We now have a washing machine, and dh agreed to cloth diapering.
Our washing machine is not attached to a hot water source so we cant wash at hotter then 30 degrees. I am hoping this isnt a problem as we just bought 5 nappies on a sale.

I was also wondering how many nappies we'd need. At home she generally walks around with a bare bottom (the weather has been great for this), and at least in the begining we'd give her disposable to bed or if we are going on a long outing.

Any tips? ideas, it would be appreciated. Dh is very cost aware and isnt convinced it would save us money so if you have any ideas how this would, that would be great.

TIA

Congratulations on the washer, you life has just improved for the better in a big way! (and that's with irrespective of the diapers).

I'm pretty sure you don't have much sun, so do you have a drier?

This is important.

At any rate, you can buy gently used cloth diapers instead of buying new. Prefolds are also relatively inexpensive, last a long time (I've got prefolds that are about to meet their fourth kid) and get the job done. Also, do you know how to sew or knit? Because then you can sew your own diapers for cheap and knit covers (longies are my favorite!).

thank you, life is so much easier b-h!!!

We dont have a drier but we have clothing scattered around the house in any rate so I'm not bothered by that.

Can we wash nappies at 30 degress? will we have to pre do something for them?

I dont know how to sew or knit at all, dh does my bottons when they fall out (blush)

is this a good deal? They are called Kushies, 5 for £15 all in one, we got one packet of 5.
How many do we need?

Don't worry about drying them on a rack. It takes longer (a lot longer when the weather is damp) but we get some pretty good outdoor drying days in London, too!
As for washing at 30 degrees, I don't know. I don't know what my hot wash temp is (or what that converts to in Centigrade).
But, I think that while the kushies are convenient for going out, you will find it easier to get prefolds and covers clean and dry.
I know that last time I was in London I saw nappy soaking liquids at Mothercare or Boots, and I'm guessing that is what people use when they can't do the boil wash (Something like "Nappisan?") I never used anything like that, but I've only washed diapers in N. America, and used a hot wash.
Off to check the Mothercare website to see if I can jog my memory on nappy washing for you!

quick question?

whats prefold? and whats covers? and if I get something with prefold and covers, do I need to get liners and the plastic bit for on top? what size am I looking at? dd is 18 months old, can walk and is about 10 kg b-H

I am looking at mothercare as well atm to get an idea. I looked at some cloth nappy website but its all a bit confusing

OK, I checked Mothercare and Boots for you. They both seem to have environmentally sensitive nappy sanitizer products, some of which specifically state that they are for use with lower temperatures. Also, Mothercare had lots of nappy choices, from fancy to basic prefolds (Bambino Mio) and terry squares. With low temp washing and no drier, I'd go for the terry squares or prefolds, as they will be easy to clean and quicker to dry. You'll need covers with them, too. I've heard good things about TotBots, but haven't used them, myself.
Some things on the website were online only, so have a look before you trek out there!

thank you, I found this:
http://www.mothercare.com/dp/B001EVBJ22/re...ore#productInfo

and this
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-terry...ore#productInfo

which is what I assume you are talking about. Do I need anything more then that, and how many would I need, and how would I fold/shape them to fit dd's tushie?

That's the general idea.
There are lots of sites that explain about folding, how many you need, etc. You can find a lot of information on some of the online diaper store websites (can't think of a good one off-hand).
Did you find the sanitizers I was thinking of?
Sorry - very kvetchy, hungry, tired kid - have to run!

If you don't have sun or a drier, you definitely need nappy sanitizer. Otherwise you are risking the worst diaper rash you can imagine.

Considering the age of your baby, and the fact that you probably have a pretty small European style washing machine, you should be able to get away with 18 nappies. If that's not enough you can always buy more.

You also probably need 4 to 6 covers (they used to be called "plastic pants", now they are made from all sorts of fabrics from vynil to wool), I'd go with 4 because of the size of your washer, and the frequency with which you need to wash. As I said, you can always buy more.

I don't recommend Kushies. I can't say anything about the mothercare terry diapers, but I'm sure there's a British cloth diapering group or forum that can help. Don't invest in anything until you talk to them-- the thing is, there are excellent products out there and there is garbage, and the price alone won't tell you which is which. The wrong product and you will be handling leaks all day, which is super frustrating (let's put it like this: the woman who brought cloth diapering back to Israel did more to promote EC than anyone else in the country. She brought in leaky second rate diapers that sent naturally minded moms looking for alternatives).

Good luck!

thank you!

I'm not sure if this helps but...

If you want cheap prefolds you can buy the slightly imperfect or "seconds" prefolds from clothdiaper.com (this is assuming someone in the USA can bring them to you at some point as shipping may add up).

I taught myself to knit (you can also crochet) so I could make my son woolen soakers (instead of the rubber pants option). When buying the wool on sale it costs me maybe $2-3 to make each one (instead of the $20-30 it would cost to buy each one). There are plenty of learning to knit websites to work off of (we could suggest some if you need).

mazal tov. a washing machine at last!!! you can wash in cold. in fact, most of the nappy makers here suggest it. i usually rinse the yucky ones in hot before washing them in cold. and this winter we've been drying inside, we've got an old cot side in the kitchen over a heating vent. it usually takes our aios about 24 hours to dry. and you prob use 6 or so a day, so if you don't want to wash every day, you do prob need 18 or so, though we bought a bulk dozen to begin with and just washed a little more frequently till our stash grew.

i don't like using product, so don't use a nappy sanitiser.

there'll definately be a uk based forum with info about locally available mcns, whats good, how to wash etc. we use aussie stuff, so i can't really help with that. and i'm not really into prefolds and covers, i prefer the aio - and snap in ones. they do cost more though...

thank you for all the info.

whats your favourite nappy?

both in term of prefolds and all in one?

I love a one size fitted with longies for winter, and with bummis pull up pants for summer (if I bother with a cover at all). I have some growing greens and sammy's, both of which are very good workhorse diapers. The one sizes are great for us because my babies tend to get very big very fast, and we just don't have the storage space for lots of different diapers in different sizes.

I don't love prefolds, but they get the job done. I reach for them last, or around the house.

I also strongly prefer snap closures on diapers to velcro.

Dh likes flatfolds for newborns. I think it satisfies the artist in him (folding those things is a form of magic, lol). One of my friends was using flatfolds for her older baby as a backup to EC.

YMMV-- I have friends who hate one sizes, and others who swear that prefolds are the best there is. I just know what works for me. :thumbsup

sorry for sounding kinda dumb, but is longies and bummis a brand or a style? and are they the inside or the outside? :blush (I feel a bit stupid)

Longies are like wool trousers used as a cover.
Bummis is a brand. They make hardwearing covers with velcro or snap closures, as well as pull-on covers. To make it a little more confusing, Bummis also make lots of other things, including a "starter kit" that includes prefolds. I'm not sure if those are available in England.
There's a popular company which, IIRC is actually in Scotland. The name is TotBots, and whilst their fitted diapers are expensive (they are one of the first companies to make fitted bamboo diapers) their covers are less expensive, and I know I saw them for sale at Mothercare.

thank you.
to tell you the truth I have spend the better part of the day doing research and its plenty confusing.
I am not to impressed with the Kushies as they leaked, but I really like the simplicity of it, so the thought of something that comes aio (see I learnt a bit of the language today;-) )is quite apealing. With the not all in one all the different names and refferences are still a bit hazy to me.

Wow Chavs! You really are learning a lot - welcome to the wonderful world of cloth diapers!
With the prefolds and fitteds I bought, I had to wash them in hot water a few times to wash out the fabric treatments and get them to full absorbancy. Might be tricky with your washing machine, and the aio covers. I never had an aio, so I don't know, but I'd guess that there would be instructions for "prepping" (more lingo for you!) in the package of diapers.
With your washing situation, if you like aio, you might do better with pocket diapers, although they are more expensive than traditional prefold-cover combinations.
I remember those first days (and many after!) of researching cloth diapers! Many years ago, but I go through phases of doing research again. I went with prefolds and bummis super-whisper-wrap covers because I had a recommendation for them and for someone who lived locally who sold them, and that meant we could save on shipping, which helped us to afford them (we were a poor, starving post-doc student family!).
Eventually, I came to a system of prefolds and covers at home, and pockets in the diaper bag for simplicity, although I often stuffed the pockets with prefolds rather than fancy inserts. I bought a few fitteds to try, because I had 2 kids with lots of diarrhea, and I did like some of them. But, getting prefolds and covers clean and dry was always easier than anything else!