How many nappies?

How many nappies you need will depend on which type of nappy you buy (in terms of how long they take to dry) and how often you want to do a nappy wash. How many you need will also vary as your baby gets older. The recommendation is usually 18 to 24 nappies in a set.

For twins, you shouldn't need double the amount, but 1 1/2 times the number for a single baby, so 27 to 36 nappies.

Newborn babies need 10 - 12 nappy changes per day, so, even with 24 nappies you will find that you will need to wash every day in the first few weeks. This will turn into every couple of days between three and six months, after that you will probably find that you can happily do a wash every three days without worrying about running out of clean nappies.

An example of a possible washing routine:

At 16 months old, your baby will probably be using five or six nappies a day (including the night time one). If you had bought pocket nappies, which dry really quickly, and you wish to do a nappy wash every three days, you will need about 18 nappies. On day three, you wash all the nappies in the bucket (say, the last 2 1/2 day's worth, 15 nappies), which will then dry in time for day one again. If you had bought shaped, two-part nappies you would need about an extra day's worth to allow for the drying time, say 20 nappies for cotton and 24 nappies for bamboo.

Lots of people go for a combination of different nappy types, so perhaps 15 pocket nappies for the day time and 5 two part nappies for the night time.

If you go for sized nappies, you will need a set of about 20 to 24 small/size1, 14 to 18 medium/size 2 and 14 to 18 large (if there is a large in the nappies you have chosen). Although, don't forget that the large size is the size that your baby will be in the longest - probably about a year and a half- and will get the most wear and tear, so if you want to use them on a second baby, you might like to have more.

If you are buying a set of one-size (adjustable birth to potty) nappies, then you need one set of 18 to 24 nappies (depending on their drying speed). Again, as with the Large in sized nappies, remember that the more nappies you have, the less wear and tear you will subject your nappies to. If you try to get away with only 12 Onesize nappies, used on more than one baby, don't expect them to be in any fit state to sell on afterwards!

Don't forget that you can buy less than you think you might need, the bare minimum, then if you need more you can always get them later. It is difficult to know how organised you are going to be with the washing, especially if your baby hasn't arrived yet. If you like to tumble dry everything, you can obviously get away with far fewer nappies, but bare in mind that pocket nappies and wraps have a longer life if they are air-dried and that bamboo can be damaged with excessive drying.

Be very wary of buying a whole set of everything you will need from birth to toddler. By the time you are a month into the small set you might decide that you don't like that particular brand/fastening/fabric. It is much better to either use a hire kit initially until you are sure which type of nappies suit your baby and you, or to start off by buying a mixture and when it comes to buying your next size up you will know what to go for.

How many wraps do I need?

Wraps dry very quickly and as you do not need to change the wrap with every nappy change, only when soiled, so you will probably need about one wrap per every five or six nappies that you have.

How many pocket nappy inserts do I need?

At least one per pocket nappy. Many people find that a few extra helps as the inserts do not dry as quickly as the nappies. Also, if your child is a heavy wetter, you may need to use two inserts per nappy, or boost with something else (like Tesco's Value Microfibre Cleaning Cloths). Again, as with the nappies, start with a basic amount. You can always buy more.

How many washable wipes do I need?

To use them full time, probably about 30.