Combined with recycling I dont think I've bought any bags since the wee one was born
That's pretty good to be honest. We get 30 of the 35L bags per year for 3 years.
Sounds great! Every washer is different, in my old place I did a cold rinse, then a hot wash with long cycle and an extra rinse. But my new washer is a bit different and with 2 kids I don't have the time to fiddle with it, so I do a pre-wash. long wash cycle, and extra rinse. Yes, it takes 2.5 hrs, but no matter... ;-)
I do have a couple wool covers that were made by my MIL but for some reason I never was successful with them, I don't know. They wicked and I didn't have the patience to re-lanolize them etc. So no advice there, sorry!
If you ever need to strip your diapers if they are leaking or stink, I recommend a few very hot washes (inserts only) to get off any buildup and some vinegar in the rinse cycle. Be careful with lotions and diaper rash creams, they can cause buildup. And also your current detergent can cause buildup too even if you are using Eco with the diapers, so you might occasionally have to strip them anyway. Just to let you know. If a diaper stink or leaks then it's time to strip. :-) hahaha
Just wondering if anyone has used the Gio brand of diapers. If so, did you like them?
Just wondering if anyone has used the Gio brand of diapers. If so, did you like them?
When my first child was born I niavely thought that bio-degradable nappies would be wise but all I got was a child with a sore bottom. I can't offer any advice on cloth nappies except that a new mother has enough washing without adding nappies to the mix. I recommend Pampers, bought in Germany if convenient.
I've used a number of brands of (more or less) degradable nappies, no problem. My current favourites are Pingu – bought from nappy.ch they're excellent value and work very well.
If you really hate laundry, cloth nappies might not be for you, but personally I find it easy to chuck a load in every day or so – in fact, having to wash regularly because of nappies just means it's that much easier to keep the clean clothes coming. As you say, a new mom has plenty of washing anyway, I don't find nappies make a big difference!
To PP – sorry, I haven't tried Gio and find it a bit hard to judge them from that website. It looks like they're all-in-one nappies? I'm not keen on those. They take aaaaages to dry, so you have to buy a lot more of them. Pockets or snap-ins (eg Itti Bitti, my favourite) are as easy to put on but much more cost-effective.