Would you be offended if a stranger called you 'sweetie'?Vote now!Do you regret the name(s) you gave to your child(ren)?Vote now!How many Easter eggs will you buy?Vote now!
Win a fantastic prize when you recommend the babyworld shop to 6 friends
click here
Why
use reusable nappies?
Using any type of nappy is guaranteed to have an impact on the environment
but reusables have many additional benefits - not just for the world we
live in, but for your baby and purse strings too! Don't just take our
word for it though. See what babyworlders think about re-usables before
you make your mind up.
"I didn't realise how much I disliked disposables!"
"I was vaguely aware of the environmental issues of nappies but started
out using 'eco-disposables, rather than leading brands, on our son Louis.
What I didn't appreciate until we got Louis home from the hospital is
quite how much waste a disposable-wearing baby produces! That said, it
still took me until Lou was 11 months to try re-usables and only then
because my mum kept bringing the subject up: 'I had two of you in terries
and no washing machine, so you must be able to do it with just one'.
"A friend lent me a few different nappies to try and I haven't looked
back. My principle feeling on the switch has been how easy it is and I
do regret not changing over earlier: it's nice not having to pile the
car full of plastic packages on every visit or worrying about running
out.
"I also didn't realise, until I switched, how much I disliked disposables!
They smell awful, even when just peed on, and feel nasty (all that squidgy
gel), to the extent that we now take cloth on holiday and when visiting
friends and family. We've even taken cloth to Spain and managed with an
ancient and cranky washing machine there rather than resort to a disposable.
If you're not sure whether to give reusables a go, my advice is to try
them. There are hire schemes, second-hand nappies, and lots of choice
out there and I honestly believe there's a nappy to suit everyone." Maria
Wagstaffe, mum to Louis
"We had a few teething problems at first"
"We started using re-usables (Tots Bots and Motherease wraps) when my
daughter was about eight weeks old. We started out with disposables as
she was our first and we were a bit scared about the whole baby thing,
never mind anything else! We also didn't know much about re-usables as
I'd only seen a few things in magazines about them, but it was something
we'd thought was a good idea and planned to look into.
"In the end, I had real trouble breastfeeding and spent the first two
months focusing on that over everything else, hence the delays. After
experiencing how little disposables contained (the memory of that first
shocking poo up to the shoulders still lingers!), as well as how much
rubbish we were producing (and we recycle/compost a lot) we looked into
it a lot more and found the Nappy Lady site. I did their questionnaire,
which I found really comprehensive, and followed their recommendations
exactly.
"I found it really easy to get into using them, although we did have
a few teething problems like making sure the wrap covered everything.
However, we carried on using them until she was potty trained and it became
so normal that it was only if we were out and someone commented on it
that I realised how rare it was.
"My daughter started going to nursery at nine months, part time, and
we used disposables there (but the more eco-friendly ones: Moltex Oko),
as the staff didn't get on well with the cloth and I was more concerned
that she was happy there than worrying whether they had spent extra time
on her nether regions! We also took disposables if we went away. While
sometimes there was a feeling of ease that you just chucked the dirty
nappies away, the huge pile of smelly rubbish always put me off, plus
the sight of her bottom wrapped up in crinkly papery plastic looked so
much less appealing than her soft, squashy cloth bottom!" Rosie
"Our shopping bill has gone down dramatically"
"We used disposables for the first few months because I thought cloth
nappies would be hard work. I am so glad I tried them! They are so easy,
and really not much more work than disposables. And our shopping bill
has gone down dramatically since the switch! We still use disposables
occasionally for convenience, eg when we're on holiday and when our washing
machine broke: I'm not against them at all. But I have been pleasantly
surprised by cloth nappies." Mandy
"Re-usables seem an obvious choice to me"
"I'm not yet using reusables as I'm just 29 weeks pregnant and currently
building up my collection of different nappies and wraps. However, using
re-usable nappies seems an obvious choice for me. I've read every single
post on babyworld's Nappy Board for the last two months
and have a really good idea about the products and services out there
from others people's musings.
"I'd also like to say that I think it will help no end that the midwife-led
unit that I'm planning to give birth in has their own supply of nappies
and launders them for you - what better way to introduce someone to the
joys of re-usables?! I think this should be encouraged by councils in
a wider section, to include hospitals too." Rachel
"I love to see a load of clean nappies drying on the line in the summer"
"I LOVE my re-usable nappies! I wish I had changed over sooner though.
I used only disposables on my son but swapped to cloth with my first daughter
and haven't looked back since. I love to see a load of clean nappies drying
on the line in summer. We swapped to save money mainly but the environmental
costs did play a part too: I hate to think of all those nasty nappies
lying in a landfill somewhere.
"It's no more hassle to bung them in the nappy bucket then washing machine
than it is to put disposables in the bin and then emptying it more because
of the extra rubbish. The only drawback is that it's addictive and I keep
looking for more nappies to try even though I have more than enough."
Andrea
"I don't see the point of disposables"
"All four of my children have been in cloth nappies from birth, with
the odd occasion on holiday in disposables when we've had no access to
a washing machine. I never considered disposables because I have just
never seen the point of buying them: I don't dispose of my clothes after
wearing them only once so why would I buy nappies designed to be worn
once? There is of course the obvious financial savings, then the environmental
savings, which have become more important to me as I have grown older
and wiser (I hope), and finally the possible health risks involved in
long-term use of disposables.
"I am still using the same pre-fold nappies I bought ten years ago on
baby number four and have only had to replace wraps in the larger sizes.
The three eldest children have all been bed-wetters and I have used the
same bed-wetter pants on the three of them. I would estimate that the
total cost of cloth nappies, bed-wetter pants and washing for the four
children will be around £500, which means a financial saving of around
£5,000. The environmental saving amounts to around 25,000 fewer nappies
and bed-wetter pants sitting in a landfill.
"I hope that my children will grow up with a high respect for their environment
and for their fellow humans in making as little waste as possible: cloth
nappies are just part of the philosophy I hope I have instilled in my
children." Bernadette
"I don't think we would have managed as well first time round"
"We used disposables with our first daughter and re-useables with our
second. I found re-useables really easy. My second daughter has just started
nursery and the staff are impressed with how easy modern re-useables are:
their faces were a picture when we mentioned washable nappies, I think
they envisaged pins and plastic pants!
"The advantages of re-useables over disposables: 1. Fewer leaks 2. Fewer
episodes of nappy rash 3. Reduced landfill (although other environmental
benefits may be debatable). 4. They're cheaper. I'm so glad we made the
decision to go the re-useable route this time, but I don't think we could
have managed so well the first time in a flat with no tumble drier (but
I know some brave souls who've done it!!). " A-L
"I just can't get on with disposables"
"I've only used my trial pack of re-usables so far, but I'm currently
using Pampers Total Care whilst waiting for my order of Fluffles to arrive,
and I really DON'T like them. I don't like their weird papery feeling,
and I don't like their weird gel feeling when they're full. Plus I always
get the little sticky tape bits stuck to poor James' legs and I haven't
figured out how not to do it! Stupid, I know, but I started off using
re-usables, and I just am not getting on with the 'sposies!" Alison
"It takes me no longer to change a reusable than a disposable"
"I used disposables with my first daughter because there was so much
choice and I didn't know what to get. I was also working and didn't really
want the extra work that I thought would go with re-usables.
"I am now a stay-at-home-mum so, when I had my next daughter, I thought
I would look into using re-usables more and I found this forum and asked
questions and read other people's posts, so I was armed with more info.
I started shopping on Ebay to get some different makes and have settled
for Kissaluvs during the day and Motherease one size at night. I wish
I had used them first time round: I find it easier than using disposables,
I don't have to keep going out to the bin with smelly nappies, I don't
have to remember to buy nappies when I go shopping and my daughter's bottom
is healthier looking.
"I wash a load each night before going to bed so they are ready to hang
out in the morning. Now it has warmed up, I dry them on the line in the
garden, whereas during the winter I dried them on the radiators. It takes
me no longer to change a reusable than it does a disposable. All in all
I am happy with the fact that I have saved myself some money and helped
the environment a bit." Emma
"I think they've helped my daughter's eczema"
"I have recently swapped to re-usables as my daughter had eczema on her
nether regions that wouldn't go away. There's definitely been an improvement
since the swap - no idea if this is a coincidence! Either way, I really
like using the cloth nappies. The poo takes a bit of getting used to and
my husband can't face changing these yet but I'll keep trying!
"The biggest disadvantage I've found is finding clothes (particularly
trousers) to fit comfortably over the larger cloth nappies. There are
only one or two companies that specifically make clothes for cloth-nappy
wearers and they're not cheap! But come summer I reckon we'll show off
the nappies anyway, as they're so cute to look at. I would tell anyone
thinking about trying cloth nappies to give them a go: you can rent nappies
to see how you get on with them. That's what I did, and I couldn't wait
to buy my own." Jazzyp
8 more reasons to use re-usables!
1.The Real Nappy Association has stated that new parents can save over
£550 per year by buying and washing their own reusable nappies (including
washing powder and machine costs) compared with the cost of disposables.
2.They have no impact on landfill sites and therefore no waste disposal
costs. A staggering 8 million disposable nappies are thrown to landfill
in the UK every day - each taking hundreds of years to biodegrade.
3. They look great because they are 'shaped' liked a disposable with
Velcro fastenings. There's no need to worry about safety pins and plastic
pants so they're very straightforward to use! Modern re-usables are made
from colourful fabrics that look fantastic on your baby - shopping for
nappies has never been such fun!
4. Reusable nappies are made from chemical free materials that are kind
to baby's skin. Modern fabrics include organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and
even wool which are soft and 100% natural against your baby's bottom.
Nobody actually knows if the chemicals in disposables are harmful to babies'
skin because there's never been any research into them.
5. You can recycle outgrown nappies by selling them or storing them
for any future babies that come along.
6. Re-usable nappies can be equally as absorbent as disposables and
as long as they're changed frequently pose no increased risk of nappy
rash.
7. You can further help the environment by using an energy efficient
washing machine and an eco-detergent and softener.
8. Many local councils are now offering special schemes to help you
get started with reusables.
Get in touch with your council or call the UK Nappy Helpline on 01983
401959 for further information about nappy services in your area.
Why
use reusable nappies?
