The Great Nappy Debate - Part Two

Welcome back to the Great Nappy Debate.

Thanks to Andie and her link to Snazzipants I was able to find some more interesting facts out about reusable vs disposable nappies.
In addition I also had a range of links from my browsing while pregnant, which I have posted at the bottom.

The quick answer to my personal debate is: Reusable
The reasons for my choice:

• no continuous exposure to gel crystals (they have been spotted on her already);


• comfort for the baby;


• the money to be saved;


• the environmental impact that I can help avoid;


• future proofing (e.g. reduced toilet training time).

Costs:

To get an idea of the costs involved you can take a look at this link about the costs of disposable nappies, and this link about the cost of washing cloth nappies. The costs involved are in Australian dollars, but you can get the general idea from the two lists. If you were really unsure, you could always do your own maths for yourself.

Trials:

After deciding that I wanted to use cloth nappies, the next step was to read the various (many) websites, and decide what I wanted to trial before committing to a large purchase. I cannot recommend this idea enough - do not buy nappies based on sight and touch or web viewing only.

I decided that what I really wanted was the convenience of disposable nappies, but in a reusable form. How "want it all" am I ? Very !! So that narrowed down my choices a bit more. I also didn't want to be buying one of every kind of "all-in-one" nappy available on the market, so I narrowed it down the old fashioned way.

Kushi Classic and Ultra Nappies became part of the trial as I was able to walk into a store and prod them with my own two hands.
Fuzzi Bunz Nappies became part of the trial through seeing them in action, and asking the opinion of the mother in our Mother and Baby class who was using them. They had been recommended to her by four other mothers also.

So, there were the triallists.

Results:

My results came within the first two days of use. The cotton nappies from Kushies just were never in the race really. They were definitely absorbant, but did not seem to move any of that away from the baby. She was not happy in them at all and was not getting her regulation 2 hour sleep. I figure that she was feeling like she was sitting in a soggy pair of pants. When they were washed and hung up it became apparent which nappy would feel good against a baby's bum.
The Fuzzi Bunz, while slightly more expensive, came out ahead in the comfort stakes with the fabric feeling like it truly was quick drying. Therefore Miss O was getting a reasonable sleep.

With regards to the idea that Miss O will need to feel wet in order to get the benefit of early toilet training, that is not a great concern as the Fuzzi Bunz definitely allow her to feel wet when only the insert is used. She just doesn't get that feeling as quickly or if she has a booster included.

Ease of use was pretty even, and the pocket design of the Fuzzi Bunz doesn't provide that much of an issue for those who are not all that keen on dealing with the contents. You can take hold of one end and shake the inserts/boosters out into the washing machine without necessarily dealing directly with the fabric and its contents.

Cost ranged a bit (and the trial doesn't take into account the even cheaper old-fashioned cloth nappies), but was within NZ$5 to $10 per nappy, with accessories making the difference.

My Choice:

Fuzzi Bunz. With inserts and boosters.

We have been using these for about a month now and have had no problems with them at all. Mr O even mentioned how well they deal with the larger messes without it becoming an issue of washing the baby from head to toe. Containment is pretty much close to 100%. The odd little leak is purely down to how tight we close the snaps and whether we have included a booster as well as an insert.
The only thing slightly negative about them is the feeling of the inserts and boosters. You may find them a little rough on your hands - but I've found that moisturising my hands deals with this fairly quickly.

Caveat:

This result is my own personal experience with the three types of nappy trialled. You and your baby may find things to be quite different. That is why I have stated above: "Do Not buy nappies based on sight and touch or web viewing only." Reading about my experience would fall into the web viewing category. :)
Also, by choosing reusable nappies, I do not intend to say that disposables are bad, nasty or otherwise. I'm a bit too pragmatic for that. We still have a packet of disposables as an emergency back-up, but they are not in front-line use. ;)

In order to give you some idea of choice you have, I have listed a bunch of websites that you may want to visit. It is not exhaustive, so if you have a favourite that you feel I have missed, please feel free to leave a comment with a link to the website. (Note: I check all comments before allowing them to be posted, so please don't feel free to spam us with unrelated links.)

Websites and Online Stores:

• Fuzzi Bunz


• Honeychild Website - where I purchased my Fuzzi Bunz in NZ.


• Snazzipants


• Nature Baby Website


• BabyOnline Website


• Cutie Bums Website


• Eco Nappies New Zealand Website


• Ecobots Website


• Ecobubs Website


• Baby Bug Website

And a final FYI.

I bought 12 nappies (+ 1 trial nappy) and the inserts and boosters to go with them.
What I have learned: we probably could do with 18 nappies for washing purposes, and we don't need as many boosters as I bought. Stuffing the pocket is easy and quick - like folding regular laundry. They dry easily in a good breeze and don't take too long in a cool dryer.

All that remains to be said is: "Good luck with your decision. "
:)