing this! I love hearing timeless practices from folks who have been through it

[@letsuseourbrains]

Ive been watching all the cloth diapers for beginner videos on YT and you so far are my favorite! Your voice is SO SOOTHING and you can tell just tell what a kind soul you are. Thank you for your help!❤

[@heartcentredbeings6291]

Oh I feel so touched by your calmness and grace...its like a feeling of coming home 💖

[@aboderie]

Wow, this means so much to me as that’s exactly what I hope for this space!

[@tabiwatermelon961]

Here for info, subscribing because you’re the sweetest voice and vibe ever 🥰♥️♥️

[@aboderie]

Ahh thank you so much! Glad to have you here 😍

[@desertqueenaz7895]

Love your channel and pages and you have a relaxing soothing voice .Zen vibes .

[@aboderie]

Oh thank you! 🥰

[@plantedbywater]

This is so helpful! Thank you for sharing. My first is due in July, so I'm trying to do as much research as possible ahead of time.

[@aboderie]

Yay so glad!

[@katiepemble]

I've just started my cloth bum journey with my 6 week old and partially with my 2 year old (but he's going to potty soon)! Great video 👍☺️

[@aboderie]

That’s so great 🥰

[@JF-gy7tt]

Never heard of a nappie library. Im in the USA and have cloth diapered for 7 years.

[@beebylando]

Lovely, calming video on this. Thank you 🌼😊

[@aboderie]

You’re so welcome! ❤️

[@ishka3405]

Thank you so much for this very informative video. 💞💞 i will take on every advice you have given

[@aboderie]

So glad it was helpful! 😊

[@mariocartel544]

I think being able to use disposable while also using cloth back and forth was the biggest problem i had with my first just thinking i had to stick with one or the other for some reason. With my second its been more if i have the energy and washing ability(weve moved and im also pregnant again) so it was impossible to do full time as we didnt always have access to a washer and pregnancy drained my energy that first trimester, though the disposable smell brought me back to the cloth anyways because they dont smell anything near as bad and dont linger smells like when id take the disposables out and still need to air the room out for an hour after, if i wash the cloth the smell leaves when they leave the room and its not as strong anyways since i rinse every one off immediately after changing anyways. I think also a big help for me was to rinse out the pee diapers too because i think they sit and become harder to wash and more smelly so everything gets rinsed out in a bucket at least a couple times before even washing and nothing will smell much of anything while waiting to launder. Also another was buying the disposable liners, i thought if im throwing that away i might as well use a throwaway diaper but the liner is so thin compared to an entire diaper and makes dealing with cleaning so much easier. If you rent and cant install a sprayer, you can also use your kitchen sink sprayer into a bucket and transfer the dirty bucket of water to the toilet if you dont have a long shower sprayer and if you use a liner too there isnt much to spray. Or use a disposable and a fleece liner together helps too(i do this) if one bunches up the other should still catch some of it and its easier than cleaning the whole diaper. Ive used rinsed off and dried out packs of water wipes as liners too and they are slightly cheaper and easy to access in a pinch if your waiting for a delivery and run out. I used two for bigger babies since wipes are kind of small and fold over anything that hangs over the diaper. Some people use paper towels but that doesnt seem like it would be as sturdy to me, id worry it would shred when it gets wet.

[@elenigaroufalias4247]

What a brilliantly informative video

[@aboderie]

So glad it helps! ❤️

[@birthel.374]

This is such a useful video. Thank you ❤️

[@aboderie]

I’m so glad it’s useful!

[@ourevergreenhome]

Another very helpful and informative video beautiful Innes, love these points you made and lessons learned, so true indeed and they are all good and valid and by creating more awareness (like you are in this very video) it will make the same experiencing less polarising for others who run into the same “issues” too :-). Flats truly are a wonder too!!! Love this dress you are wearing too by the way!

[@aboderie]

Thank you my friend!! ❤️

[@abispear]

Always love your videos, Innes 🥰 thanks so much for sharing! I’m currently battling through working out a sustainable system for dealing with weaning poo 😅 - oh how i miss breastfed poo! …we have terrible water pressure in our flat so I’m sceptical about a bidet working (particularly when I can’t deal with the nappy immediately!) …but maybe I should give it a go 🤷‍♀️

[@aboderie]

Weaning is so tough!!! It does get easier 🥰

[@tildatea]

I too use to think terry nappies were some kind of origami that only our grandparents and parents could magically create. But it isn't so tricky. I also suggest flushable liners, I have lived in rented places most of my life so couldn't install anything to my toilets in the past, but flushable liners are pretty simple, break up very quickly when flushed and means no mess too. I've not used cloth nappies in 9 years, but I'm about to give them a try again!

[@aboderie]

That's wonderful! Here in the UK there are no paper liners that are certified as flushable sadly!

[@tildatea]

@@aboderie there use to be, but think the brand who did them no longer exists in the UK? But that was 10 or so years ago. Fleece liners work but there were times I found them to be a hassle.

[@AC-iv3ys]

Compostable nappy liners are another good option and popular choice in my country as lots of people generally have some small compost bin even in tiny yards and the houses are generally very old in the city I live in so we don’t fully trust flushables with our plumbing. Not sure which is more affordable though!

[@hannahbuciu9160]

Thank you for this! My cloth nappies always come out with a stain that looks like a shadow where they've been weed on or soiled. I follow all your washing tips (though I'll have to check the detergent) and I live in Australia and line dry so the nappies get lots of sun! Do you have any other suggestions of how to remove stains?

[@BottegaZeroWaste]

Loved the last tip 🥰

[@aboderie]

It’s one of my faves!! ❤️

[@claireesikalam2965]

Super super helpful. Wish I knew about nappy libraries before! Thank you for including that info.

[@aboderie]

You’re very welcome! So glad it was helpful ❤️

[@amythespacecreator]

This is so helpful thank you! 🙏🏼

[@aboderie]

So glad it’s helpful! 🥰

[@Alex-hu4dm]

FYI it looks like the link you added to 'find your local nappy library' takes you to a dodgy looking gambling website. I think that maybe the original website was hacked. Probably best to remove the link. Thanks for the useful video!

[@piashrahman9249]

Can i use flannel cloth as my stay dry liner?

[@abispear]

Hello 😊 I know you’re a big fan of natural fibres and I was just wondering whether you use fleece liners or not? I’ve been thinking about going for all natural fibres next to baby’s skin. But I’m worried natural fibres next to the skin will be less comfortable. So I was just wondering if you used all natural or if you still use fleece liners??

[@aboderie]

Yes I do use fleece liners but mostly for easier clean up when the nappy is dirty. If you want a natural liner then you could try silk or wool. Silk isn’t stay dry but wool is ❤️

[@isabellaschneider4403]

I was wondering if you know why what i done wrong , by reusable nappies was leaking?

[@Inconsistent-Dogwash]

Hello, I was wondering how many nappies would you recommend buying so you don’t run out but don’t have a stupid amount!

[@aboderie]

20-25 is about right for most people, assuming you'll wash the nappies every other day 😊

[@sarahchacon7425]

Were you an actress on Madeline? You look like the best friend.

[@aboderie]

No but I know who you mean! Loved that film!!

[@andjelam5658]

Hi! I am from Montenegro, and here there is not even a single brand of cloth diapers! Are you familiar with some website where I can order my diapers? Also, I didn't really get it, but does these Real napy life seling new product or just second hand?

[@aboderie]

I'm sorry to hear that! Perhaps there are websites in other European countries that would ship to you? Real Nappy Life sells new products 😊

[@idaheunice6727]

How can I shipped these to Nigeria for sale

[@aboderie]

Some of the retailers I've listed ship worldwide!

[@worldoftrends8933]

Disposable diapers are going to be expensive, so back to nappies

[@aboderie]

Yes!

[@The_Gallowglass]

Just good old-fashioned cloth. No colors, nothing fancy, rinse them off with the hose in the garden then throw in the wash with bleach. (: I'm cheap.

[@aboderie]

Sometimes the simple things are the best! Not sure I'd fancy hosing them off in the garden on a cold night though!! 😊

[@heidykatheryn8279]

Reusable nappies second hand? 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 isn’t that very unhygienic

[@aboderie]

If cloth nappies have been washed properly then there shouldn't be any nasties lingering in the nappy. However, I'd always recommend doing a proper strip wash with secondhand nappies to make sure they're hygienic.