MCN - taking the plunge
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Forum Description: Cot or bassinette? Which pram is best for you? How about nappies? Check out our Product Reviews board to find out what other Mums and Dads think and share your thoughts!
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Topic: MCN - taking the plunge
Posted By: daikini
Subject: MCN - taking the plunge
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 10:45am
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(Feel free to move this if I've put it in the wrong area)
We're currently spending about $80-$100 a month on disposables for our two boys (depending on whether the nappies are on special or not) so I'm taking the plunge and looking into cloth. Nat's happy for this as long as I do my research and am prepared for staying ontop of the washing (something I'm not brilliant at already  )
I've had a look at a comparison of the different types, and I think I'd prefer to go for pocket or all-in-ones. I'm going to have a look at the Nappy Network site, but I was wondering: Roughly, how many nappies will we need, for two boys in cloth full-time? There's only about 2kg difference between the boys in weight (and they look a similar size around) so would they be able to wear the same size MCN? What sort/s would suit us best? Would the fact that a fair part of the washing during the winter gets dried on a clothes horse in front of the dehumidifier and (lit) fire mean I would be better going for fitted nappies (as they dry quicker)? HELP!!! ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 10:51am
| I'm sure the other girls can answer those questions far better than I but one comment I do have is when I washed my fuzzi's a couple of weeks ago they dried really really fast (couple of hours) so I don't know that fitted would be any quicker at getting dry |
Posted By: MILF
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 10:59am
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pockets dry faster than fitted nappies, as you dry them seperately. the fitteds i have do take a day or so to dry, but the pockets i had in the hire kit dried really quickly.
cant help with other questions sorry, as i use fitteds. yay for making the switch though! ------------- Lyla - mum to Xanthe -  my big 4 year old 
and Jordis - 1 year old 
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Posted By: Nic01
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 11:06am
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All in ones take forever to dry & I don't think they're as absorbent as pockets (I have to use an extra booster with my all in ones which kind of defeats the purpose a bit). Pockets dry fairly quickly though. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 12:00pm
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Thanks for the replies, ladies.
So pocket nappies would probably suit my boys needs best? Okay then... do you have some brand recommendations?  Yeah, yeah... ask a silly question...
Oh, and what "extra" stuff would we need? I know liners (of some sort)... I'm assuming Nappisan and a bucket with a lid... anything else? Nat said I'd need a bigger nappy bag so if he insists, I guess I'll have to buy that Kapoochi satchel I've been eyeing up. Gee what a hardship!  ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 1:31pm
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you dont NEED liners, you do need inserts but a lot of pocket nappies come with inserts anyway.
pockets will dry faster, i dry all mine on the clothes drier on the porch... you dont NEED nappisan either...i dont use it all and i have a pedal bucket for my nappies. pooey ones get rinsed and put in the bucket with the wet ones then when i wash i put thru a rinse cycle then do a wash and sometimes an extra rinse. i sometimes put a drop or two of ti tree oil in or dettol if they have been sick. sunlight gets out nearly all stains and if the inserts get stained it doesnt matter cause they wont be seen. the boys may be in the same size, do they wear the same size sposie? if so i would say it would be fine. a lot of places offer package deals or trial packs too... i would try a kiwi brand - or you could get a peapod from the baby factory and just see what you think first. but maybe joel eze or tweedle as they seem to be very good prices. or if you dont mind second hand nappies check trade me. good luck... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 1:35pm
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If both your boys are in the same size I think pockets would be the best option as you customise the absorbancy each time, plus they dry so much quicker than fitteds or all in ones.
How much do both your boys weigh and do they have a similar thigh size? You probably will get away with one size, and if Xavier does get bigger later on you can always get the next size up then. You are planning on a few more kids still arent you, so you will save even more money by reusing them. If you plan on washing every day I would think you would need around 12-16 nappies (it really depends on how many you use now), so you have a few ready to go and dry the next day. If you get pockets, you need inserts for those. We use Fuzzi Bunz (obviously!) and mainly use the FB microfibre inserts, but I do also have some prefolds that I use as inserts which are really absorbant too. If you have old fashioned cloth squares they can be used as inserts as well, but they arent quite as absorbant and bulkier. I dont use liners as most pockets inner most layer is some kind of stay dry fabric and poos really does just fall off (once solid anyway!), so I have never needed to use them. Also I personally think that using disposable liners defeats the purpose of the lovely soft microfleece inner layers. One reason to use liners is if you use thick nappy rash creams as these stick to your fleece and then they repel urine - I have used lighter creams and curash powder with no problems tho. I do have a nappy bucket and lid, but it only very rarely has water in it. Most days, with each used nappy I put them in a dry bucket as they are, if they are pooey ones I rinse them first then put in dry bucket, thenall in the machine at the end of the day. Sometimes I do a pre-rinse, but usually just a normal warm or cold wash (I use eco-store laundry powder or liquid) then dry inside overnight. Every few weeks I give all the nappies a soak in eco-store oxygen whitener (tho Napisan is ok) for a few hours then wash as normal. Gosh that was long but hopefully helpful  ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 1:41pm
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I find with having the two gremlins in cloth that in order to have enough to have one full set on and one full set of I needed 20 naps - each baby gets thru 4 daytime naps and 1 night nap in 24 hours, which is 10, so one set of ten in use and one set of 10 in the wash.
I have ended up with far, far more than that tho
Sizewise it seems to me that Gsmum's average-sized 22 month old is in the same size naps as the chubby-thighed gremlins, so depending on which brand you buy you will probably get away with having them both in the same size at least to start with. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:28pm
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Ditto what the others said... and I'm with Emma on around 20 naps for 2 kidlets in cloth.
Pockets are definitely your best bet for ease of drying/ease of use/fit and custom absorbancy for both boys. Like Deb said, I'd try a cheap NZ nap... http://www.wigglebums.co.nz - Wigglebums are another one. They are around $22.00 for a pocket without inserts. Good luck Becca! And if don't mind second hand, I'd also check The Nappy Network trading post as sometimes what people pay for 2nd hand naps on TradeMe ends up pretty near full price! |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:28pm
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Wow, thank you for all that Deb, Aimee and Emma!
Deb and Aimee, I'm mainly thinking of liners because Xavier's only just started solids... newborn poos stick to everything! Once his bowel motions start being a bit more solid, I'm thinking I'd stop using them. So, okay... don't NEED Nappisan, but it won't hurt to use occasionally... do want lidded bucket (to keep Josiah out of it) but don't need 2 (wet/soiled)... When weighed a month ago, Josiah was 9.5kg and Xavier was 6.9kg. I'm expecting them to be around 10kg and 8kg now respectively. They are not in the same sized sposies (we use Huggies), but that's because we put Josiah into Toddler-sized (10-15kg) as they fit a little better up the back. We actually ran out of them last Friday before our monthly shop on Saturday, so we put Josiah into Xavier's Crawler-sized (6-11kg) overnight with no worries. They do have a similar thigh size - their nappies that night were done up about the same. Yes, Aimee, we're planning on more children... probably another 2... so I am keeping reuse in mind which is a big reason for me leaning towards buying mostly new. I don't have a problem with secondhand and probably will get some off TM, but I think I'd be wise to have more new ones given the amount of use they will get. So, Aimee and Emma, 20 to 24 would be about right? (5 or 6 nappies a boy a day, with the same amount spare) ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:33pm
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Thanks Nikki... you posted when I was writing the other one, or I'd have replied to you too! Thank you for the TNN tip too. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:35pm
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Sounds good! Also, if you're planning to reuse them for later babies think unisex colors. Otherwise you could buy all boys ones - then have an excuse to buy new girly ones next time round if the next bub is a girl! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:41pm
Do you think Nat would let me get away with it?
In all seriousness, I'm thinking mainly unisex colours, with a few more boyish ones... which I guess I'll just have to replace with girly ones when Nat gets his "own" daughter ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Maya wrote:Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:46pm
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Yes getting unisex colours is a very sensible idea if u want to reuse,...that was the plan have somehow ended up with a bunch of cutey pink naps,..hmmm,...how did that happen
Be warned,..buying MCN's is VERY addictive (eh Emma?!!)! |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 2:59pm
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So what size would I want? (if I get the same size to use on both boys)
My little big boy (Josiah) probably will still be in nappies for another 12 months or so before he TTs, and we think he's always going to have a slight build... but my big little boy (Xavier) is almost definitely going to outgrow his big brother, and probably soon. Best description is that he's quite stocky, and probably always will be. Will I need a bigger size for him? ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 3:04pm
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Okay Becca here's what I've done. I have Krystiana in small sized Fuzzi Bunz and Briona in medium/petite toddler (petite is the length of a large but the width of a medium and even Hannah at 3yrs fits petites). I like the pocket system for easy drying purposes but I haven't used them over winter yet (I started part-time in August). There are peapods out there which are cheaper than FB but but from reviews I have heard they are not as good quality so wouldn't last as long.
Krysti has 10 smalls and needs 6-8 per day so it's a very workable number with daily washing. She uses two inserts or one insert and one liner (depending on what I find first lol) during the day and two inserts and one booster at night. I think your little one would be able to fit a medium which are very cost effective because he'll fit them for a good year or so (smalls fit for around 5 months so IMO they won't work out cost-effective for me until the next baby.) Briona's a bit younger than Josiah and she needs less changes (4-5) in a day. She mostly wears mediums (because I have only 2 petites) but the petites fit better because of the rise. It sounds like Josiah's going to need these, especially once you allow for his size in 6 months' time. It won't make a cost difference to buy different sizes though. I need 6 nappies with her - 4-5 during the day/night and one dry for the next change (while the others are drying). I wash daily - my current routine is to load the dishwasher and washine machine straight after breakfast. I changed from Cold Power to Persil to help the nappies not "build up" and therefore last longer, so that's a bit expensive. I have heaps of cupboards in my laundry (it's a converted kitchen) so I have one bucket uncovered but in a cupboard for mucky nappies (which gets shaken off in Briona's case but left on in Krysti's case) and the wet nappies just go straight in with the general washing. They could be put together but the first bucket/cupboard is not big enough lol. The FB website is actually pretty helpful for sizes etc, it would pay to have a look around. And as a starting point if you're interested, I think gsmum still has 2 petites for sale? ------------- |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 3:08pm
Gosh three more posts while I was typing that  Forgot to add that with FB you can buy chosen colours, assortment (they choose), or pastels. I got their assortment for my last lot because it's cheaper and I wasn't fussed...but...I now have 2 small size bubblegum pink so we'll have to see what happens with them if we ever have a boy ------------- |
Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 3:33pm
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jack and charli both have 10 nappies each..well, i've just bought more for charli thanks paws
i have a big bin that i got from the warehouse that i put the dirty ones in and then every 2nd night i chuck them in the machine on hot and that's it. for liners, you don't really need them but if i think charli is 'due to poo' i'll pop one in to save the yucky clean up. if you were going to use them, you can get microfleece from a fabric store and cut them up yourself. i paid $10 for 10 on TM and then got 1mtr of fabric for $6 and ended up with HEAPS!! size wise..can vary from brand to brand. you should be able to use the same size on both boys but it just depends on the cut of the nappy. i'd guess maybe med sz?.. brands..joel-eze is my fave. i had jack in peapods at night and swaddlebees during the day but he out-grew the pods and started to leak through the SB's. so i sold them all and now use joel-eze only, sz large. charli has a mixture of peapods, joel-eze, tweedle and mostly fuzzi's. when she outgrow's hers i'm getting more joel-eze. $22 per pocket (without insert) and over $100 gets 5% disc wow what a blab! ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 19 March 2007 at 7:44pm
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Just a quick note about Fuzzi size - my Hannah basically outgrew petites at the same time as mediums (so around a year) because she is chubby. Petites really only fit properly on long thin babies, they just dont have enough width for chubsters!! So just a word of warning. ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 7:58am
Okay... so if we went with Fuzzis, Petites would be best for Josiah (short for his age, and thin) and medium/large for Xavier (long for his age and big)? ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 8:59am
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petites are a in between kind of size, same as a med but with a larger rise. i had to get petites for gabriel when his meds gave him builders crack. nothing against fuzzis but i dont think you can go past a good kiwi made product. i'm trying to get rid of my petite fuzzis so i can buy tweedles and am waiting to get my first wigglebum pocket. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 11:56am
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My gremlins are in medium Fuzzis on the tightest snaps so if Josiah is smallish for his age he'd probably fit the mediums, and Xavier would def be a medium. You can get trial nappies slightly cheaper, coz I'm thinking a demo would be the best way for you to go, but I don't know if Fuzzibuns have an agent in Ohakune! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 11:57am
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But I'm loving Kiwimade atm too, my faves are the Ecobubs wool pockets, but I'm waiting on a couple of Tweedles as well, and thinking about getting some Wigglebums when she gets more of the cow print PUL in a few weeks... ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 12:19pm
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Okay... lots to process
I've posted this on TNN as well (I'm "daikini") so we'll see what happens! I'm thinking about a FB med trial nappy as I can try it on both boys to see how it goes. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 2:05pm
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Okay... joel-eze users, do the nappies come with an insert when you buy them new? Or do you need to buy all inserts seperate?
Also, I'd rather buy NZ-made... so who do I look for? ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 3:24pm
| Ok, I know we are talking about nappies but I cant work out what MCN stands for????????? Also has anyone had experience with swaddlebees? thats what I was thinking of |
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 3:39pm
| Modern Cloth Nappies! Sorry dont know about swaddlebees or any other than Fuzzi's, but I have a Rosie's AIO coming soon! Yay! |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 20 March 2007 at 3:43pm
modern cloth nappies....it seems so obvious when you know doesnt it? Thanks
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