Reusable/washable/cloth nappies

robin_banks

tbh life's too short to be constantly washing nappies, we use bio-degradable disposables.

The environmental 'advantage' of re-useables was bigged up a few years ago but did not consider;

1) The temperature they have to be washed at
2) The amount of water used washing nappies use.

There are better ways to be environmentally friendly as a parent than using 'real' nappies.

Fly_Baby

robin_banks wrote: »

tbh life's too short to be constantly washing nappies, we use bio-degradable disposables.

Yes, that's a great idea too! Some of my friends found them just superb for babies that had sensitive skin. But I tried NatureBaby (or something along these lines) - they felt a bit rough to the touch and left red marks on the baby's skin. And they were more expensive than even Pampers and Huggies. So I went back to Tesco own brand nappies.

robin_banks

tbh bio-degradable disposables are going to be more expensive than coventional disposables.

jellyhead

the report which suggested washables have just as much environmental impact assumed that everyone IRONED their nappies

I've heard that it also didn't factor in people using them for more than one child, or buying used nappies so the impact of making them in the first place will be less. The ladies I know who use washables don't boil wash and they don't use many chemicals. Most use eco ball type things (I use washing powder myself though), and just a bit of vinegar for softening. Fleece liners can be washed insted of using throwaway liners.

When my baby was small I was washing his clothes so often, with so many bodily fluids (reflux, lactose intolerance etc = messy clothes!) that the nappies didn't seem to make much difference. I took disposables into hospital for the black staining poo and I also took disposables on holiday and when visiting in-laws for a few days - I wouldn't have used their washing machine for nappies, or stored dirty nappies for days at their house before coming home to wash them.

Fly_Baby

jellyhead wrote: »

the report which suggested washables have just as much environmental impact assumed that everyone IRONED their nappies

But it's not only a matter or environmental impact. I don't only care for environment - but for myself, too. I suppose the washables can be washed with other baby items (although I only had to do it about 2 times a week, not daily) - but what about having to change the baby every time and as soon as he wets himself? This job seems never ending when the baby is small! Disposables have a special layer that retains moisture whereas washables just soak through and the baby's bottom becomes wet.

Also, I found that both my children really didn't mind full nappies (strange as it sounds) even if I would accidentally left it too long to change them and the nappy surface would feel a bit moist. If they had been like that with reusables, I would imagine they would be forever in nappy rash because the wet cloth nappy wouldn't bother them either.

robin_banks

Many 'real' nappy users also have thier nappies washed 'off site', ironed and delivered to them, now what is the environmental impact of that little gem?.

Triggles

We used 2 disposable a day for the longest time - one at naptime, and one at bedtime - because that's when DS poos - he's a regular little boy! And then cloth nappies for the rest of the time. But now we're just in disposables, as I had some health problems over the summer, and DH just used disposables. He had enough to deal with while I was in hospital without extra washing as well! And honestly, we just stayed with it - he's going to be ready for potty training soon anyway. So we freecycled the cloth nappies and covers.

becs

Fly Baby I think you are a little out of kilter with your facts. Reusuable nappies used with fleece liners or alot of the 1 piece reusables are fleece inners because fleece keeps wet away from a babies skin. Hence the reason Foreversomeday saw such a dramatic difference in her babies skin. I'd far rather have a babies delicate skin next to a gorgeous soft fleece rather than a manufactured nappy which is alot harder and filled with a chemical gel to hold the moisture in. Yes they do get wetter quicker than disposables but not every 15 minutes even with the heaviest of wetters! But it is this that actually makes it easier to potty train children. Research shows that babies that wear reusables are out of nappies earlier than those that use disposables.
As for the chore of washing nappies, I for one think my generation literally doesn't know they're born! My Mum used terry toweling nappies and had to pre soak them, boil wash them then dry them on airers or on the line. Today we take off the dirty nappy and put it in a dirty linen basket or tub whatever you store them in then when baby goes to bed empty the contents of the basket into a machine and push a button! Wow that's such hard work! Most of the 1 piece nappies with fleece inners come out of the machine almost dry! So they go in the airing cupboard overnight and are ready for use the next morning. My advice would be if you really can't cope with doing 1 extra load of washing a day (and it's not like you even need to sort a load etc) then get your partner to do it when he comes home from work.

fernliebee

I agree with becs. Everyone is different but for me personally the environmental reasons were second on the positives list. The deciding factor for me was the amount of petrochemicals that touch their precious botties!! I don't use petrochemicals in any of my own toiletries and would feel terrible going to the effort for myself and not for my DD. Everyone has their own issues with things, and their own levels of what is important to them and so they should, but for me personally the 5 minutes it takes to flush some poo down the loo before washing doesn't mean I miss out on anything. It's one of those things that sounds worse than it is. Also as she doesn't wear nappies at all in the house her botty gets lot's of fresh air and I get less washing

Fly_Baby

becs, I am not trying to advocate disposables here - I see a lot of people around me who actually prefer washables. But for me - and I am sure, for a lot of women like me, since disposable nappy market is nowhere near the decline - the idea of adding this extra job to my daily routine is simply unnecessary. And I really don't need to justify myself here - having a young baby is enough work. I don't think it is right to compare us with the previous generation - they had a harder life so why don't we abandon dishwashers, a car in each household, disposable sanitary pads, ball pens, computers etc?

Once my daughter developed a rather bad rash after having diarrhoea for about a week, and during that time and afterwards, in order to clear the rash, I kept her off nappies for two weeks in total. I remember that experience as a most terryfiong one. I had to change her every hour if not more often, along with her sleepsuit and sometimes sheets when I would leave her to lie with her nappy off - so I know from experience just how often a baby needs to be changed. I do not admire women who do that voluntarily all the time - that's their choice but that's not an example for me. Mums in my postnatal group once had a discussion on reusables - and I learnt a lot of not so nice details such as soaking dirty nappies in tea tree oil, drying and ironing them daily - why would I want that? I would rather earn/save an extra £15-20 pounds a month to spare myself of this work.

In answer to other points: I do not have an airing cupboard (so the omnipresent washing line of nappies is not that appealing either) and no, no way my husband is going to do the washing of nappies - and I would never ask him that.