Hi there from a parent-to-be!

[RacheUK]

Hi all,

Im Rachael, 25, and expecting our first baby in September. Still a yellow bump so dont know if girl/boy.

Am hoping to be more 'eco friendly' when in parenthood and currently wading thorugh the nappy options!

so..er...yeah... Hi then!

[gigglybug]

Hi Rachel, Congratulations

If your shopping for nappies pon a budget you can always look into at http://www.usednappies.co.uk, they buy and sell used nappies. I wish i had know about them before buying new ones

Anyway welcome to the site, look forward to chatting with you!!!

Amanda

[Ratty]

Hi Rachael

Welcome to Ish and congrats on expecting your first.

I have used cloth nappies on my son (now 15 months old) since the day he got home from hospital (in hospital we used bamboo paper disposibles), so I know a bit about cloth!

Any questions on anything, ask away!

[Clara]

Hola! I have my own ankle-biter (20 months), I used cloth until she got mobile then found the sort I had invested in just meant I had to clear up all the time as they didn´t get on well with the wriggling.....they were the squares that you have to fold in 3 and put in a waterproof (velcro-closed) outer. This kind of coincided with my old Solar PV system taking a turn for the worse (less power) so decided that we couldn´t pursue it as we couldn´t spare the electricity on extra washing. Next time I would use this style until about 6 months (but only because I already have them) and then invest in or beg some all-in-one types. Right now I am trying to get her potty-learned so bare bum and far fewer nappies.

I tried to assuage my guilt by replacing sanitary products and toilet paper with cloth, I guess over the course of a lifetime there is more to be saved (though no reason not to do it all!). Have you looked into cloth baby wipes too? I think there is a thread going on at the moment about these.

The other thing that can really green your parenting is getting stuff second hand. Sadie didn´t have a new item of clothing (except a few gifts) til she was 6 months, they really don´t get worn out because tiny babies don´t do much except grow out of their clothes real fast!

I would also recommend www.mothering.com/discussions as a great forum to talk about natural and gentle birth and parenting.

Jeez I´ve blathered....hope that comes across as trying to be useful rather than "know-it-all" (I wish I did!)

Welcome to Ish, Clara xx

[Annpan]

Hi there Rachel

Welcome to 'ish.

I have found the Terrys squares to be every bit as good, if not better than, the expensive shaped nappies (I have 21 month old). Cheaper, and easier to wash and dry, I would highly recommend Motherease wraps in place of plastic pants.

There is a wealth of knowledge out there, try not to get overwhelmed.

[mrsflibble]

hiya, welcome to ish. the intro posts are always a bit like leaving an answer phone message arn't they?!?!

I have utter faith in traditional Terries, so long as you can get comfortable outers for them.
good luck, and don't beat yourself up if they don't suit you. babies are hard enough work lol!!!

[Milims]

I have found the Terrys squares to be every bit as good,

What better than Terrys chocolate orange segments!?? Lol!
Sorry Annpan - couldn't resist it!
Hi Rachel and welcome - have fun - but don't ask me anything about eco babies - mine are old enough for me not to remember! lol

[Fizzy Izzy]

I would also recommend http://www.mothering.com/discussions as a great forum to talk about natural and gentle birth and parenting.

Sorry, bit of a thread hijack, but I had a look at this website and a found a link to this really lovely bf video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=942FRjAJhxU. Thanks for that Clara!

[Clara]

I would also recommend http://www.mothering.com/discussions as a great forum to talk about natural and gentle birth and parenting.

Sorry, bit of a thread hijack, but I had a look at this website and a found a link to this really lovely bf video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=942FRjAJhxU. Thanks for that Clara!

WOW that totally had me in tears, so so beautiful. Apparently it is a Puerto Rican public information broadcast, don´t much about Puerto Rico, but big respect for that one

[RacheUK]

Hi!

Thanks for taking the time to respond :)

I didnt follow the you-tube link, but if its the one about the baby crawl for first breast feeding, its amazing isnt it?!

im not worried about the whole labour thing, after all, women have been having babies for years, and its what our bodies are designed for! Id like to be as active and as drug free as I can. (yes, i can see you all shaking your heads at the new girl you know!)

Its when you get them home that it scares me... we're responsible for a whole other human being, and thats waaaay more responsibility than I thought I could handle!
wish me luck I guess!

[Clara]

It´s a video generally promoting breastfeeding, with a beautiful soundtrack, but what is really great about it is there are loads of toddlers and young children in it, not just tiny babes. Take a look.

Yep, birth is just the beginning....luckily you get a while to figure it all out cos all they need first off is LOVE, titties, sleep and a clean bum. The best piece of advice I was ever given was to learn to surrender, sounds terrible but what my MW meant was not to fight the unfightable.....don´t expect your babe to do this that or the other, go with it and use your instinct, you´ll have a far easier time.

Enjoy Clara x

[citizentwiglet]

Hello Rachel, welcome to the site!
As you might have gathered from some of the other threads here, I'm expecting my second son in November. My eldest was 2 in April.

I'm glad the subject of nappies has come up - I was about to post a new thread about whether to buy terry squares, as we really can't afford to buy the 'shaped' reusables as I understand they can take an age to dry if you don't have (or want!) a tumble drier, and our good of Scottish weather means that line-drying isn't always an option. Local nappy-lady told me I'd probably need around 36-40 reusables for a newborn....sadly, I don't have money for that, but I could afford the same in the traditional terries.

Congrats on being a mum, it really is a fantastic job. Hard work, but worth it. Best bit of advice I can give you is to go with the flow, and NEVER beat yourself up if things don't quite go to plan; be that pain-relief in birth, needing a C section, breastfeeding, whether or not you do controlled crying, whether or not you use disposable nappies, whether baby eats organic food cooked from scratch or has jars of baby-food......as long as baby is happy, loved, warm and fed and mum is happy, THAT'S the most important thing. Happy mums make happy babies! Don't spend the precious time fretting because you're doing things you didn't think you would...or not doing things you thought you would! Just go with the flow, let baby lead you, and ENJOY!!

[Ratty]

CitizenTwiglet - "36-40 nappies for a newborn"?!?! I think your local nappy lady must be trying to sell you a load! I never used that many for my little one and he has always had a lot of nappy changes (how much poo can a small person produce in a day?!?!). I must admit that I've been a big fan of pre-folds as they are far more absorbant and they do dry on an airer overnight. I know a lot of other people like terries and can give you more advice there. I actually have a load of pre-fold nappies which I need to sell. PM me if you're interested, I'm not after a huge amount of money for them, would be glad to see them go to a good home!

And I second, third, fourth, whatever, about Motherease nappy wraps being great - my little one has taken to opening his velcro wraps if his vest is left unpoppered so we find a nappy abandoned on the kitchen floor and a bare bum running around (fine in this weather though!). I also have a Naturebabies wrap which is wonderful. Oh and I'm going to try wool wraps soon - I have them made but need to get around to lanolising them! So I can keep people posted if they are interested because wool wraps are probably the cheapest of all!

[barefootlinzi]

WHAT "36-40 nappies for a newborn"?!!!! I am a nappy lady and that is just ridiculous!!!!! i usually recommend 15-25 depending on drying facilities, most have 20.

rachel...welcome to ish! as i just said, i am a nappy advisor so feel free to post any questions here! but for a good demo find your local nappy advisor who can show you all the different types as it can be a minefield for someone new to nappies.

i know how you feel about whats to come; i had an unmedicated homebirth but the hardest bit was after! we had bf trouble but after climbing mountains to overcome them, we are still going strong a year later (he was 1 yesterday! ). my advice is do what you feel right, take no notice of any other 'well meaning' advice that goes against what you believe. YOU are your babies expert, only YOU know the best way to look after him/her. so sod off everyone else lol!!!

[MrsD'ville mkII]

Hi Rachel,

Welcome to the site. I'm another pregnant Ish-er, expecting our second (though my skids live with us too so a houseful).

I used cloth nappies for DD's last year in naps, and would definitely recommend popper wraps if you're going for a birth-to-potty set, as toddlers can undo velcro very easily as another poster said! We used Motherease Sandy naps and Airflow wraps, but I'm very open to trying anything next time - basically whatever comes our way on Freecycle, as we want to spend as little as possible. We weren't going to have any more until DH spontaneously changed his mind (yay!) so we'd got rid of everything.

Anyway look forward to chatting

MrsD