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In the first of our series exploring the different experiences people have with cloth nappies, we talked to Helen, one of our nappy library volunteers.
When did you start thinking about using cloth nappies?
Probably before I got pregnant; I followed a few people on Instagram who had recently had babies and used cloth nappies which definitely influenced me. I started seriously looking into it during reusable nappy week 2019 when I was just entering my final trimester. I wanted to use cloth because the thought of all the thousands of nappies going to landfill each year is terrifying; the environmental impact definitely convinced me when I started to look into it. It's also so much more convenient to not have to buy nappies every week and not having them fill up your purple bin!
What were any concerns/misconceptions you had before you started? How did you overcome these?
That Birth to Potty would fit from birth! I soon learnt that they wouldn't, and I attended the Liverpool Cloth Nappy Library's Antenatal Nappy Natter to learn more, which helped clear things up for me on how to use nappies from birth.
When did you start using cloth nappies?
When we brought Audrey home from hospital at 3 days old.
How did you find it?
Easier than we expected! It helped having a summer baby so washing was easy to keep on top of. I think diving straight in helped so it's all we've ever known!
How did you get past any issues you found? Where did you go for advice?
We started getting leaks in her newborn nappies but they were compression leaks because her vests were too tight, so a few vest extenders soon sorted us out! I've found online Facebook groups such as The Nappy Lady and Baba+Boo Hangout invaluable and of course the Nappy Library!
Any tips or tricks?
Leaving poo-ey nappies to dry a bit throughout the day can make plopping or scraping the poo a bit easier! We tend to leave them in the bathroom and sort them all out in one go in the evening.
Favourite brand?
Baba+Boo make up the bulk of our stash but I recently discovered Mama Koala and really like them and the prints too.
Mama Koala Baba+Boo and Little Lamb
Favourite print?
Too difficult! Wildflowers by Baba+Boo, probably because we've had it from newborn, but also Happy Skies by Mama Koala which is a recent addition.
Audrey in newborn Wildflowers Audrey in Happy Skies