Susanne Remic is a primary school teacher, freelance writer and parenting blogger. She writes at Ghostwritermummy and Maternity Matters and in between all of that she regularly wins mummy of the year awards for running around after her two children, aged six and 19 months. This is her pregnancy blog: an online diary of her third pregnancy as she strives to overcome two difficult births, one angel child and one awkward toddler. Join Susanne as she shares every step of her journey from bump to baby!
What’s the big deal with cloth nappies?
By Susanne Remic on 29 Nov 2011
I always remember the smell. Not a poo smell, I must add here. A different smell. The smell of cloth nappies boiling in a pot. It wasn’t a family delicacy. It was my mum’s old fashioned way of making sure my baby sister’s nappies were really clean. She would wash them, then boil them up in the kitchen to make really sure.
The nappy saucepan was kept in the cupboard under the stairs and we were not allowed to touch it. God forbid it got muddled with the jam saucepan...
When I had my own children and I used disposable nappies, my mum was amazed. Why would I bother with buying nappies over and over and over when it was so easy to fold up a piece of towelling instead? And wash it. And dry it. And boil it. And dry it again. Over and over. Was she serious? Yes!
I refused to use cloth nappies, even though I knew that they had moved on long before my mum ever did. These days, cloth nappies are amazing, come in beautiful designs and are a lot kinder for our carbon footprints. There are many more reasons why I should use them than not. It’s just that I have had a bad experience, and it isn’t just that haunting smell, either.
I decided my son should use cloth nappies, because he suffered- and still does from time to time- from terrible nappy rash. Before his lactose intolerance was diagnosed, nearly every nappy my son produced was runny and full.
When he was on motility drugs for his reflux, dirty nappies were every thirty minutes or so because his body was pushing everything out so quickly. His nappy rash was, at times, so painful it would bleed and he would scream in agony. It was awful. So I decided cloth nappies might provide a little more protection for him.
Nobody told me that you have to wash them a lot before they reach their full absorbency. That first night, we were up for hours as my son complained loudly about being wet and cold. The next time we used them, it was on for all of about ten minutes before he filled it with one of his speciality poos.
Now what do I do? Someone had recommended holding them in the toilet bowl and flushing the poo away before washing them. This isn’t easy to do whilst gagging. I gave up.
This time though, I seriously want to give cloth nappies a good go. I am sick of buying nappies all the time and I have the washing machine on all day everyday anyway. What harm can it do? So I need help! Which cloth nappies do you recommend and why? Plus, I need all the hints and tips you can think of. I really want to avoid gagging and leaking please!
3 comments 
Comments