So, here we were, with our fourth child, starting all over again! And, oh dear, the costs of bassinets, portacots - even the cost of cloth nappies was a shocker for us! We have always needed to be frugal (being a one income family), and we didn't know how we were going to acquire all these items. Of course, this is apart from all the general costs of baby soaps, wipes, etc.
We had to put our 'thinking caps' on and fast! The first relief was when we were loaned a bassinet. That was great! We were given a high chair, and one or two dozen cloth nappies. Next, we searched the 2nd hand weekly newspapers that we get in New Zealand, and found a portacot at a great price. Phew! The thrift shops were next. This is where we found most of our son's clothing, sheets and blankets.
I still didn't have enough nappies, and not being a very good seamstress I couldn't imagine being able to make those cute fitted nappies that others can whiz up in no time. So, I had to find a way that would work for me. I needed more nappies, and I couldn't afford them brand new. So, I adapted some ideas and came up with my own very simple nappy design, nappy pads, and nappy liners. For nappies I used wynciette material or old flannelette sheets and cut them into pieces 43cm x 56cm. Take two pieces, right sides together and hem around (1cm hem) leaving a small opening. Pull through the right way and top stitch around with another 1cm hem (closing the gap at the same time). These worked out really great for a pre-fold kind of nappy and then I used homemade nappy pads and liners with it and I was away! Homemade nappy pads (that I also adapted) are also very simple to make, and dry easily. Cut old nappies or flannelette sheets into pieces either 68cm x 68cm, or 68cm x 36cm. Hem around the edges to stop fraying, and fold up to use as pads. I used one large and one small pad for day-time use and two large pads for night-time use. Homemade nappy liners are super easy. Simply purchase some polar fleece from a thrift shop or bargain material place (or use old polar fleece jackets) and cut into rectangles 12cm x 31cm. There is no need to hem as they will not fray and they draw moisture away from baby's bottom. I bought the cheap PVC waterproof nappy covers in the end, as I found crocheted homemade covers just weren't waterproof enough for my baby's needs.
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