As a first time Mummy to be I made the decision that I wanted to use cloth nappies, many considered me brave and many said I wouldn’t last with them. I am a firm believer that no one person can change everything immediately and impact the earth but if everyone did something it would be a much better place so my something was to start as I meant to go on and use cloth nappies.
We chose Tickle Tots because I love that they go from birth to potty so we don’t need to keep buying new ones and I like the Velcro fastener around the waist meaning that it can be adjusted in small amounts. Plus, who doesn’t love all the fun designs?
We were lucky in that when we purchased our nappy sets we had the choice of the AI2s and the AIOs, and we wanted lots of nappies so we got 2 sets of the AI2s and 1 set of the AIOs. First off was to get them all washed a few times before our baby was born to get them ready to use so every time the weather was nice a set went on the washing line! I loved the feel of the nappies and they were so easy to take apart and wash and dry. We find that the AIOs take longer to dry and they can appear dry outside but inside is not so a good feel inside is needed before taking them off the line, and sometimes finishing them off in an airing cupboard works a treat.
Our baby was born smaller than the recommended size for the nappies (she was under 7lb) so to start off with we couldn’t get the fit quite right and we did have a few leaks, during this time we found that the AIOs fitted best and as she grew the leaks reduced until they stopped. As she has grown the AI2s also fit as well now and they give us flexibility to add more boosters which we often do for a long car journey or if we are going out.
Back to no one can do everything – well we had a couple of holidays booked this year where we were going to be staying off grid, with no power, no washing machines and no ability to take the cloth nappies and leave them unwashed for so long and certainly not enough nappies. So sadly we purchased some disposable nappies to use – what a learning experience that was – firstly we like to give our girl lots of nappy free time and with the AI2s I use a booster under her to catch any wees and poos – these are just added to the wash as normal – with disposables it meant that we could get through 2 nappies for each change. Also, we found that we experienced a poonami for the first time – you know the ones where the poo goes all the way up the back and covers the clothes? We had these virtually every day when using the disposable nappies – we have only ever once had the tiniest poo leak with the Tickle Tots nappies (which was probably our fault for not putting it on right). We were all very glad when we returned home and she could have her normal nappies on again.
So, we are now 5 months down the line, am I still using the cloth nappies even though it is getting wetter outside and harder to dry them? Absolutely. We have made one concession and we do now use a disposable overnight – we are lucky and our daughter sleeps for approximately 11-12 hours solid so no chance to change a nappy without waking her up and with the best will in the world I can’t add enough boosters without turning her into a Sumo wrestler to see her dry through the night. We have changed the minds of the sceptics who said it wouldn’t last and everyone has a favourite design – my Dad is a farmer and loves the tractors my Mum love the hares, I love the stags. We have also booked into a nursery who are delighted to be able to continue using cloth nappies with her as well.
