Terry Nappies

Dd who had no. 3 in early January, invested in reusable nappies this time - colourful outers with inserts, and finds them fine, at least for the moment. And is thankful that she hasn’t had to go nappy-hunting lately. But she has a garden to dry them in, plus a Lakeland heated rack and a tumble dryer for emergencies.
They’re not exactly cheap and apparently people are selling these 2nd hand.
She’s now using washable bamboo wipes too, and finds them very good.

I used terry nappies for dd1, in the good old ‘kite shape’. I don’t know whether she was an especially ‘wet’ baby, but as she got bigger I would put her in double nappies at night, and they were still soaked in the morning!

We had one cold tap in our first house - took an age to wash those nappies - but I’d give anything for those safe days now - and the smell of Fairy Snow soap powder - no fabric softer needed

Disposables for my daughter and grandson. She was potty trained at one, he's in the middle of being trained at 2.

I would have used them if I could and don't begrudge the youngsters. We used them on holiday and they leaked. In late 70s early 80s.

Disposable nappies were first invented and produced in Britain in the 1959 by a mum of six children who lived about 10 mins away from where I live in the north of Scotland but the first I heard of them was in 1973 when I was nursing my dying mother at home with cancer. DD was 11mths and I was heavily pregnant with DS and the day before the funeral one of my cousins popped round with a packet for me to use the day of the funeral. As far as I remember they were like large sanitary towels and I wasn't really impressed. I couldn't have afforded to keep using them anyway so continued with the terry squares when DS was born. I think that children back then seemed to have been potty trained early probably because the terry nappies were needed for subsequent children.

jacq10 I remember that type and bought them when we went on holiday, what a disaster!

My second son was born in 1963 and always had a mind of his own.
I have a clear memory of him, aged about 18 months, pulling off his terry nappy in disgust and saying
"I big boy, I no wear nappies, I go to toilet".
And he did.
I'll have to tell him about that.
His older brother was in nappies at night until he was about 5.

DD always used re usable nappies for her two. I looked after them when she went back to work and spent many an afternoon sitting putting them back together in their coloured wrappers. Much less obtrusive than the old terry ones when they were hanging up to dry because they are made up of small pieces. The washable baby wipes are very good too. A wet one cleans a bottom much better than the disposable wipes.

My first child was born fifty years ago today. I always used terry nappies except when travelling. I loved hanging them out on the clothesline on a lovely sunny breezy day. I still have one, just about disintegrating now, which I use as a floor-cloth.

My daughter has used cloth nappies and cloth wipes with all 3 of her children and has a) saved a fortune and b) has done her bit for the planet. For those who say it makes no difference because of the detergent used to wash the nappies, you're not considering that disposable nappies will be in the ground for decades! She regularly reminds me that the disposables I used on her 36 years ago are still there ? (hangs head in shame)

I should add that when DD bought her reusable nappies she got a grant from the council towards the cost. It was about £30 I think.

Agree Lucca but when I had my kids in the '70s it was just terry nappies, not sure they had disposables which were too expensive and in any case. We didn't have a washing machine or a dryer! How on earth did we cope? But it was lovely to see them blowing on the line on a windy spring day!

In the 60's I'd bought a bucket to go on the stove and all nappies were boiled---after sluicing of course and running through in cold water.

I also had a mangle in the yard, don't know where it came from but it was so very handy not only for the nappies but everything else too. Once on the line they never took long to dry and were white as snow with Persil.

Then I had a twin-tub, but still fell back on the old mangle to squeeze every drop out. Washing was hard work back then as was ironing before we were able to buy a proper iron rather than the one that heated on the stove.

I only ever used terry nappies and that was over 34 years ago..
And how ironic that only just yesturday i was having a good clear out and found a nappy pin i kept.
Please don`t ask whyi kept it as i also have my both sons baby teeth and their first cut of hair.
We mothers can do some strange things.

I had a large extended family and there were always babies nappies to be changed so I soon learned how to put them on securely and used stay dry fabric liners and, if budget allowed, disposable liners.

We went on a day trip to France and I decided to try disposable nappies (1974). They leaked really badly soaking my jeans and top. I smelt of pee for the whole day. Could have been worse!

By the time DD2 came along in 1981 I used disposables in the day and double Terry nappies at night with one way liner. It did mean changing the water in the nappy bucket every day and using a Napisan solution. A small pack of Napisan now costs a lot more than the large tubs used to cost.

We walked past a farmyard yesterday that was moving slurry. The stench of ammonia certainly cleared my head ? and put me in mind of lifting the lid on the nappy bucket in the mornings.

We lived in a house with no central heating at one time and I had to break the ice on the bucket in winter. My poor hands. ?

I believe there's a modern version of reusable nappies where they fit snugly like disposable nappies and don't leak but can be washed and used more than. These are, I think a good idea.

Someone once criticised me over 30 years ago for using disposable nappies so I asked her if she would want to go back to washing home-made sanitary towels. She laughed and agreed she wouldn't.

I guess a lot of people don't want to go back to terry nappies. I'd perhaps use the modern version which I described in my first paragraph. I shall never have another baby so shan't worry.

Sorry, I meant "used more than once in my first paragraph.

Yes, I think modern reusables are much better, especially if you mix & match with disposables for holidays/emergencies. Some of my wider family have used them although they baulked at them when twins turned up!

I used terry nappies for mine but then once the disposable ones improved I used some and some.

I was recommended to buy Harrington’s nappies when I was expecting my first. I remember they were quite expensive but they lasted for all of my children and my husband still uses them for cleaning the cars!

Fennel, your story about your young son not wanting to continue wearing his nappy brought back memories. In 1973, I had two young children toilet trained, aged 4 and 3, and another one just over a year in nappies (terry towelling, of course). For speed I would still use the potty for the older two if necessary and the baby would watch her older sister use this and one day, sitting at just over a year, started to cry and scream whilst sitting in her highchair. Nothing I did seem to appease her, and it was her older sister of 3 yrs old who told me ' She wants you to take her nappy off and let her sit on the potty'. I thought this was absurd, but to prove it, I did that,- screaming and crying stopped and 14-month old smiled as she used that potty. She never needed daytime nappies again after that.
I had six children and fostered another thirty plus babies over the years. Only ever used terrytowel nappies With liners, and plastic pants - never caused any problems. With my first child did not have a washing machine and would rinse them out in the kitchen sink each morning, with others I did have washing machine and outside space to hang them.
I know I had a special way of folding these different for boys and girls, for smaller babies - as they got older just into the usual kite shape. Can't remember how I did that folding now - it gave much more folds along the centre of the nappy.
I was disappointed that none of my adult children were willing to use terry towel nappies with their children, but one did show me figures which seemed to prove that those were as bad for the environment as disposables.
Way beyond any nappy use in the family at present,thank goodness.

jacq10 my mother in law used disposable nappies (like fat sanitary pads) for both my husband and older sister considerably before your friend in Scotland. Maybe your friend made shaped ones? I think my mother-in-law said they were Proctor and Gamble but I could have mis-remembered this.

No! I'm wrong. It was Johnson & Johnson!

Where they Paddi Pads? I remember using them for holidays with little ones in the 70’s. They weren’t really much cop because any solids that were...um...less than solid ran all over the place and onto clothes. www.paddi.org.uk/paddi-garment.html

Were not where.