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Cloth Nappies/Diapers – What size?


Baby_Richie

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Hi All,

I'm keen to get myself some terry nappies, but I'm a bit confused about the various sizes available.

I've been looking at the terry squares available in the UK which seem to be produced by Drylife, and sold though a variety of suppliers.  I'm not sure how to relate the size of the squares to waist size, and whether it is better just to get the biggest nappy available.  Would it be possible to fold the 60" square to fit a smaller waist, or should I get the size closet to my actual waist size?

Does anyone have any experience with buying cloth nappies in the UK?  If so, I'd be keen to read your tips and recommendations.

Thanks! ?

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There's some stuff in other threads on this.  I wear 48 inch squares at night sometimes, in a kite fold.  My waist is 34", and the 4 ft squares are plenty big enough.  It would be possible to fold a bigger square down I suppose, but the main thing I'd want to achieve in that case would be to get more fabric into the crotch to reduce the risk of flooding.  I use additional soakers for that, which is simpler.

By the way, terry nappies add a lot to your hips, so aren't inconspicuous under day clothes.  I just wear them at night.

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3 hours ago, Stroller said:

There's some stuff in other threads on this.  I wear 48 inch squares at night sometimes, in a kite fold.  My waist is 34", and the 4 ft squares are plenty big enough.  It would be possible to fold a bigger square down I suppose, but the main thing I'd want to achieve in that case would be to get more fabric into the crotch to reduce the risk of flooding.  I use additional soakers for that, which is simpler.

By the way, terry nappies add a lot to your hips, so aren't inconspicuous under day clothes.  I just wear them at night.

Hi Stroller,

Thanks so much for getting back to me; I really appreciate it and that's helpful information.

Sadly, I'm bigger than 34", so that does suggest that the large 60" squares might be the best option for me.  I hadn't really thought about the risk of flooding; do different types of plastic pants help with that at all?  I think I'd imagined that if the plastic pants were tight against the nappy, that the wetness would wick along the terry cloth, so it's good to be aware that this isn't the case.

I'm only planning on using terry nappies when at home, and mainly at night.  I'm a side-sleeper, so my thinking is that terries will be better for dealing with that than disposables.  Would that seem about right to you?

Thanks again! ?

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The key things in my experience to avoid leaks at night are:

1.  Your nappy needs to be snug against your body, both at the waist and round the legs.,  If there's a gap, you'll have leaks.  That's why disposables aren't so good: there are ways out, avoiding the padding.  If I'm in terry then I use a Snappi for the waist, and add a pin for each leg.

2.  You don't want the nappy wicking onto your bedclothes, either directly, or via the elastic of your plastic pants.  So either your pants need enclosed elastic, or the elastic mustn't come into contact with your nappy.  I wear polyurethane pants which don't have enclosed elastic, from Arizona Care, because I find they're the most comfortable.  In practice the elastic doesn't touch the terry, so the bed stays dry.

3.  If you wet too much, any nappy will leak of course.

By the way, Snuggleblanks nappies work well at night too, or they do for me anyway.  They fit me pretty snugly. I've only worn them a couple of time at night so far, but I think they'll be as good as terry for holding everything in.  I sleep on my side too.

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+1 on your nappy being snug against your body.  If it's flopping around, pee can escape and seep out through the elastics on your plastic pants.  I've taken to wearing a women's shaping brief over my nappies a lot.  It helps disguise them under clothing and I've noticed that with the nappy pushed against me, leaks in cloth in bed are practically impossible to provoke.  I've woken up in the morning absolutely drenched in a cloth nappy that I've had on since dinner the previous evening and my bedding and pyjama pants are perfectly dry.  I can also walk around with no sagging (which can be a challenge with folded cloth nappies unless you have a onesie).

If wearing kite folded terries, I have 60" x 60" as I have a 40" waist but I do like the extra bulk in the front due to overlapping.

The shaping brief also makes a Tena Slip Maxi during the day a WHOLE lot more effective.

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On 3/1/2019 at 5:02 PM, Stroller said:

The key things in my experience to avoid leaks at night are:

1.  Your nappy needs to be snug against your body, both at the waist and round the legs.,  If there's a gap, you'll have leaks.  That's why disposables aren't so good: there are ways out, avoiding the padding.  If I'm in terry then I use a Snappi for the waist, and add a pin for each leg.

2.  You don't want the nappy wicking onto your bedclothes, either directly, or via the elastic of your plastic pants.  So either your pants need enclosed elastic, or the elastic mustn't come into contact with your nappy.  I wear polyurethane pants which don't have enclosed elastic, from Arizona Care, because I find they're the most comfortable.  In practice the elastic doesn't touch the terry, so the bed stays dry.

3.  If you wet too much, any nappy will leak of course.

By the way, Snuggleblanks nappies work well at night too, or they do for me anyway.  They fit me pretty snugly. I've only worn them a couple of time at night so far, but I think they'll be as good as terry for holding everything in.  I sleep on my side too.

Hi Stroller,

Thanks for taking the time, and thanks for the additional details; that's all really helpful.  I'm now wondering how easy it will be for me to put on a terry nappy with everything snug in the right places, especially around the legs.  I've looked at the various details I can find online, but of course most of the folding and fitting guides assumes a caregiver putting the nappy on an infant.  Pinning the nappy on myself might be a much more difficult prospect!  I've seen reference to Snappi fasteners online, but never seen one in person.  Are you able to use standard size ones, or are there ones available for adults too?  Pinning at the leg sounds like a good idea, but I still can't quite visualise it all somehow.

Thanks for the tip on Arizona Care plastic pants.  I'll look in to those.  I've got various Drylife plastic pants at the moment, and they do seem to have enclosed elastic, so I think they'll be OK, but I'm always happy to add to my collection! ?

I've had a look at the Snuggleblanks site, and I am wondering if this might be an easier way to go.  Which of their products do you use?  I'm think the Contislip looks the closest thing to a traditional cloth nappy, but I am intrigued by the all-in-one pocket nappies, even though it seems odd to me that they have a fabric rather than a plastic outer, but that's just me!  I'm not really sure how pocket nappies work or how effective they are, but it could be something new to try.  Do you have any thoughts on any of the other fitted cloth nappies available?

Thanks again; I really appreciate your help and advice with this!

On 3/2/2019 at 1:30 AM, oznl said:

+1 on your nappy being snug against your body.  If it's flopping around, pee can escape and seep out through the elastics on your plastic pants.  I've taken to wearing a women's shaping brief over my nappies a lot.  It helps disguise them under clothing and I've noticed that with the nappy pushed against me, leaks in cloth in bed are practically impossible to provoke.  I've woken up in the morning absolutely drenched in a cloth nappy that I've had on since dinner the previous evening and my bedding and pyjama pants are perfectly dry.  I can also walk around with no sagging (which can be a challenge with folded cloth nappies unless you have a onesie).

If wearing kite folded terries, I have 60" x 60" as I have a 40" waist but I do like the extra bulk in the front due to overlapping.

The shaping brief also makes a Tena Slip Maxi during the day a WHOLE lot more effective.

Thanks Oznl, that's really helpful.  Ideally I'd like to thing I could tightly pin myself in a terry nappy and then keep things close to the body with plastic pants and a onesie, but that might just be wishful thinking.  I'm a similar waist to you, so the 60" x 60" would probably be the best one for me to go for too.  Thanks again! ?

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19 hours ago, Baby_Richie said:

 I'm now wondering how easy it will be for me to put on a terry nappy with everything snug in the right places, especially around the legs.  I've looked at the various details I can find online, but of course most of the folding and fitting guides assumes a caregiver putting the nappy on an infant.  Pinning the nappy on myself might be a much more difficult prospect!  I've seen reference to Snappi fasteners online, but never seen one in person.  Are you able to use standard size ones, or are there ones available for adults too?

You need to lie down to put on a terry nappy - I need to anyway.  Then it's pretty straightforward, once you've sorted out getting the fold right to fit yourself & fit inside your plastic pants.  That's a trial & error process.  There are 2 sizes of Snappis - get the toddler ones.  You can get them on Amazon UK.

19 hours ago, Baby_Richie said:

I've had a look at the Snuggleblanks site, and I am wondering if this might be an easier way to go.  Which of their products do you use?  I'm think the Contislip looks the closest thing to a traditional cloth nappy, but I am intrigued by the all-in-one pocket nappies, even though it seems odd to me that they have a fabric rather than a plastic outer, but that's just me!  I'm not really sure how pocket nappies work or how effective they are, but it could be something new to try.  Do you have any thoughts on any of the other fitted cloth nappies available?

The Contislips are great.  I'd suggest buying just one to start with, to make sure they suit you.  That's what I wear most of the time.  The Superwetter Quickdry is very good too.  The optional wraps have a PUL layer, but that's not going to last long.  The pullup pants are also great, but again they have a PUL layer that doesn't last.  All the Snuggleblanks nappies really need plastic pants over the top as well.  The velcro doesn't last forever, so you need to be prepared to replace it periodically, which needs sewing skills.  That doesn't apply to the pullups of course.  The extra soakers are serious soakers, & I bought a few of them.

My last order took 3 months to come through: Vicky makes them all herself, so you have to wait your turn.

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1 hour ago, Stroller said:

You need to lie down to put on a terry nappy - I need to anyway.  Then it's pretty straightforward, once you've sorted out getting the fold right to fit yourself & fit inside your plastic pants.  That's a trial & error process.  There are 2 sizes of Snappis - get the toddler ones.  You can get them on Amazon UK.

The Contislips are great.  I'd suggest buying just one to start with, to make sure they suit you.  That's what I wear most of the time.  The Superwetter Quickdry is very good too.  The optional wraps have a PUL layer, but that's not going to last long.  The pullup pants are also great, but again they have a PUL layer that doesn't last.  All the Snuggleblanks nappies really need plastic pants over the top as well.  The velcro doesn't last forever, so you need to be prepared to replace it periodically, which needs sewing skills.  That doesn't apply to the pullups of course.  The extra soakers are serious soakers, & I bought a few of them.

My last order took 3 months to come through: Vicky makes them all herself, so you have to wait your turn.

Thanks Stroller!  Yes, I guess it will take time and practice to get used to putting myself in a terry nappy.  I'll get some Snappis, as it seems like they will be easier to use than pins.  Thanks also for the recommendation for the Contislips.  I'll see if I can order some of those and get some suitable plastic pants for them.

Thanks again; I really appreciate your help and advice here. :-)

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