Getting started!

Often people say to me "I'd love to use cloth nappies, but don't know where to start. My baby is due in (insert month)". And that got me thinking about how I started on this epic journey that has ended here, writing a blog about cloth nappies. I think I asked a friend where she got hers. She recommended The Baby Orchard and so I ordered a catalogue.
I duly ordered a nappy trial kit, the delux one I think, and waited eagerly for the post. Heavily pregnant, I washed the tiny nappies when they arrived. How cute they were! I tried them on a teddy bear. I tried to imagine using them. I placed the bucket in the bathroom. Though, I had to buy a pack of pampers for the hospital...
And then came the time to bring home my little bundle. Tiny bundle, to be precise. The nappies, so carefully ordered, washed, folded, were all too big! Boy was I glad for the pampers. It would be another 4 weeks before he reached the 7lbs which seemed to be the minimum size for the nappies I had. What an anticlimax! I felt like I'd failed before I'd even started. It all seemed so confusing and difficult on a screaming newborn. He hated getting his nappy changed, and I hated changing him. I was exhausted, hormonal and felt it was all going horribly wrong.
But then, something clicked. A little voice seemed to say "hold your horses! What's the rush"? I decided to try again on "good" days, and also to forget about nights. Part-time cloth nappies was the compromise.
So I say to all you pregnant mummies wanting to start using cloth nappies, hold your horses! There's no need to jump right into bucketfulls of nappies. Especially if you're a first-timer. It's hard enough to handle the breastfeeding, crying, lack of sleep, mountains of laundry etc. Take your time. You need to meet your baby, and see what your needs are, before you can really decide which nappies are best for you.
So, by all means, do your research. Look at the sites. Learn the lingo. But if you're heavily pregnant and reading this, relax! Put your feet up. Take it easy. You dont have to jump straight into cloth nappies on Day One. Keep a pack of disposables on hand for the stressful first weeks. And if you approach it when you're ready, not when you think you "should", you'll be smiling at your fluffy-bottomed baby before you know it!