Terry nappies

I remember the line of snowy nappies on the line , I remember the tears of frustration as I dashed out to bring them in when it poured rain , I remember the clothes horse draped with them ............... Not sure if they were all that environmentally good , with all that bleach and boiling washes , but it seems the first disposables are still not rotted down in landfill

I remember the horrible smell of the napisan and always worrying that my nappies were not as white as my neighbours.

I remember the lines of varying coloured nappies after sundry red/blue/black socks had been lurking, hidden in the murky depths of the washing machine drum It was even a step too far for bleach and boiling to hide my

In the early 1960s I used T shaped cloth nappies made of many layers of muslin. I used nappy liners inside. I can't recall where I bought them but they were as efficient as Terry squares and far less bulky. Since they were so compact DD didn't have the 'bandy' gait when starting to walk.
They washed and wore well and were passed on when no longer needed. Does anyone else remember them?

I used Harrington's in the 60's the other brand I had was Ashton's but they were not nearly so good. I never used Napisan or bleach - just Persil in my Hotpoint Countess which allowed me to boil them. I also often soaked them in hot Persil suds overnight then put the machine on to a boil wash - just the normal washing smells. I loved seeing the line of snowy nappies blowing away. I had three dozen which I found to be a good number. I had some muslin ones too. Once the children no longer used nappies I found them so useful for other things. There seems to be a tremendous amount of 'disposable' stuff for babies now - besides the nappies and the sacks there are the wipes - good maybe for a dirty bottom but I don't find them nearly as good for wiping hands and faces as a flannel/cloth.
Those of you with babies in the family - do the parents still use talc after a bath etc? OH was upset to find our youngest family members still being covered in it after he had read reports that it was no longer considered safe. He did say to the mother but it fell on deaf ears.

Daddima - no, I think disposable nappies are environmentally dreadful.

Agreed. New shaped terry nappies with a liner are the way to go.
Comparison on the internet are mostly flawed- and indicate water and energy use based on older machines. It's not just the disposal into landfill which is abominable- but the production of the celluslose, the bleaching and other treatment processes and the gel they contain, transport, etc, etc.

Yes, I remember the pride swelling in my bosom when those two dozen beautiful clean white nappies flapped in the breeze. They smelt wonderfully fresh when they were brought in, which is more than can be said for how they smelt in the soaking bucket [clothespeg on nose emoticon].

I also remember demanding that my DBIL stop his car so that I could sprint down to the garden and rip the nappies off the line when we turned into the street to see that my DH has helpfully pegged them out directly from said bucket, stains and all. I have never understood how he couldn't see, or smell, that they hadn't been washed

"had helpfully", not has. Oh, for an edit button!

The key to maximise energy consumption with shaped terry nappies is to dry out on the line- and only finish off in dryer for a few minutes to soften if necessary- and to ensure full loads.

I used Terry nappies for my first four children but the fifth used disposable from the beginning. By then the terries had worn very thin!!

I think talcum powder is not used anymore. I had some hidden in the back of my bedside cupboard just for sweaty bits in the summer. My youngest GD found it and wanted to know what it was. I explained that in the " olden days" , when her Daddy was a baby , it was used on bottoms and creases to stop babies getting sore.
DS and family came to stay over Christmas. After she had had a bath, still dripping wet, DGD disappeared and came back moments later, white from head to foot. Her poor Dad got quite a shock. She had got the talcum powder and because she was wet it had stuck all over. Luckily the water was still in the bath.
Sorry to digress from the original question but I remembered it when talc was mentioned

I used terriers for my first 2 boiling them up in a twin tub. For my third though, I used disposables and what a revelation. No soaking, boiling, no nappy rash. They are even more efficient these days, my baby grandchildren never have wet bottoms even after the nappies have been on for a couple of hours.
The environmental thing is a problem though. I read somewhere that if Henry X111 had worn disposables they still would not have decomposed yet.
If I had a baby now I'm afraid I would definitely be using disposables.

Terrys not terriers!

Was Zorbit the other make of nappy? Do remember thinking it had to be at least one dozen of Harrington's though! I loved seeing a line of snow white nappies blowing in the wind too. Nothing like it BUT the smell of that napisan bucket could make me heave even now! We have our I first 8 week old grandchild now the disposable nappies are are a revelation!

I remember getting them in off the line frozen and defrosting and drying them on the clothes horse in front of the gas fire

I had a burco boiler to wash them in!

My poor babies! When I think of how thin and rough those nappies got I shudder! I seem to remember that with DD1 I actually used some passed down to me from Mum that had been used on my sister.

I had two dozen to start with and another dozen when DD was born.They were both in nappies for a while 20 mnths between them. Disposables were dreadful things when mine were born 77 and 79.
I remember when we had DD in diposables on holiday. I picked her uo to feed her and all the pee in he nappy just trickled out of the back when. DD uses disposables but terrys are probably more economical if you have room to dry them

What's wrong with talcum powder. I use it every day. I haven't seen any reports of damage that my be done. Help!

The muslin liners were an improvement against baby's bum, and later the disposable liners were an improvement when it came to washing them.

Remember the awful staining caused by Heinz Chocolate Pudding? Almost impossible to get out of the nappy!
I do remember that there was a way of putting a baby boy's nappy on, so that it absorbed the wee better, but can't remember how it was done! Zorbits were the ones I used for my lot.

Penstemon frozen nappies - we thought it was good for them to be frozen - leave them on the line to thaw then dry out naturally. The frost made them soft eventually.

My DS1 and DiL used cloth nappies with a liner and found them convenient as well as economical. When mine were little, we had terry nappies with a disposable liner when meant that the faeces could be disposed of down the loo. Disposables in landfill are ecologically and economically disastrous:
By the time they reach two and a half, an average child will have used approximately 6,500 nappies – which equates to over 10 tonnes of waste, 40 black sacks per child per year or if you prefer a colourful image, as many as 70,000 double-decker buses stretching end to end from Edinburgh to London.

www.pollutionissues.co.uk/landfill-nappies.html

Auntieflo- didn't you read any of the articles published in last few years about talcum powder use and ovarian cancer? Here is one of so many of them:

www.medicaldaily.com/talcum-powder-ovarian-cancer-risk-factors-376717

So don't panic- but perhaps do a birt of research for yourself and decide how you want to proceed.