CLOTH NAPPIES - BREAKING IT DOWN

(almost) all of my cloth nappy stash. 
picture one: outer nappies
picture two: different types of inserts
picture three: nappy wraps
picture four: wet bag and flushable liners

We started using cloth when Dylan was one. It was something I had considered for a long time but never got round to. Because we started so late I didn’t ever consider birth to potty nappies and stocked up on mediums/size 2 nappies (the itti bitti’s and gnappies)
As Dylan grew and we discovered I was pregnant I started buying different brands of nappies but chose birth to potty ones so I can use them with both kids. 

Gnappies

These are by far my favorite nappies. They’re so easy to use and they look great. You pop the insert into the waterproof outer nappy and you’re good to go and of course if you’re after extra absorbency then you can double up with the liners.
They do up with velcro which I was dubious about at first but it’s lasted amazingly and is still pretty much like new. They also fasten at the back which meant Dylan couldn’t pull them off whenever he wanted.
Te only down side is they don’t do a one size fits all nappy so you have to buy full sets (they recommend 12 nappies) in each size which is expensive.

Itti Bitti 

These nappies appealed to my visual nature. The prints are adorable. I found they tend to come up quite small though, so after buying a few in size 2 he grew out of them pretty fast. 
I’d buy their one size nappies if I were going to buy them again.
I have both the AIO (all in one) and SIO (snap in) versions. I prefer the snap in’s as you can add and remove liners depending on how heavy a wetter your child is, they also dry a lot quicker which means you can use them again a lot faster. 
In honesty at £18+ per nappy I wouldn’t say these are worth it.  On sale however, they’re a good buy.

Yellow Bloom

I found these on Amazon baby store. I was looking for some cheap birth to potty nappies in nice prints and these fit the bill. They have a massive range of prints in both minky (the soft velour type fabric) and printed (a more waterproof fabric) and when you spend over £30 on their ebay store you get a free wet bag.
These are pocket nappies, you put the insert(s) in a pocket of the outer nappy to hold it in place. For the most part I don’t do this because if you just line the nappy, if you’re on top of changing time you can just swap liners without needing a new outer nappy as well. 
I have to double stuff these with Dylan but they work a treat and at £3.95 for a nappy and one liner you really can’t go wrong.
As I only really got my itti bitti’s because of the prints I can honestly say I’d buy these instead 100 times over.

One Life

I feel like this set of birth to potty nappies will be MUCH better for Isla than Dylan. They look so much like the Fairy liquid baby’s nappies when they;re on (but you need to use a nappy wrap with them because just terry has little to no protection when it comes to leaks). 
The nappies and inserts are one size fits all but the wraps come in four sizes - newborn, size 1, size 2 and size 3. 
For Dylan these aren’t ideal because he’s a massively heavy wetter which means I have to pad out the front of the nappy which makes it look pretty strange under his clothes.
For a girl the fit seems to be a lot better (yes I’ve tried it out on Dylan) so I’ll probably come back to these nappies in a few weeks.

Cloth Bottoms

These are the only prefold nappies I have. I really wasn’t sold on the whole prefold idea until a forum on Netmums mentioned that prefolds were great for heavy wetters i.e Dylan. 
The liners are relatively big, relatively padded rectangles  that you fold in different ways depending on what best suits your child.  This is great for Dylan because I can pad out the front of the nappy without having to add any extra liners then you just pop it in the nappy wrap and you’re ready to go.
Apparently there’s a fold to hold in newborn poo explosions so I’ll try that one out soon. 
I like these nappies a lot but again they don’t do a one size fits all set. However as the liners are one size you only really have to buy different wraps so it’s not so bad. 

Regardless of what brand or size I’m using I always use a flushable liner as well. I’m not the keenest about scraping poo off a liner and NEEDING to soak it before I wash it. 
Sometimes I also stock up on biodegradable liners which are eco friendly disposable alternatives. They work with my Gnappies and are perfect for day trips or long journeys as they last for a lot longer than cloth liners.
Cost wise they aren’t the best option.
If you’re looking for an eco/bum friendly disposable nappy option there are loads out there, it’s just good to have some biodegradable liners for those ‘just in case’ moments.