Team Lollipop, I cannot stress how helpful this service is! Its easy for people to tell you on the net what they like etc, but until you've seen them for yourself you don't really know what's what.
http://www.teamlollipop.co.uk/Use the contact an advisor link and they will send someone round with every type of nappy you can think of and they will show you how to use them, how to store and wash them, the costs and everything else involved.
I think I should work for Team Lollipop, i'd love talking to people about real nappies all day.
I use a variety of nappies myself, my favs are tots bots bamboozles with a motherease or nature babies (from lorraine [
]) wrap over them, and Fuzzi Bunz, which dont need a seperate wrap but do need an absorbant insert to put in them. Inside the nappy you can use a flushable liner which collects the poop and you just flush it, or a reusable fleece liner which you have to sluice the poop off of. Sounds messy but they are very good at keeping bottoms dry as they wick the wetness away from babies skin.
You also need a nappy bucket to store the dirty nappies in, you dont need to soak them these days as they can all be washed in the machine at 60 degrees, I use a mesh inside the bin which is just like a big net so you just put the net with all the nappies in straight into the machine. Its best to wash them with a quarter of the normal amount of non bio washing powder, no softerner as this affects absorbancy and you can use a nappy whitener to remove any stains. I also put white vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil in the fabric softener drawer which helps keep the nappies soft and fresh.
A tumble drier is helpful for drying in the winter, but not essential. In the summer nappies look fab drying on the line, and the sun is a natural stain remover.
Its honestly really easy to use reusable nappies, and much more cost effective. You can sell and buy second hand nappies on ebay.
Convert to cloth, its fab!
