Cloth Nappy Adventures - Where To Buy

I thought it might be useful to share my preparations for having a cloth bummed baby in the house and how I've gone about obtaining my 'stash'.

According to various sources, I estimate that for a decent birth to potty package of nappies you're looking at spending around £350 minimum new - this is really more for someone who wants to try several types, but trust me, once you fall into the wonderful world of cloth you will NOT be able to resist.

This is where I've found pre-loved nappies to be an absolute bargain. You need to hunt around, but if you do your research and cast your nets wide you can haul in something pretty special. I wanted to obtain a varied selection myself in order to work out what works best for Daniel and for us. Hopefully I will be updating with my progress and a break down of each nappy type as we use it soon!

If you want to know more about the MONEY SAVING joys of cloth nappies as opposed to disposables, please have a read of this. I'm not personally going down the cloth nappy route for environmental reasons, but the idea of pooh going down the toilet where it belongs instead of festering in a landfill and messing up the water table is definitely a plus point!

I will make my next post more of a consolidation of what, through lots of research, I have found out to be the nappies whose praises are most highly sung. For now, I'll give you a list of places to ferret out your first cloth bargains!

First up, I highly recommend you join this lively forum ANYWAY for advice, support etc.
This is in the natural parenting section, where the ladies are absolutely fantastic and, if you're reading this, are sure to be very like-minded to you! The nappy sales on here are from ladies who truly LOVE their nappies and don't sell for profit. Swaps also available.

For job lots and some incredibly cheap deals, try The Nappy Site. No joining required.

An Ebay-like site devoted entirely to cloth nappies, The Used Nappy Company is reliable but popular, so deals aren't as easy to come by. You have to join, but you only pay to sell.

Another excellent resource including forums is The Cloth Nappy Tree. Nappies are sold in sections by type (I will explain more about the different types in my next entry, but there is lots of information on there too). Again, full of ladies who love nappies, and there is also an excellent WAHM community for any special personalisation/making requests.

Another great forum is Natural Mamas - they also have an excellent section on babywearing and second-hand slings, too!

The usual suspects for anything second-hand, Ebay and Preloved. Ebay have in the past banned used nappy sales, however currently are allowing them. Preloved has rare listings, but it's worth keeping an eye out.

Other places that I haven't personally used are UK Parents Lounge and Mumsnet. Mumsnet is free to sign up for but the catch is that it costs to advertise and to contact other members/allow them to contact you.

For seconds and reductions/old stock, go to 'Bargains' at Babykind, Little Pants and Twinkle.

For full priced nappies there are LOTS of websites to choose from out there, and really I think it's a matter of personal preference. My votes presently go to Fill Your Pants and Babipur. Both have wonderful customer service, a great range, regular offers and deliver promptly.