# Key Post: Best Buy for Baby?



## ajapale (28 Oct 2003)

Is there a best buy for baby section?

To get the ball rolling, A large tin of sma white costs €9.30 in Boots. This is the cheapest I have seen.

ajapale


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## davelerave (28 Oct 2003)

*sma*

we're spending about 70 euro a week between 3  (progress and white cap),i wonder is there a recipe for it?


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## ajapale (28 Oct 2003)

*Re: sma*

"SMA White and SMA Gold are produced by Wyeth Nutritionals in Askeaton, Co Limerick. 

The company employs more than 500 people in Limerick and is one of the largest milk purchasers in the Munster region."

Maybe someone in Askeaton will let us know what the ingredients are?

ajapale


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## momof2 (28 Oct 2003)

*Nappies*

Boots Liffey Valley also cheapest for nappies. Big box of Huggies  - 85 to 105 nappies depending on size costs €16.49. At least 40% cheaper than anywhere else. Have seen same boxes on special offer  in Superquinn for approx €24!


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## baby (28 Oct 2003)

*Nappies*

Voucher offer on pigsback.com of €1.50 off New Comfies Premium Nappies.  Need to register but well worth the bother because of many vouchers.

Don't know the price of nappies for a long time now T.G. but always feel that they just add on to take it off again!


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## michaelm (28 Oct 2003)

*Cost of nappies*

Lidl charge €11.39 for a bag of nappies.  There are 3 sizes MIDI(70) for babys MAXI(60 something) and Junior(54) for Toddlers.  They are better quality than branded nappies.


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## terminator (29 Oct 2003)

we have twins aged 4 weeks and are buying industrial amounts of sma gold

boots is indeed the cheapest although musgraves cash and carry is cheaper again if you have a pass - you need to be vat registered


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## rainyday (29 Oct 2003)

Congrats on the new arrivals, Terminator.



> musgraves cash and carry is cheaper again if you have a pass - you need to be vat registered


Are you suggesting that one could (or should) purchase goods for personal use through a VAT-registered business?


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## Flake (5 Nov 2003)

*Aldi Nappies*

Stocked up on Aldi nappies today - €6.49 for a pack of 30 - using them on my daughter for well over a year and never once have had leakage problems - which surprisingly we have had with Pampers. In my local Spar [and I'm open to correction on this] I think same size pack of nappies is €11.99!!!


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## SarahMc (6 Nov 2003)

*Lidl Nappies*

Did you know that Lidl nappies are compostable and biodegradeable, unlike pampers, huggies et al.


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## Flake (6 Nov 2003)

*Lidl Nappies*

That's interesting - though I have to say I tried them twice on my daughter and had leakage problems - which is why I swear by Aldi. But Lidl for mineral water, vino, kiddies yoghurts, toilet roll, dishwasher tablets etc. etc!


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## ajapale (6 Nov 2003)

*BabyOrganix baby food*

Thanks for all the usefull information.

Does any one know where I can buy Baby Organix baby food in Ireland. I bought it in Tescos for our first a few years ago but dont see it any where any more.

BabyOrganix recepies are availiable on the web it you want to make the food yourself. Its organic and contains no fillers or stodge unlike some of the mainstream brands.



Thanks,
ajapale


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## Alpha (7 Nov 2003)

*BabyOrganix*

I can get BabyOrganix in my local Centra.


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## alannah (7 Nov 2003)

*Organix*

Tesco Nutgrove
Supervalue - Kiernans , Mount Merrion
Mortons - Ranelagh

By the way be very thankful that you dont live in Italy where brand leader, Nestle costs €36 for 1000g compared to approx €9.75 for 900g in Ireland for SMA !


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## ajapale (30 Nov 2003)

*Huggies M 87 of €16.49 (19c a napppy)*

In Boots: Huggies are €16.49 for box of 87 nappies. This works out at 19c a nappy.
ajapale


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## ag (15 Jan 2004)

*Huggies - price increase - now 22 Euro*

Have 2 children in nappies so go to Liffey Valley to buy the Huggies. Went up yesterday and imagine my surprise at the till when the boxes were 22 Euro each - now there is inflation for you !
Anyone else noticed this ?


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## ajapale (15 Jan 2004)

*Re: Huggies - price increase - now 22 Euro*

Hi ag,
Thanks for the tip. I guess my monthly trip to Boots, Liffey Valley is cancelled!
Musgraves dont do Huggies so the alternative is a trip to Newry. Does any one know how much M 87 Huggies are in the North?
Ajapale


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## Iano (16 Jan 2004)

*Nor'n Iron*

I was in Sainsbury's in Lisburn yesterday and bought a load of baby stuff (nappies, wipes, formula milk, bath stiff etc). In total it cost me the equivalent of about €90. But the same basket of stuff would have cost over €130 here. Examples: Kandoo wipes £2.17 = €3.14, €4.99 here. Pampers easy fit nappies £8.99 = €13, €17+ here. Johnson's baby bath £2.17 = €3.10, €5+ here. 

WE ARE BEING RIPPED OFF DOWN HERE !!!...as if I needed to tell you.

I travel up North quite a lot so it is easy for me to pop in and do some shopping there. Even if I was to buy a batch of  baby stuff once a month we would save at least €50, that's €600 a year. Think of what you can get for €50.

There is also a Sainsbury's in Newry (as far as I know) so you wouldn;t have to travel as far as Lisburn.


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## Tommy (16 Jan 2004)

*Re: Nor'n Iron*

Prices vary a lot between stores and even within stores in the North. Last Saturday week, Gordon's Chemists in Enniskillen were selling Milupa Forward formula for £5 a pop. Last Saturday they were charging £7.60 for the same item. (This is pricier than almost anywhere down south) The prices in Dunnes, Boots etc also vary wildly from week to week.

I dunno why prices are more static down south. Some chemists in my neck of the woods sell nappies & formula for much cheaper than Dunnes or Tesco, yet most people don't seem to bother to shop around to find these bargains.


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## ClubMan (3 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

This thread might also be of interest.


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## ClubMan (3 Oct 2005)

*Re: Lidl Nappies*



			
				SarahMc said:
			
		

> Did you know that Lidl nappies are compostable and biodegradeable, unlike pampers, huggies et al.


Is this true? There's nothing on the pack stating that this is the case.


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## Carpenter (10 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Yeah- I checked the pack myself last night and all I could gather was that perhaps the plastic wrapper is recyclable, no reference to biodegradability anywhere.  It's a fantastic offer at the moment it must be said and it has to qualify as a "no brainer" where value is concerned.


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## ClubMan (10 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Yeah - I think it's €5.79 for a pack of 56 midi (smallest) which works out at about €0.10 per nappy which compares well against the prices published in the most recent ShoppingBill.com nappy prices report.


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## maryrose (11 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Clubman, Carpenter, and Bill, all discussing and comparing the price of nappies!

Wow . Who is Bill  btw?


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## ClubMan (11 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				maryrose said:
			
		

> Clubman, Carpenter, and Bill, all discussing and comparing the price of nappies!
> 
> Wow .


Why wow?


> Who is Bill  btw?


You mean _ShoppingBill.com_? I don't think that _Bill _is a real individual but I could be wrong.


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## car (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

The shoppingbill site was started by 2 cork lassies.  Una power and Gwenn Clayton.  Maybe they have a friend called Bill.  But, I too, doubt it.

I checked the wrapper on the lidl nappies too.  We're all a price concious/eco friendly lot on AAM.   It kinda gets into everything you do after spending a while here.


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## Thirsty (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Best Buys for baby?

a) Feeding: start with draught rather than bottled then move on to home made food rather than jarred food.

b) Nappies: try washables rather than disposables.

c) Equipment: Buy and Sell, complete fit out for less than €250

d) Toys: up to toddler stage, check out charity shops - almost everything can be washed/cleaned/sterlised.  Most of what you buy at this age is going to be eaten, trashed, walked on or hoovered up.

This isn't just being stingy; we all know by now that re-cycling is better for everyone, that includes all the baby stuff that we are suckered in to buying.


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## DrMoriarty (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

In the same cost-efficient/eco-friendly vein, may I recommend _this_ new product for those of you with wooden floors..?  

[broken link removed]


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## ClubMan (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Kildrought said:
			
		

> a) Feeding: start with draught rather than bottled


Sometimes easier said than done in our experience and that of other members of my family.



> b) Nappies: try washables rather than disposables.


Yeah - we're currently using disposables for day and one size fitted for night (_Popolini One Size _from [broken link removed]) the plan being to reduce the dependence on disposables further when the the cotton ones aren't so bulky on our brat. 



> c) Equipment: Buy and Sell, complete fit out for less than €250


Yeah - there are some great bargains to be had on the likes of _eBay _too (e.g. the _Mothercare _baby carrier harness that I bagged for €13 from the _UK_) although I guess you have to be careful about what is safe to use second hand and what's not (e.g. they generally say that one should not reuse an old cot and definitely not an old mattress - mind you, I don't know how we survived if that's the case!).



> d) Toys: up to toddler stage, check out charity shops - almost everything can be washed/cleaned/sterlised. Most of what you buy at this age is going to be eaten, trashed, walked on or hoovered up.


 Indeed! 



> This isn't just being stingy; we all know by now that re-cycling is better for everyone, that includes all the baby stuff that we are suckered in to buying.


I agree. And don't forget all the crap that people seem to think that is necessary but which you can easily live without - and this goes for the general case and not just babies!


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## DrMoriarty (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

One "luxury" I can certainly recommend from experience is those wind-up rotating dome-shaped music-box thingies that play soothing lullaby tunes and project little moving images of stars/moons, etc. onto the bedroom ceiling. Tomy*®* make them, but I'm sure many other brands exist. They might even have a battery-operated version that'll switch off after 10/15 mins, as opposed to the 2 or 3 minutes you got from the wind-up version (and the noise of winding them up usually undid much of the benefit! )

I have many fond memories of those Timothy-Leary-type moments myself...!


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## Thirsty (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



> Sometimes easier said than done in our experience


I know Clubman, but that's more because a) culturally we've 'forgotten' how and b) better support systems from health professionals are required.  But this is a whole other discussion to be honest...

Dr. Moriarty - you have *way* too much time on your hands.....!


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## ClubMan (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Kildrought said:
			
		

> I know Clubman, but that's more because a) culturally we've 'forgotten' how and b) better support systems from health professionals are required.


The support was great from the _Rotunda _staff, public health nurse and extended family but that doesn't help when soreness, engorgement, infections and tiredness kicks in I'm afraid.


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## DrMoriarty (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Kildrought said:
			
		

> Dr. Moriarty - you have *way* too much time on your hands.....!


You should see my face...!  

Actually, I do have a "non-flippant" interest in this area, sociologically speaking (but I didn't want to sidetrack this thread, beyond posting the odd "ha-ha" interjection). As a parent of five, I'm very firmly in favour of "_la lêche_", but I'm also very wary of the Earth-Mother/Health Nazi tendency to heap guilt on mothers who for one reason or another can't breastfeed, or simply choose not to. Quite apart from soreness, engorgement, infections and tiredness, I imagine that returning to work must be a hell of an ordeal for any new mother. And a lot more of them have to (or choose to), nowadays, than used to in my day...

But Jeez, if we can be dissed for discussing the price of nappies, I'd better shut up quickly on _this_ particular "best buy for baby"...!


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## ClubMan (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				DrMoriarty said:
			
		

> I'm very firmly in favour of "_la lêche_", but I'm also very wary of the Earth-Mother/Health Nazi tendency to heap guilt on mothers who for one reason or another can't breastfeed, or simply choose not to.


Many couples that we spoke to complained about undue pressure being put on them to breastfeed (particularly by the _Rotunda_) and subtle or implied criticism of those who chose not to. We didn't experience this directly ourselves and couldn't fault the care provided by the _Rotunda _at all times (ante-natal, delivery, post-natal). However when my wife was roomed in with two other mothers, one of whom was not breastfeeding (and who probably couldn't effectively due to her baby having reflux problems and not keeping much down requiring repeated and ongoing feeding) and one of whom was (along with my wife), she did notice one midwife coming in one day telling the two who were breastfeeding that they were great while effectively ignoring the one who was not. Strange... Interestingly, our public health nurse (who has also been great and has dropped into us about half a dozen times already - and not because we're hopeless cases I don't think! ), was pretty pragmatic about things like mixed breast and bottle feeding, soothers if they were needed (e.g. better than thumb sucking) etc. and seemed a little iffy about the "hard line" taken on breast only feeding by some parties including the _La Leche League_.


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## maryrose (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Dr. M., That comment of mine was not intended as a diss, far from it.

Iwas more than impressed by the obvious involvement and the interest in the less 'glamorous' side of having a new baby in the house, and lets face it the cost of nappies is  not everyones idea of scintillating conversation, so its usually 
mothers (I know I'm digging a hole for myself) I hear having these conversations.

To me this was a reflection of how far we have come, from the days when I was a rookie midwife in the Rotunda, and the women used to be dropped off at the 'lodge' , left by their menfolk , who ran accross to Conways to 'drown the babies head'  while the women got on with the business of going into labour all on their todd.


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## ClubMan (12 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				maryrose said:
			
		

> the cost of nappies is  not everyones idea of scintillating conversation, so its usually
> mothers (I know I'm digging a hole for myself)


Actually I tend to use moist cotton wool and sanitary wipes myself but I might try a shovel now that you mention it! 



> To me this was a reflection of how far we have come, from the days when I was a rookie midwife in the Rotunda, and the women used to be dropped off at the 'lodge' , left by their menfolk , who ran accross to Conways to 'drown the babies head' while the women got on with the business of going into labour all on their todd.


It's funny alright. While watching me feed and change our baby the other day, my 80+ year old aunt commented on how you'd never see a man doing that in her day while my friend's mother recounted the story of seeing her brother in law pushing one of his kids in the pram one day years ago and lamenting to her husband _"Poor fellah - wouldn't you think the wife would do that sort of thing?"_!


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## DrMoriarty (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

I was only joking about being "dissed", maryrose...! Surely we New Men are entitled to be a little oversensitive on occasion?


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## ClubMan (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

_New Men _is so 80s - I thought that we were all _Metrosexuals _these days?


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## Carpenter (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

I thought to qualify as a "Metrosexual" one would have to be "pretty", carry one of those satchel type "manbags" and be of ambiguous sexual orientation?


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## ClubMan (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Well - two out of three ain't bad. The first two that is.


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## Marion (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: .*



> I thought that we were all Metrosexuals these days?



[broken link removed]

Marion


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## Jess (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

And for all the ubersexual babies out there, get a Tripp Trap high chair  

Definitely one of my best buys. 

No tray, so the chair slides in to fit at the table (height adjustable) and eventually can be re-assembled as a regular chair when the child is old enough.

Best high chair on the market (so says me  )


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## Carpenter (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Yeah I've heard of these, are they very expensive though?  We bought a (cheap)serviceable plastic high chair in Argos, it's adjustable, easily washed and is lightweight- no complaints thus far.


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## Diziet (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Trip Trapp is very nice, but I would need to sell the baby first to afford it


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## Jess (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Carpenter said:
			
		

> Yeah I've heard of these, are they very expensive though? We bought a (cheap)serviceable plastic high chair in Argos, it's adjustable, easily washed and is lightweight- no complaints thus far.


 
Yes, they are more expensive, but worth it. I bought mine in a shop in Greystones (ebaby I think it's called) and it was approx €200 about 3 years ago. My daugher is almost 4 and because it's adjustable she uses it as a regular chair now. There are probably others on the market similar to it.


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## lz1 (13 Oct 2005)

*Lidl nappies*

We did find problems with leaks at night for Lidl nappies so use a pampers at night and Lidl nappies during the day, the difference between Lidl and pampers is €5.50 a pack and last week Lidl nappies were only €5.69 each on a special promo so I bought about 10 packs..............then I went off to dunnes to finish the shopping and saw that they had a special promo on nappies...

Well done Lidl and competition!!


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## ClubMan (13 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

I've seen people mention leaks with all brands of nappy at this stage and am beginning to suspect that it is simlpy faulty installation that causes this. We've had a few incidences of leaks with different brands but always, it seems, simply due to not putting them on correctly (e.g. ensuring that the elasticated legs are fitted correctly and the waistband turned down inside slightly etc.) - often half asleep at around 05:00 - or a particularly heavy emission by baby.


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## angie (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

rainyday,you just need the businesses number to get into musgraves.  The invoices is printed in the business name but you pay with your own cash and never need put the invoice through the business so no need to put any personal items through a business just use the facility to bulk buy.


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## RainyDay (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				angie said:
			
		

> rainyday,you just need the businesses number to get into musgraves.  The invoices is printed in the business name but you pay with your own cash and never need put the invoice through the business so no need to put any personal items through a business just use the facility to bulk buy.


Was this in response to a particular query or issue?


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## Jess (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Has anyone tried moltex nappies?

I used these becuase they have no bleach (so they're not white) and found them very good. Mind you, unless you have your own composter I don't think they are any more biodegrabale than other nappies so they just end up in the landfill, but they seemed like a more eco friendly option.



I did occasionally use plastic bags to put the dirty nappies in but never felt right using plastic bags (scented or otherwise) - isn't there just too much plastic around. 

Edited to add: The moltex nappies aren't available in shops but they are delivered to your door which I also found very handy.


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## Dowee (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Haven't used these but am currently using cloth nappies with flushable liners purchased from an American website and they are working out fine. They take a bit more time and effort than disposable ones but are worth the effort to not be filling landfills with items that don't breakdown for a few hundred years.


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## ClubMan (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Dowee said:
			
		

> Haven't used these but am currently using cloth nappies with flushable liners purchased from an American website and they are working out fine. They take a bit more time and effort than disposable ones but are worth the effort to not be filling landfills with items that don't breakdown for a few hundred years.


As mentioned earlier we're using _Popolini _one size fitted cotton nappies from [broken link removed] for nighttime at the moment with a view to reducing our use of disposable nappies as time goes on and he grows into the cotton ones.


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## Dowee (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

How do you find them?


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## ClubMan (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

In the hot press!  They are OK so far. Because they're one size and folded down at the front and back to use the small size poppers at the moment they are quite bulky but they do say this on the site above. When he grows a bit he should be less constrained with them on so for now we just use them at night. We got a pack of ten for now and a couple of small covering pants. We soak them in a small bin until we have a few for the wash.


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## DrMoriarty (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Have to salute all this concern for the environment. I think I once read somewhere that the annual national "dump" of disposable nappies was enough to landfill Dublin Bay several times over... 

It's also a very substantial "consumer" expense. My own kids are aged 7-16, so I _also_ remember the day that our little one got out of nappies as the first time in 10+ years that we hadn't had to keep the hot press half-filled with bales of the things.

I'm also glad (for all of _ye.._!  ) that Ireland has been gradually forced to bring Child Benefit rates into line with EU norms. When we moved back to Ireland from France in 1989, I remember that the monthly benefit for a single child was IR£15.84 — literally not even enough to cover the cost of nappies alone... and not a tax break in sight! 

And — 'though of course I/we'll largely miss out on them, personally — I hope the next government will finally honour some of their pre-election "fluff" regarding maternity leave entitlements/tax relief for childcare. In fact, I'd urge all you Brave New Parents to make it a deciding factor in how you vote..!

_[Edit: My, what pretty colours those smilies add to the board. Positively Timothy-Leary-esque...!]_


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## tweeny (14 Oct 2005)

*Re: Lidl Nappies*



			
				SarahMc said:
			
		

> Did you know that Lidl nappies are compostable and biodegradeable, unlike pampers, huggies et al.


 
Is this really true that LIDL nappies are compostable and biodegradable??? I sue cloth mainly but we alway have  stock of LIDL nappies to for times of need. They're far better nappy than pampers an dthe liek but wow if they are compostable and bio-degradable that's even better!


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## Jess (17 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

Tip:

For those with pre-school and older children who have curly/tangly hair, apparently the trick is to wash with CONDITIONER ONLY.  

My daughter (4) has long fine straight hair so I don't need to use conditioner only but I always put a little conditioner in after shampoo and it makes a big difference. I can comb through without any protest!  

An Avon lady called to the door during the summer (I KNOW some of you here are old enough to remember when the Avon Lady calling was commonplace  ) and I ordered a bag full of stuff, all good value, including a children's shampoo and conditioner which was really good.


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## misemoll (18 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

For anyone using formula and going out an about, especially in warm weather (well, there was this one day...), I found the little containers that hold the correct amount of formula for 3 feeds very handy.  You can put the water in the bottle and keep the powder separate, then mix when needed, without worrying about the feed going off. Hard to describe, avent make one, like here


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## fobs (18 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*

I agree with the containers for the formula found it very useful as my daughter only liked warm bottles. 

Also can recommend the Angel monitor which my sister gave me which came in so useful for my son who always likes to sleep on his belly (don't need it now as he is 15 months) but it beeps if the child stops breathing.


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## Seagull (18 Oct 2005)

*Re: Best Buy for Baby?*



			
				Jess said:
			
		

> Has anyone tried moltex nappies?
> 
> I used these becuase they have no bleach (so they're not white) and found them very good. Mind you, unless you have your own composter I don't think they are any more biodegrabale than other nappies so they just end up in the landfill, but they seemed like a more eco friendly option.



They will be more biodegradable than regular nappies. They're compostable, so by definition they're also biodegradable.


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