Keeping It Real

It’s the end of Real Nappy Week (or Fortnight – some outlets have gone over two weeks which is great for raising awareness of reusables, but not so great for my bank balance as there has been a whole extra weeks’ worth of temptation!)

Super excited to try this Baba+Boo nappy that arrived today!
I've heard good things about this brand - they've been
reccomended to me by several people, so I hope they live up
to my expectations!

T and I always knew that we wanted to cloth-bum Spud - like many people we are concerned about the sheer amount of waste we're pumping into the world - and we intended to begin after she had passed the meconium poops. I knew things had moved on from the old fashioned safety-pin and terry-cloth combo (I definitely couldn't have co-ordinated my wobbly post-birth hands to work that out!) but I didn’t do my research properly and thought that Birth-to-Potty meant, ya-know, Birth-to-Potty: turns out, not so much unless your bubba is a little chunk. So we fell into the trap of disposables – eco-disposables (gorgeous bamboo-blend nappies from Mama Bamboo), but still.

But every now and then I would try one of our reusables on Spud to see whether they fit her yet. And, in the meantime, I did all of the research I should have done before she arrived: I joined a couple of groups on Facebook, followed companies on Instagram, took the Nappy Lady questionnaire, asked questions across social media, and generally educated myself a bit more about reusables and all of their component parts while we waited for Spud to reach the 10lbs that I was assured was about the minimum a Birth-to-Potty would fit.

And now I’m addicted. Thanks.

I’ve now got a small set of LittleLambs, a lovely Baba+Boo pocket nappy, and a few exciting orders from The NappyLady that are winging their way towards me. The set of Littles and Bloomz that we had collected before Spud was born now fits her, and as of today (Friday) we’ve been cloth-bumming full-time for five days.

Spud was a little unsure the first night – I think the different bum-feel of the Little Lambs bamboo nappy with its waterproof wrap threw her a bit, but it’s so soft, and with a lovely fleecy liner against her skin she has settled beautifully - and bamboo is so absorbent that we got a full twelve hours out of it overnight! It’s a miracle!

It’s a bit of a minefield at first, I’m not going to lie, but it’s fun navigating, and it’s actually not as complicated as it seemed initially. There are so many different types of nappy that it can seem quite overwhelming, but, then, there are so many different types of disposables as well! I’m currently getting on well with two-parters at nighttime, and pocket nappies for the daytime, with one bamboo booster in the pocket, and a fleece liner against Spud’s skin – I can’t wait to try out the new Baba+Boo pocket that arrived today; it has a double leg elastic so it’s softer and more secure than a single. 

Gorgeous set of Little Lambs nappies and accessories!
I adore the softness of the bamboo, and the double gusset on
the wraps which helps with containment.

I had believed that they wouldn’t be as convenient as reusables, especially out and about, but as long as there is a nappy prepped to go in the change bag then it’s honestly no more faff than using disposable. I take a washable bag and pop the used nappies in there, so that when we get home the whole lot can go in the washing machine.

I was worried about containment, and dealing with poosplosions, and doubted that cloth would have the same capacity as disposables. I was wrong.

Poop is gross, there’s no getting around it. The liners I take to the bathroom and use the toilet flush to get the worst of it off, then it goes straight into the next wash (if it’s a normal wash then the liner goes back into the nappy wash bag for the next big wash). Sounds grim, but that’s what hand soap is for, and poop belongs in the loo, not in a bin for two days, then outside bin for two weeks, then a landfill for five-hundred years. That’s a bit more gross, doncha think? I have also used biodegradable disposable liners, but they get a bit scrunched up in the nappy when they get wet, and then don’t really catch the poop anyway. Of the two poop leaks I’ve had, one has come from me not properly tucking the nappy elastic in on the side of her leg, and the second, well, we’d have needed a containment field and full nuclear clean-up team to deal with that one, so I’m not judging.
Full disclaimer: I’ve not dealt with a poosplosion while away from the house yet, so I don’t quite know how I’ll cope with that until it happens!

I was a bit put off by the initial expense, so I’d ordered a load of cheap designs from Amazon: fortunately they actually work quite well for us, but I know many people aren’t so lucky, and the quality is better on the better brands – shocker, I know. However, especially with the Real Nappy Week savings, I worked out that in one year we’d save around £400 by not having to buy bags of nappies every two weeks. So it’s worth it (if I can avoid being suckered in by all of the gorgeous designs!)

Matching our bibs to our butts in this house!

For wipes, in the house we have used reusable from Day One anyway: a Tupperware box containing terry-cloth squares that have been pre-soaked in boiled water (and I add a couple of drops of lavender and chamomile essential oils to the water) that we change out every second day. They go dirty into another tub; the water in this one has tea-tree and lemon oils for their anti-bacterial and smell-killing qualities. We’ve used disposable wipes out of the house but earlier this week I filled a spray bottle with the same water/oil combination that I would pre-soak in, and use that to dampen the terry squares when I’ve been away from home. Again, they go into the wash bag ready to be popped into the washing machine.

And that’s that. Sounds complicated: isn’t. If it was I couldn’t have coped with it in my fuzzy, baby-filled brain. If it was too hard I wouldn’t have done it as I’m dealing with a severe case of the baby-blues and anything difficult would tip me over the edge.

I’m saving the planet, saving money, and Spud’s cute butt looks even cuter into the bargain – what’s not to love?