Shadow456 said:
So, as someone who has only ever worn disposable nappies, I was thinking of trying cloth.
Thing is, everywhere I've looked throws jargon like "contour," "cotton gauze" and "twill weave" at me, leaving me unsure as to what I'm actually buying.
So could someone who has experience with cloth give me the tl;dr version of what I want to look for in cloth nappies, and what stuff I'll need (plastic pants, nappy pins, etc.)?
Thanks.
P.S. What I'm looking for is mainly absorbency and fitting, if it's comfortable and doesn't leak easy I'm happy, bonus points if it makes me waddle! If anyone can point me towards a type of cloth nappy that does this, I'd appreciate it.
OMG! you're so american! jeez, man! burrito! Starbucks! McDonalds! :laugh:
it's okay, i'm just taking the piss. :biggrin:
now, th' want's summat else that'll t' piss, dun't th'?
first off, diapers are primarily american and nappies, british. there's a history to it all, but you'll have to read my previous posts on such. if you want an all-in-one or contoured set-up (something which resembles or mimics disposables), then american is the way to go. if you want a simple cloth material wrapped around you, british is the way. the difference is in the cloth material used and simplicity (both of which will dictate cost).
the americans will use all kinds of materials (whilst strangely avoiding the generally accepted most absorbant material, even though they use it for absorbing fluids anyway) and convoluted methods for 'diapering'. i gather that this is what's caused your confusion.
for you, your best bet is to nip down to Asda or Aldi and buy a bath-sheet (£6 to £9-ish; there are various grades of towelling) and that there will be your nappy. if it's a fairly thin towel (and correspondingly less costly), folding it in half lengthways will do for absorbancy. higher quality (thicker) towels can be cut in half to give two nappies.
suitable pins are hard to find and they always have the usual problems of opening and pricking. i use mini-bungees:
sharpening the points of the hooks helps, as does slightly crimping the hook to make it more hooked, as you may see from mine:
i'm assuming that you're already aware of not using the dirty, germ-harbouring gunk known as 'fabric softener' on nappies (nor owt else for that matter; it's only for scruffbags)? as such, if softness is needed, 'frost protection fleece' is ideal as a nappy liner. cut to size and wash before use.
plastic pants can be had from Incontinenceshop, direct through their website or Amazon (their Drylife Basics pants are noisy). Amazon also offer Haian, which are noiseless.
sizing of pants is another story (and too long for here). generally you'd size-up or go by the thigh diameter (if given). Haian pants are quite generously sized and more in keeping with you'd expect for your size. i'd go with XL, if i were you (billowy is better than ripping at the seams, or biting into the leg). XXL for Drylife Basics (their XL legholes are tiny).
XL would be a starting point for Gary Pants (when worn over a decent nappy).
you should be able to set yourself up for less than £20 (even less if you just use an old towel that's lying about).
if you go the american way, you'll be forking out mega-bucks for less absorbant gear and then all the buggering about of trying to make them work.
oops, nearly forgot about folding:
you can suss that, can't you?
it's intended for mobile children and it also creates a cupping channel to help with containment.