While I was pregnant I decided that like my mum, I would use a mix of reusable & disposable nappies when my wee boy was born...well I would at least try.
Some days we are more successful than others and do as planned; reusables during the day and disposables for overnight. Then there are the days when I think "thank goodness for disposables", because the reusables are all in the wash or the boy is having an extra busy day in the nappy department.
Today in my adventures around the internet I came across a company that allows you to hire reusable nappies, costing between $130 - $220NZD (plus a bond) for 8 weeks. It's a great idea in which you get to try out lots of different nappy brands and find one that you like & works for you, even see if reusable nappies work around your lifestyle. But if you know that reusable nappies is something you want to pursue & you're trying to parent on a budget, the cost seems a bit much and somewhat makes the reusable nappy hire service disposable (spend money but don't keep the product).
It is estimated that each child will need their nappy changed between 4,000 and 6,000 times between birth and toilet training, that's a whole lot of nappies. The New Zealand Nappy Alliance (www.nzna.org.nz) calculate that outfitting one child in modern reusable nappies, including all the laundering expenses, will cost a total of $1,068 (priced using premium cloth nappies), compared to a whopping $6,095 for disposables.
My nappy of choice is the Babyco Reusable Nappy. This came about not from trying other style or brands, but simply because this is what was given to me at my baby shower & they work for me, so why tinker if it ain't broke.
The Babyco Reusable Nappy is as far as I am aware the cheapest on the market ($9.99 at BabyFactory) and include 2 microfibre inserts. They are a pocket style nappy made from polyester with PUL with a microfleece lining and are one size fits all.
Unlike old style nappies the covers/shells/cases (whatever you want to call them) on the Babyco Reusable Nappy dries super fast, they feel almost wearable when they come out of the washing machine, which is probably why they provide you with two inserts as they take a little longer to dry.
Being one size fits all/adjustable is a great saver on money. No need to get bigger nappies as your baby grows, simply adjust how tight you do them up.
I pair mine with a liner to make cleaning up easy, although the liners don't always catch everything (especially if baby has been moving around a lot & the liner shifts), but overall they make life easier. The only thing I find with reusable nappies that if your baby is having big sleeps (like mine does), then they will wake up wet & need a change of clothes; and nobody wants to be doing a full clothing change in the middle of the night in a dimly lit room with a crying baby because they are also hungry. So rather than disturbing my sons sleep, I use disposables over night. Disposables are also much easier to fasten when you're half asleep in that dimly lit room.
An epiphany I've had about reusable nappies is that it is a lot like breastfeeding. It's really something you have to keep at & push through till it becomes the "normal". Once you are in the habit of not just throwing the used nappy in the bin and work out a routine for it, then reusables are great and save you on so much money and cut down on a lot of weekly waste (which is great & saves you more money if you have to use council rubbish bags).
Which ever you decide to use there is a lot of choice out there and don't forget you can pick up second-hand bundle packs of reusables on the likes of Trademe as well.
Some days we are more successful than others and do as planned; reusables during the day and disposables for overnight. Then there are the days when I think "thank goodness for disposables", because the reusables are all in the wash or the boy is having an extra busy day in the nappy department.
Today in my adventures around the internet I came across a company that allows you to hire reusable nappies, costing between $130 - $220NZD (plus a bond) for 8 weeks. It's a great idea in which you get to try out lots of different nappy brands and find one that you like & works for you, even see if reusable nappies work around your lifestyle. But if you know that reusable nappies is something you want to pursue & you're trying to parent on a budget, the cost seems a bit much and somewhat makes the reusable nappy hire service disposable (spend money but don't keep the product).
It is estimated that each child will need their nappy changed between 4,000 and 6,000 times between birth and toilet training, that's a whole lot of nappies. The New Zealand Nappy Alliance (www.nzna.org.nz) calculate that outfitting one child in modern reusable nappies, including all the laundering expenses, will cost a total of $1,068 (priced using premium cloth nappies), compared to a whopping $6,095 for disposables.
My nappy of choice is the Babyco Reusable Nappy. This came about not from trying other style or brands, but simply because this is what was given to me at my baby shower & they work for me, so why tinker if it ain't broke.
The Babyco Reusable Nappy is as far as I am aware the cheapest on the market ($9.99 at BabyFactory) and include 2 microfibre inserts. They are a pocket style nappy made from polyester with PUL with a microfleece lining and are one size fits all.
Unlike old style nappies the covers/shells/cases (whatever you want to call them) on the Babyco Reusable Nappy dries super fast, they feel almost wearable when they come out of the washing machine, which is probably why they provide you with two inserts as they take a little longer to dry.
Being one size fits all/adjustable is a great saver on money. No need to get bigger nappies as your baby grows, simply adjust how tight you do them up.
I pair mine with a liner to make cleaning up easy, although the liners don't always catch everything (especially if baby has been moving around a lot & the liner shifts), but overall they make life easier. The only thing I find with reusable nappies that if your baby is having big sleeps (like mine does), then they will wake up wet & need a change of clothes; and nobody wants to be doing a full clothing change in the middle of the night in a dimly lit room with a crying baby because they are also hungry. So rather than disturbing my sons sleep, I use disposables over night. Disposables are also much easier to fasten when you're half asleep in that dimly lit room.
An epiphany I've had about reusable nappies is that it is a lot like breastfeeding. It's really something you have to keep at & push through till it becomes the "normal". Once you are in the habit of not just throwing the used nappy in the bin and work out a routine for it, then reusables are great and save you on so much money and cut down on a lot of weekly waste (which is great & saves you more money if you have to use council rubbish bags).
Which ever you decide to use there is a lot of choice out there and don't forget you can pick up second-hand bundle packs of reusables on the likes of Trademe as well.