Cloth napkins with kids?

[Anonymous]

We always use cloth napkins with the exception of when we have pizza. Just wash and oxi when needed. My IL's stare at them as if they might bite, but I despise paper products.

[Anonymous]

Sorry I have not switched to cloth...you can reuse them? Seems like they would be dirty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with them (and yes, also napkin rings! But those were for when company joined us for dinner).

I use dishtowels from IKEA, which are much cheaper than napkins. And are you all washing them after every use? I change them out once a week, unless something makes them particularly dirty.

Omg what? You reuse the same napkins for a whole week without washing them? That’s disgusting. Gag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry I have not switched to cloth...you can reuse them? Seems like they would be dirty.

Reuse is the point. Wash them when dirty. See?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up with them (and yes, also napkin rings! But those were for when company joined us for dinner).

I use dishtowels from IKEA, which are much cheaper than napkins. And are you all washing them after every use? I change them out once a week, unless something makes them particularly dirty.

Omg what? You reuse the same napkins for a whole week without washing them? That’s disgusting. Gag.

Two PPs said this. Yeah. Napkins are for wiping your mouth. You people are reusing before washing??

Or are all of you talking of dish clothes mostly used to dry hands?

[Anonymous]

We buy polyester patterned ones off amazon. Like the kind restaurants use. I love that they don’t wrinkle and stains come out. I have checked ones for summer and gold brown ones for fall. Lemon ones for spring. They’re fun.

If there’s anything super messy my toddlers get paper.

I have found that guests won’t use my cloth napkins.

[Anonymous]

Of course I reuse before washing. Several times. I also reuse my sheets, my dishcloths, and my towels before washing. A discreet dab of sauce from the corner of my mouth does not warrant laundering the entire napkin.

[Anonymous]

I don’t reuse the napkins, they get washed after each use. I have enough that everyone can use a fresh one every day, including one packed in with lunches. I’m doing a load of napkins, kitchen towels and rags each week, I don’t care that there might be some semi clean napkins mixed in there.

[Anonymous]

Yes we use them. I have about 15 maybe and we have 2 kids. I don’t wash them after every single meal (sometimes you don’t use it that much), but if they get messy, I toss them in the wash. They work fine and no need to buy napkins. Most people use dish towels in the kitchen right? Same idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone do cloth napkins with kids? How do you wash them? How many do you have?

Trying to reduce waste but not sure this is a good move for this particular season of our lives.

The same way you wash everything else. Do not use napkins made of polyester, use cotton napkins as they are absorbent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry I have not switched to cloth...you can reuse them? Seems like they would be dirty.

Do you throw clothes away when dirty and then get new ones?

[Anonymous]

We use them. Family of four (well five but the little one isn't using napkins yet) and I think we have about 12 napkins, all dark colors. They get washed pretty frequently - rarely do we make it through dinner with all four napkins still useable the next day, but my kids are young so I am still doing laundry almost every day anyway. I love the cloth napkins because they protect the kids' pants from spills alot better than cloth ones would.

[Anonymous]

Before the invention of paper napkins cloth napkins were
all that were used. Laundering in the olden days was done
once a week with heavy lye. Napkins would have been
washed once a week with the other wash on a wash board.

Each family member gets a different color/style napkin ring.

Napkins get used 5-7 days, depends on messiness and
then washed.

Cloth napkins have been used since Roman times. In the
middle ages back of the hand or shirt would have been used. Around the 1500's napkins on the table became more common.

[Anonymous]

Kids like having their own personal napkin rings.

Napkin gets put back in kids napkin ring for next night.

[Anonymous]

When do you find time to fold them and put away? That was my downfall when I tried this