Modern Cloth Nappies

It's been a typically topsy-turvy week in the Hurst/Hammond residence. My boy is eating well — his diet consists of pears and apples, stewed by yours truly, sweet potato, Farex, and, of course, boob juice — and sleeping a bit better at night. Last night, for instance, he went down at 6:30, woke at 11:30, then at 2:30 and then at 6. Last week was another story, however. He was waking in pain, legs scrunched and kicking, red in the face, every couple of hours, on top of waking for feeds. It was frustrating and exhausting. Dr Hsu recommended Yakult to introduce the germs needed to break down the solids properly. It appears to have helped substantially.

He's been such a happy little thing, always talking, always smiling. He's getting rounder and fairer by the day, and his gorgeous navy eyes are constantly being complimented when we're up at Ashfield Mall, or having "coffee" with other mummies and babies at Summer Hill. He's sitting well, for a minute or so at a time, and loving to scrunch paper and chew on fluro hi-lighters. He's pooing only once every 4 or 5 days — kinder on the nappies, but a bit scarier for Phil and I! They are pastey and gigantic and really smelly.

OK, so I thought I'd talk a bit about Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN), as I am forever fielding questions about them. We use Green Kids, Baby Kangas and Blueberry nappies — brands of pocket nappies, which consist of a PUL waterproof outer shell and an insert made of either bamboo, hemp or microfibre. Bamboo is the most absorbent of these materials, hemp inserts are the trimmest, and microfibre inserts are cheap. The nappies are fastened with either velcro or snaps, and all of the nappies we own are adjustable so that they fit most babies from birth right through to toilet training.

They are simple to wash — I dry pail, which means throwing wet/soiled nappies in a nappy bucket sans any nappy cleaning solution. MCN simply don't need harsh chemicals in order to be properly cleaned. Every second or third day I throw them all in the machine, and put a rinse cycle on. I then do a long wash, with only half the recommended amount of liquid detergent. Any residual staining comes out in sunlight, so if there are any stains I make sure to hang the nappies on the line. I don't find the nappies stained too often, so the dryer is fine on wet days.

We use flushable liners, which make things a little less gross — liner and any poo it has managed to catch are simply flushed down the toilet.

PROS:
- Otis has only ever had nappy rash after wearing disposables (which he does at Mum's, and did when we holidayed in Noosa).
— The nappies are gorgeous! We have a selection of lovely block colours and prints, including faux cow and leopard skin! Much, much cuter than disposables, which is fantastic in the warmer months, as he can just wear a nappy and a singlet and look quite the stunner.
— MCN are much more cost effective. You have the initial outlay of a few hundred, and a slightly higher water bill. Fantastic when you're living in Sydney on one wage!
— There are environmental benefits galore...

CONS:
— Washing — I do more than most, I guess.
— They take up a hell of a lot more room in the nappy bag!