Cloth Diapers

Ellah · Post by **Ellah** » Mon May 28, 2007 4:03 pm

Hey! Are there any mums here using cloth diapers?
I was thinking about using them when my baby is born but I dont know where to get them and what is best...

Do you know where to buy those and how much they cost?
What type of diaper would you reccomend? And how many of each would you think is needed?

**Sponsor:**

Gigi · Post by **Gigi** » Mon May 28, 2007 5:07 pm

I am waiting just as Ellah for a reply here... Not pregant yet, but interested in using one day (hopefully soon) those cloth diapers. I know one shop in Joensuu which sells those!

sahboo · Post by **sahboo** » Mon May 28, 2007 7:51 pm

hi
i have just started using cloth nappies,my little lady is just 8months.i started off buying one or two,they are about 16e for one nappy,it seems like a lot but does work out cheap.lots of places do test packs.i got advice from a friend who used them.i didnt buy all the same,different ones as i want one to suit herself best.i did an online questionaire at http://www.thenappylady.co.uk and they can tell you the best ones to suit your little person.www.meandmama.fi does a good range as does the eco shop in kamppi.as for using them,i found it fine,just a big wash of them daily when i use or every two days,they dont smell bad unlike reg nappies.as my lady is not very chubby i like the imse vimse and p´tits doussos so far.
but am still looking out for some new ones,prob hemp next!
sarah

oompah18 · Post by **oompah18** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:54 pm

I have been using cloth on all my 3 boys, bought mainly 2nd hand from Uk & here in finland on huuto. I used harsotvaippa (musilins) for the first 3 months with Ruskovilla & Bumpy wool pants at night & Bumpy PUL covers in the day. After 3 months I tried many osrts, ImseVimse, Bumpy, Motherease/Popolini one size, Ellas House Bumhuggers, Kissaluvs, FuzziBunz, WAHM types, all sorts. Each of my boys has been slightly different, but wool pants as covers for the nappy are totally the best, whatever nappy I have used! Lots of Finnish internet sites have loads of nappy styles & types, much cheaper than in the actual highstreet shops which sell. But even prisma sells kestovaippa now! When I get round to it, i can copy & paste you all the Finnish websites I have for nappies etc, but I am not very organised right now!

pm me if you want!

Allie forever washing nappies, heh heh heh!
ps never used a tumble dryer as not eco friendly, nor fabric softner, vinegar is just as good!

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:11 pm

We used cloth too- up until Sophie potty trained a few months ago. On my website I have a cloth page which has a few examples of some of the napppies I have used- there are a lot missing
http://www.quayclark.com/nappy.aspx

I also moderate a cloth nappy board which you are more than welcome to come and visit-
http://messageboards.ivillage.co.uk/iv- ... redirCnt=1

Hannah

KatGrrl · Post by **KatGrrl** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 3:22 am

Hi!

I'm inclined to go with cloth diapers when our 1st baby's born this july .....although I've yet to convince my husband 100% who made a face like this when I mentioned it -->

I've no idea the choices are this mindboggling!

EP · Post by EP » Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:20 am

they are about 16e for one nappy

What on earth justifies that price? In the olden times you would get about 100 nappies with that. You just had to cut the cloth and sew the ends.

oompah18 · Post by **oompah18** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:37 pm

Ah, for 16 euros you get one that is All In One, looks like real "pants" but with poppers usually, & you can´add extra padding! You are thinking of muslins, harsovaippa, which are used for newborns-3mths, cloth 80 x 80cm, just folded 6 put into PUL or plastic or wool pants. I am using the same nappies/diapers/kestovaippa on my 3rd boy now which i used on both 1 & 2, so i am counting how much money it has saved me! & yes, i just throw the urine stained ones in the wash with normal clothes, 40 degrees & no problems. other more stained

ones I rinse into the loo with the shower attachment, then wash them on their own wash on 40. Never had a problem, never had nappy rash & never even had a tumble dryer!
Allie the nappy addict

EP · Post by EP » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:13 pm

Oh, OK. But still, 16 € sounds an awful lot. I understand that it saves in the long run, but how on earth could for example a student buy enough of those for her first-born? One needs several a day so the initial purchasing price that comes in one blow is considerable. It is an advancement but somehow the cost should be made lower so that it is an option for everybody.

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:04 pm

€16 will buy you a large packet of Pampers- Pampers is money in the bin, a reusable is one that you can keep using.

Start with the muslins/reusable wipes for the first few months- every week buy a new cloth diaper and wrap with the money you save on buying Pampers and wipes- works out the same.
An old fleece blanket (IKEA €3) can be cut up to make liners/wipes. Microfibre floor cloths (3 for €4 in CM/Prisma) make excellent boosters.

Hannah

PS We also dont own a dryer and Sophie has never had nappy rash- even during her worst teething days. The sun light helps to bleach out any stains so boil washing is not necessary.

oompah18 · Post by **oompah18** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:25 pm

when I arrived in Finland & gave birth, I didn´t qualify for ANY money, pregnancy, motherhood, kelä pack etc & we were so broke that I bought metres & metres of muslin harsovaippa on a roll, measured out 80cm & cut them & even hemmed them by hand as we dont have amachine. I used these same harsovaippa muslins for 9 months on my first boy, using plastic pants from Boots in UK. Then when the lapsiliisa raha started I boiught a load of 2nd hand Bumpy wraps & Ruskovilla wool wraps then Motherease Popolini one size, & have never looked back! I am still using the muslins (all 43 of them) as wipe cloths around the house, nappies & pants (especially wonderful Ruskovilla) are still going strong with ds3! There are so many places to get good 2nd hand cloth nappies nowadays!
Allie, still without a dryer, but eco happy!

KatGrrl · Post by **KatGrrl** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:33 pm

Assuming the following is the number of diapers used per day and assuming the number of days in a month is 30.

Newborn – 4 mths **9-10 Diapers/Day
5 mths- 15 mths **7-9 Diapers/Day
16 mths –24 mths **6-7 Diapers/Day
24 mths – 30 mths **5-6 Diapers/Day

A conservative estimate of the total number of diapers used when a child is 2.5 years old is a staggering 9000! Now, I don't know how large an average 'bundle' of used disposable diaper is, but I would think it's a considerable volume. Imagine 9000 non-biodegradable diapers filling the landfill or just as bad, being incinerated contributing to our largest greenhouse with CO2.

If the environmental issue isn't enough to hold sway, here's the cost argument:

Assuming a cost of 19c a diaper, 9000 diapers work out to €1710. And the cost of 30 All-in-One cloth diapers at €16 each? €480.

Rosamunda · Post by **Rosamunda** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:57 am

I used disposables (at that time I don't think anything else even existed where I was living) and I was working fulltime so there was no way I had time to soak and wash cotton nappies. I think it is great that more mums are going back to the old-fashioned nappies though and if I were to have more kids (and was a stay at home mum) then I would definitely use them. I think there is a good choice of alternatives now, not the case 10 yrs ago. For example, there are even door-to-door nappy services which didn't exist at all 10 yrs ago (atleast not where I was), great solution for working mums.

But... two points.
1. I don't remember ever using as many as 9-10 nappies a day and mine were all potty-trained daytime by the age of two-ish (ie before they started école maternelle). So I think the estimates are a bit OTT.

2. If you are using regular washing powder which is loaded with phosphates etc then you are not 100% eco-friendly. If you are running the washing machine every day (just for nappies) with or without the drier, then you are still using electricity which adds up significantly over a 2-3 year period.

I guess new disposables are significantly more biodegradable than the old disposables used to be. But I am way out of touch since my youngest is now 11 yrs!

sotka_ · Post by **sotka_** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:29 pm

penelope wrote: 2. If you are using regular washing powder which is loaded with phosphates etc then you are not 100% eco-friendly.

Regular washing powders do not have phosphates but zeolites in them, only the allergy-friendly (and expensive) ones have phosphates (LV, Erisan etc.).

Ok, I've seen some cheap ones having phosphates too..

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:49 pm

Soap nuts work just as well, as does a splash of vinegar in place of the fabric conditioner.
I wash our clothes on a daily basis (mucky toddler, sporty husband) so I just used to sling the nappies in with the clothes and wash at 40. Hung on the line they dry very quickly. No need to soak the nappies in anything, just stick them in a bin (dry pailing) or I just used to stick them straight in the washing machine and wash at the end of the day.

Hannah

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland

Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diapers