The final nappy post! (Until the baby gets here and I start using them...)
OK, so after much research, I have the following:
12 bought terry-towelling cotton flats
8 home-made flannel flats
3 home-made muslin flats (only 3 because they are 80x80cm instead of 55x60cm) and I am never working with muslin again, it's a bitch to cut and hem!
2 snib newborn covers
3 PUL covers
1 wool cover
1 pocket nappy (Swaddlebees) with microfibre stuffer
1 all-in-2 with bamboo & microfibre inners
(planning to get more pockets/AI2s when bub is here and I can measure hir and order brands most likely to fit.)
extra bamboo booster
6 bamboo wipes
4 flannel wipes (the leftover fabric from making the flat nappies!)
and possibly the remnants of friend A's newborn nappy stash, if I ever get to her place to pick them up.
I alternate between thinking this is heaps, and thinking this is nowhere near enough to cope with a newborn...
For the benefit of future parents (kirmish *grin*) Aussie shops where one can buy nappies online:
Clothie Bumz (in Qld, $5 shipping)
Nurture Nappies (?, $7 shipping) has section devoted to organic stuff
Wee Wuns (in Taylors Lakes, Vic, can contact to arrange demo/pick-up rather than shipping)
Darlings Downunder (in Emerald? Vic, can contact re demos)
Cotton Bottoms in Kew - also has a bricks and mortar shop in Willsmere rd, where I got most of my stash, because I liked the idea of talking to a real person! Sales assistant was very helpful, with advice that different nappies suit different babies/parents, and that 'one size fits most' will not fit a newborn. They didn't have any small prefolds though, so I couldn't give them a try :( Possibly will order some.
ETA: there is also The Nappy Lady, formerly Dash X, in Tecoma (near Belgrave) which also has a bricks-and-mortar shopfront. Haven't read any reviews about them though.
2nd hand nappy/baby stuff sites:
Nappy Chic (set price including shipping)
Buy for Baby (auction, need to register)
Monkey's Undies (auction/fixed price, seller's choice)
Ebay no longer accepts second hand nappies.
Non-online shops:
Apparently, Big W and K-mart sell traditional (cotton) flats - haven't looked there yet though.
ETA: Big W has Dri-Glo cotton flats (about which I have read good things), and nappy buckets. Despite stocking a bunch of other Big Softies brand products it didn't have the Big Softies (coloured!) nappies which are apparently good - or at least the one at QV didn't have them.
K-mart had cheap nappy pins, nappy buckets, and Actil cotton flats, which apparently wear out very easily.
The Target I went to didn't have any nappies, but did have nappy pins (cunningly hidden with the formula bottles) and (Sesame Street branded!) nappy buckets.
Aldi also has nappy buckets, for considerably cheaper; no nappies though.
Spotlight has cotton flats, as well as sheets and blankets and mattress protectors, as well as fabric (though only the muslin and flannel was cheap - terry towelling at $20/m? I think not!)
Thanks to Liz, Ness, Shiv & Kate for your helpful info - it is a real confidence booster to know that other people have done this before and survived :o)
I've also been lurking (and have now joined) the forums at bellybelly.com.au - there is one specifically about cloth nappying, and loads of other interesting/useful forums like buying baby furniture and finding a good hospital/obstetrician/midwife and breastfeeding and ethical living and parenting at different ages, and 'babies due in...' groups. I could spend all day there... in fact I did on Tuesday... oops. But I am finding out useful stuff! *justifies* If nothing else, at least I will have other mums to chat to while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. More fun than watching infomercials, for sure!
12 bought terry-towelling cotton flats
8 home-made flannel flats
3 home-made muslin flats (only 3 because they are 80x80cm instead of 55x60cm) and I am never working with muslin again, it's a bitch to cut and hem!
2 snib newborn covers
3 PUL covers
1 wool cover
1 pocket nappy (Swaddlebees) with microfibre stuffer
1 all-in-2 with bamboo & microfibre inners
(planning to get more pockets/AI2s when bub is here and I can measure hir and order brands most likely to fit.)
extra bamboo booster
6 bamboo wipes
4 flannel wipes (the leftover fabric from making the flat nappies!)
and possibly the remnants of friend A's newborn nappy stash, if I ever get to her place to pick them up.
I alternate between thinking this is heaps, and thinking this is nowhere near enough to cope with a newborn...
For the benefit of future parents (kirmish *grin*) Aussie shops where one can buy nappies online:
Clothie Bumz (in Qld, $5 shipping)
Nurture Nappies (?, $7 shipping) has section devoted to organic stuff
Wee Wuns (in Taylors Lakes, Vic, can contact to arrange demo/pick-up rather than shipping)
Darlings Downunder (in Emerald? Vic, can contact re demos)
Cotton Bottoms in Kew - also has a bricks and mortar shop in Willsmere rd, where I got most of my stash, because I liked the idea of talking to a real person! Sales assistant was very helpful, with advice that different nappies suit different babies/parents, and that 'one size fits most' will not fit a newborn. They didn't have any small prefolds though, so I couldn't give them a try :( Possibly will order some.
ETA: there is also The Nappy Lady, formerly Dash X, in Tecoma (near Belgrave) which also has a bricks-and-mortar shopfront. Haven't read any reviews about them though.
2nd hand nappy/baby stuff sites:
Nappy Chic (set price including shipping)
Buy for Baby (auction, need to register)
Monkey's Undies (auction/fixed price, seller's choice)
Ebay no longer accepts second hand nappies.
Non-online shops:
Apparently, Big W and K-mart sell traditional (cotton) flats - haven't looked there yet though.
ETA: Big W has Dri-Glo cotton flats (about which I have read good things), and nappy buckets. Despite stocking a bunch of other Big Softies brand products it didn't have the Big Softies (coloured!) nappies which are apparently good - or at least the one at QV didn't have them.
K-mart had cheap nappy pins, nappy buckets, and Actil cotton flats, which apparently wear out very easily.
The Target I went to didn't have any nappies, but did have nappy pins (cunningly hidden with the formula bottles) and (Sesame Street branded!) nappy buckets.
Aldi also has nappy buckets, for considerably cheaper; no nappies though.
Spotlight has cotton flats, as well as sheets and blankets and mattress protectors, as well as fabric (though only the muslin and flannel was cheap - terry towelling at $20/m? I think not!)
Thanks to Liz, Ness, Shiv & Kate for your helpful info - it is a real confidence booster to know that other people have done this before and survived :o)
I've also been lurking (and have now joined) the forums at bellybelly.com.au - there is one specifically about cloth nappying, and loads of other interesting/useful forums like buying baby furniture and finding a good hospital/obstetrician/midwife and breastfeeding and ethical living and parenting at different ages, and 'babies due in...' groups. I could spend all day there... in fact I did on Tuesday... oops. But I am finding out useful stuff! *justifies* If nothing else, at least I will have other mums to chat to while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. More fun than watching infomercials, for sure!