[Clare L]

Hi everyone

We're expecting our first bub in June, and I really want to use cloth rather than disposables. I'm busy researching it all at the moment, and am slowly getting over the sense of complete overwhelment!

One of the things I'm concerned about though is drying them - we live in Melbourne, and bubs is due right at the start of winter.... so while drying won't be an issue on a day like today (39 degrees ), for the first few months it could well be a lot harder.

So, my questions are:

- what type of cloth is best for wetter/cooler climates? I'm thinking prefolds, all-in-twos or pockets?
- if you're using prefolds, are you finding them absorbent enough for your bubs?
- do prefolds still fit older babies? Or is it best to move to pockets and use the prefolds as inners?
- does using a dryer instead of line drying harm the nappies at all?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/ideas you can share. I have to say this post has been prompted by my DP who declared on the phone this morning that while we might start with cloth we won't stick with it as it's just 'too hard' (his words)

Thanks,
Clare

[Miss Anthropist]

I live in Tassie. We use pocket nappies (Bum Genius OSFM) and they don't take long to dry at all. When DD was very little I tried using homemade prefolds, but I didn't like them - they just seemed so very bulky on our tiny little girl and I found them sort of awkward to put on. Perhaps with more practice they would have worked. So we used disposables until she was about 6 weeks old, at which point we started using the BG nappies.

We are currently back on disposables for a little while as we are running out of water (on tank water) so I want to reduce the amount of washing we do. Compared to using cloth nappies, i actually don't find using disposables that much less work - the washing machine does most of the work for you, afterall.

[junebuggy11]

We're in Melbourne so winter months are a pain, basically we went FT cloth from about 8 weeks, and don't have a drier, so everything is either hung out on a fine morning or on a drying rack in the sun when it isn't. It certainly takes a while to dry, but I have enough to wash every second day, and dry for 2 days. We used a lot of bambooty, and ittis in those early months before moving into a variety of OSFM.

We had a june baby too, so I know it's possible!

[Katie_bella]

We live in SW Vic.
We use prefolds up until about 6kgs, then OSFM Fuzzibunz (which are pockets).

Over winter i wash and put nappies on the line in the morning, leave them there all day (rain, hail or shine!) then bring them in and pop them on the airer over the heating vent overnight. They are usually dry in the morning. You could "finish off" the inserts in the dryer if you want (i don't own a dryer tho!) but don't put the shells (the waterproof bit) in as it wrecks the PUL and elastics.

MIcrofibre dries quicker than any other fibre, but isn't the most absorbant. Bamboo/hemp etc take a bit longer to dry. AIO nappies that don't have fold out inserts take longer to dry.

We are really happy with the pocket nappies, they are easy to use and quick to dry. We don't really care about having the airer set up all the time over winter.

It's definately do-able in colder, wetter climates.

[hempnut]

Prefolds are fairly quick drying. Wool as a cover is great in cold wet climates as it doesn't need washing very often as lanolin neutralises and deodorises wee so you just air them when full

Dryers will ruin your elastic much quicker in nappies and also the lint in the filter is your absorbency coming off so not good for longevity but you can use at the end of drying cycle every now and then without too much problem. The number of layers in boosters and outers and type of fabric will also determine drying time

[*angelmama*]

We live in Tassie and our heater is permanently on in winter so we make use of that to get the nappies dry (hung on 2 clothes airers plus on coathangers hooked over lines attached to the ceiling beams - might not look pretty but it gets the job done and we rarely have to resort to the dryer). Pocket nappies dry quickly and we use those when baby's older but personally I prefer fitted nappies + covers for little bubs. We just make sure we've got enough to cycle through and we also have a dozen or so bamboo flats as back-ups and they dry quickly enough too.

This post has been edited by *angelmama*: 20/01/2013, 08:26 PM

[elizabethany]

Do not put waterproof covers/skins/shells etc in the dryer. It will kill the elastic and reduce the waterproofing. During winter, we put the inserts (we use AI2 and pockets) in the dryer and the shells on the airer inside. We can't put them outside because they will freeze. Once it gets sunny and above about 5C, they all go on the line outside.

[ubermum]

I live outside of Melbourne in a colder, wetter area. During our 9 months of winter, nappies are dried overnight in front of the heater and get a sun bath for stains in a north facing window in the morning. We don't own a dryer. When it's cold, the heater is on, I figure that's a dryer.

I like fitted nappies with wrap covers. I use mostly baby beehinds. When the elastic gives out in fitteds, they are still fine to use because the covers keep them all together. I prefer wool covers or longies at night. I hate pockets. All that mucking around stuffing them.

[hernette]

Have to say we used the drier more than I'd like over winter (shells and inserts) but only on low. So far so good. I do line dry whenever possible. We use Softbums nappies.