Why real nappies?

Why should I use real nappies?

	Environmental reasons
	Saves you money
	Chemicals in disposable nappies (although “eco” disposable nappies do have fewer)
	Comfort for baby

Environmental issues

	8 million disposable nappies are thrown out EVERY DAY1.
	Disposables account for 4% of household rubbish, of which the majority goes into landfill1.

The 2005 Environmental Agency survey stated there was no difference in using real or disposable nappies. Why should I bother?

There were flaws in some of the arguments used, for example:-

	The report based its findings on surveying 2000 parents using disposable nappies and less than 200 using “real” nappies.
	The report assumed that in 32% of cases, parents washed the nappies at 90 degrees, instead of the recommended 60 degrees (which is perfectly adequate to clean and sanitize nappies, and which is recommended as a maximum by the main real nappy manufacturers). By reducing the temperature of your wash to 60 degrees, this reduces the power required (by washing at 90 degrees, the machines (as stated in the report), used 1.77 kwh per wash, whereas a wash at 60 degrees uses 1.36 kwh (a 40 degree wash, recommended for “wet only” nappies and wraps, requires 0.82 kwh).
	The energy levels used in the survey were based on washing machines made in 1997. Since then, more energy efficient models have been introduced.
	The report factored in using fabric softeners (not recommended, as they decrease the absorbency of the nappies), soaking of the nappies (again, not necessary with the modern nappies, and not recommended by manufacturers of the wraps, as it can degrade the wraps). It also assumed 9.1% of nappy users iron their nappies (definitely not required!). (all information sourced from “Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK ” produced by the Environment Agency.

This report has helped to highlight though, that new users of “real nappies” need to have as much information about choice and usage as possible. The manufacturers of real nappies offer advice on the best washing and care for their products, and agents and the internet, including the Real Nappy Campaign aim to try and correct myths which abound about real nappies, such as:

	You need to boil wash nappies. No, a wash at 60 degrees is quite sufficient to clean and sanitize nappies.
	Where possible, air dry nappies (certain brands of nappy, mainly those which have an element of man-made material in them, do allow for quick air drying and also help to avoid the hard, “crispy” nappy effect (also excellent for those in hard water areas, especially Wales).
	You need to buy lots of nappies and wash every day. No, between 15-20 nappies for the first 6 months (if you are buying sized nappies, you usually have to buy 2 “batches” of nappies), and about 12-15 for the remainder of the baby’s nappy life. Best to wash the nappies at least every third day (although the number of nappies you own will determine this to a large degree).
	You need to soak nappies. No, most of the major nappy brands don’t recommend or require their nappies to be pre-soaked. Although I would recommend that any nappies particularly dirty with faeces be cleaned within 24 hours (if you use liners, either paper or fleece, this should reduce this problem considerably!).
	Cloth nappies=nappy rash. Certainly not. Nappy rash is caused by the ammonia in wee and the bacteria in faeces to react with the baby’s skin. The advice is to change your baby’s nappy regularly, and certainly not to leave them sitting in faeces for any length of time.
	Cloth nappies are hard work. Ok, you have to do, on average, an extra 3 washes a week, but lets be honest, take the nappy off, throw away the liner (or shake any faeces from fleece liners down the toilet), then place the wet nappy in a bucket. Chuck them in the washing machine when you have a full load. The dry either by tumbling or air drying. Certainly not as hard work as the Mums in the 1950s had to do! Actually, I ended up changing my daughter’s clothes LESS OFTEN as fewer of her newborn poos leaked out of her nappy.

Saves you money

The Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) analysed the costs of disposables versus real nappies. It concluded that if an average baby was in nappies for 2.5 years, and based on 5 changes a day, the cost savings on buying 20 reusuable Motherease nappies, plus 12 Motherease wraps, versus using disposables for the same period of time, was £409.95. This is only for the first child. If you had another child, and used the same nappies (real nappies are built to withstand strenuous use, and expected to be used by more than one child), then the cost saving was closer to £636.

A cheaper option is to use terry nappies, giving you a saving of £585.45 for the first child, and approximately £635 for the next child.

The report included the costs of buying the nappies and washing (electricity, washing powder and depreciation of the washing machine).

For more details see: www.wen.org.uk/nappies/cost_comparison.htm

So if you had 2 children, you save over £1000 by using shaped nappies and over £1200 if you used terry nappies. Maybe the money could be used to go on a great family holiday instead?

NB: if you live in Warwickshire, you get £25 cashback if you spend over £50 on nappies. Not, a lot, but would buy baby a new outfit or Mum a manicure! Check with your local council whether they have a similar scheme in your area (currently, Oxfordshire and Worcestershire do not offer cashback incentives).

Chemicals in disposables

The main reason that disposables can be so slim is that the nappies contain several chemicals to absorb moisture (you may have noticed the rather odd smell that different brands have when babies wee in their nappies. You don’t get that smell with real nappies, as it is the chemicals reacting with the ammonia in the urine. I didn’t realize it myself until I swapped from disposables to real nappies when my eldest was 6 weeks old, and the odd aroma vanished!). Ecodisposables do claim to have fewer chemicals, especially the “bad” ones like chlorine.

Comfort for baby

Ok, which would you prefer: paper pants or cotton?

If you have a less than average sized baby (chunkier legs? Bigger tum?) then some disposables can rub against baby and leave red marks (I noticed this on my eldest, she was wearing disposables at night for a while, and each morning she had marks on the tops of her thighs. We tried a few different brands, but she obviously had particularly chunky legs!). Remember, real nappies are softer, and can be adjusted (in many cases) to give a perfect fit.

Other thoughts

Cute factor? Many parents grow to get enthusiastic about real nappies by their general “cuteness”. Babies often end up with “big bottoms” (very cute for cuddling, and rather handy padding for baby when they learn to walk, as they always seem to plonk onto their bottom!). This does have a drawback when buying certain brands of clothes, such as Next or Gap trousers, which are a very slim cut. However, I have found many brands (as well as the www.cut4cloth.co.uk brand specifically designed for cloth nappy wearing babies) to be useful e.g Jojomamanbebe do a lovely range of baggier trousers for boys and girls, the supermarkets’ clothing ranges do come up more roomy, and if you have a girl, lots of pinafores and dresses, and for boys, dungarees are a life saver! You develop an eye for which clothes fit (and which won’t!).

The nappies come in different colours, the wraps have prints, and these can all be on show in the warmer months.

Ease of changing? I found that, with a bit of practice, I took no longer to change my baby than it did when she was in disposables. Certainly there are brands which can make changing even quicker (“all in ones” and pocket nappies), and which are particularly helpful, and space saving, when you are out and abut.

Finally a word on disposables...

Personally, I think disposables have a place. They are very useful when going on holiday, some parents use them at nighttime instead of real nappies, and some parents have them on standby for “emergencies”. By considering the ecobrands, you would certainly be doing the Earth a favour by choosing a nappy made under more environmentally friendly conditions than certain major brands. But I think you will find, once you get the hang of Real Nappies, your reliance on disposables does wane.

1 Disposable Nappies and Baby Wipes, Market Intelligence April 2004