Terries
Advantages
They are environmentally friendly
They are comfortable, soft, and have no hard edges to irritate babies’ skin
Cheaper in the long run (see old editions of Which? in your library for comprehensive studies on this topic)
Easier these days so long as you have a washing machine and preferably a tumble dryer.
Disadvantages
Learning the origami necessary for successful nappy adherence
Safety pins
Soaking
Buckets (smell)
Washing
Guilt – although the washing and drying of reusable nappies demands only a fraction of the energy used by disposables, the chlorine, bleach and washing powder may help to destroy the ozone layer.
AVOIDING NAPPY RASH
Change your baby’s nappy frequently
Clean and dry your baby’s bottom and all the creases thoroughly
Allow your baby some nappy-free kicking time on the mat at as many changes as you can manage
Use a barrier cream to help prevent the skin getting too damp
At the first sign of redness, change nappies even more frequently
Witch hazel and camomile creams are both helpful if a rash does develop. There is a variety available and you may like to try one or two before finding one that suits
The best cure is letting your baby kick naked on a blanket on a waterproof mat for as long as he likes
Severe nappy rash may be caused by thrush which needs suitable treatment. Consult your doctor or health visitor; if you are breastfeeding, you may need treatment too.
ALSO (FORGET the stories of women taking their nappies down to the river – that wasn’t in North London), you have to have a washing machine these days to be a sane terry-user.
There are now many cotton-nappy delivery and laundry services around. These involve ‘fitted’ nappies that don’t require major folding techniques. You order up the correct size nappies for your baby – from newborn to toddler – which are then delivered to your door. You also get a bin with a liner, in which you place the used nappies until they are collected by the service, who simultaneously provide you with clean nappies. The laundered nappies are thermo-sterilised before being reused, so not only do you not have to wash them yourself, you can feel virtuous about not making any contribution to the landfill sites.
Or you could use terries to start with, disposables on holiday and cotton nappies later. The permutations are endless. Whatever you choose, make sure you’re happy – those first few weeks can seem like nothing more than an endless round of nappy changing and feeding at times, so make it as easy and enjoyable as you can.
IF YOU HAVE infinite leisure and infinite ready cash, you can go round the shops ticking off those suggested ‘layette’ lists: three nightdresses, four vests… but you’ll find that the baby can get through three nightdresses in one morning. And what sort of vest do you want? What sort of sleepsuit is best? Front opening? Back opening? Poppers down each leg or not?
If you’re at all sensible, you will borrow twice as many newborn-size clothes as you think could possibly need. Babies are newborn-size for such a short time, the clothes hardly have a chance to get worn, never mind worn out, though some of them can develop rather startling stains. Also, what suits you and your baby may not be the sort of garments generally in use, as Lynn recollects: ‘Somebody once told me that she’d used the tie-across-the-front vests for her premature baby in the SCBU and would recommend them to me. So when I was in Boots one day and I saw some, I thought, “Oh, well, they might just be the ones that suit”, even though most vests on sale were the pull-over-the-head and button-underneath sort. And they were the best thing I bought. They didn’t last long because they were small, but in those early days when I was frightened to touch him, practically, it was such a relief to be able to put him in clothes that I didn’t have to wrench over his head. One arm in, roll over slightly, other arm in, fasten…and then he looked so sweet with this little bow! They were brilliant.’
Another piece of advice from Hazel: ‘Don’t buy anything that comes off over the head for the early days. Not pleasant if there’s a nappy leak.’
OF COURSE, while you will want to buy clothes that are practical, express your baby’s innermost personality, are well-made and yet relatively cheap, many of us hesitate before buying clothes when we are pregnant. It is as if we don’t dare to tempt fate.
Yet, even though we might like to, we can’t leave it all to chance. So when you’re packing your suitcase for the hospital or filling the bottom drawer, you will need to make sure that you have a selection of the following items:
Vests
Nightdresses (useful in the early days as there aren’t so many poppers to undo every time you need to change a nappy – not so useful if your baby is short-limbed and her arms keep falling out of the sleeves!)
Sleepsuits (all-in-one stretch suits)
All-in-one padded suit for the first outing (if you have a winter baby)
Hat
Mittens if you have a winter baby
Cardigans for layering.
A shawl is also a useful item – you can wrap your baby in it for warmth and comfort. You will also need whatever sort of nappies you have chosen to use and a variety of sheets and blankets for the cot/basket/pram. Many of the blankets graduate to the higher role of ‘cuddly’ and will be trailed round lovingly for years.
Jennifer often thinks back to the first outing that she made with her mother to Brent Cross to buy all the baby’s stuff in one fell swoop: ‘I was about eight months pregnant, and it was a warm day, and I couldn’t believe I’d ever need all the blankets and mittens she was handing to me. But I do remember picking up this yellow cotton blanket and saying: “What a beautiful sunny colour, I’m sure the baby will love this”, and he did. He still takes it to bed with him at night. It’s not quite so yellow now, of course, and not quite so fluffy, but I find it a useful connection between the world of when he wasn’t here and I chose something for him, and when he was here and he chose it for himself’
DRESSING YOUR baby can feel at first like you’re taking part in one of those competitions where you have to keep all the plates spinning in the air at once. If you choose a warm room so your baby won’t become chilled, you will be able to take your time, and you will both be able to use the time for a chat.
Although dressing your baby is an art rather than a science it will soon become second nature – fortunately, as it will be many months yet before your baby can co-operatively manoeuvre all her limbs in the desired directions to make life easier for you.
DRESSING YOUR BABY
1. Place your baby on her changing mat or other comfortable surface. Put on your baby’s nappy. Talk to your baby while you dress her, telling her what you ‘re doing, the names of things, perhaps counting the poppers.
2. The vest. Gather up the vest around the neck opening. Stretch this opening wide and place it at the back of the baby’s