Disposable or reusable nappies - Which is cheaper??

taliwillow

Hello all,

My husband and I are currently trying for a baby and I have been looking into budgeting. A major cost of having a child seems to be nappies. I am very interested inreusables like Bambino Mios as it is much better for the environment (or so I thought). It has now been suggested to me that reusables aren't good for the environment as you have to use water to wash them, detergent to wash them and the electricity to wash them. Now I really don't think that using water, detergent and some electricity could be as bad for the environment as filling the ground with hundreds of nappies but I thought it was an interesting theory. The other issue that people seem to have is that they buy the Bambino Mio Birth to potty pack for around £200 then find they don't get on with them and go to disposables anyway.
I will admit I am probably more of a money saving warrior than an eco warrior so although I would like to be good to the planet, money will probably be the deciding factor for me (unless theres only a small amount in it).
Could anyone give any advice that could help me calculate if reusables are genuinely cheaper? For example, has anyone used the birth to potty pack and if so, does it genuinely last from birth to potty without you having to buy anything else? For those who use disposables, could you estimate roughly how many nappies you think your child would use from Birth to Potty and the average cost of the packs of nappies (I have noticed that you seem to get less nappies per pack as they get bigger but for the same price)? And for those who maybe have tried both disposables and reusables, how much do you think the convenience of disposables is really worth to you? If they do cost substantially more, do you think it's worth it?

I just think this is an interesting question and would be very interested to hear your ideas on this.

Thanks

Taliwillow

Newtonlot

Hi Taliwillow,

I am due my 2nd child in May and am also looking at using re-useables. My reasons are very similar to yours. They are cheaper in the long run. My DD only wore nappies (disposables) full time until she was 1 and then wanted to be potty trained, so I am only reckoning on having the extra washing for just over a year or so. I wash every other day adn currently use my tumble drier as well. What I have decided to do is to not use the tumble drier to combat the effect of using the washer more.
We have also looked at buying second hand reuseables, ebay and freecycle. I was thinking that if I paid less for them and didn't get on with them then I wouldn't kick myself too much. Plus there is also the option of selling them again on ebay.

I'd love to hear what other people have to say on this subject as well.

Newtonlot

Madmel

An Environment Agency report came out a couple of years ago on the life cycle of nappies. Unfortunately, it was deeply flawed and made many assumptions which simnply don't apply in the vast majority of cases (e.g. everyone irons their terry squares :eek: - not in my experience, and I was a cloth nappy seller/advisor until last month)

Cloth works out massively cheaper than disposables, but most people don't notice the extra £5-£10 per week of disposables; they get worked up about spending £200 - £300 in one go upfront. This is then all that they need ever spend on cloth, and will do 2 or more children.

Another thing which people don't always realise is that babies generate washing no matter what you put on their bottom. My elder DD wore disposables for the first 3 months and we had major leaks onto clothing at least once each day. When the younger one wore cloth from the start, we had nappy washing, but none of the clothing leaks, so to me it's a case of swings and roundabouts.

I suggest you contact a nappy advisor who will help you to find the best system for your family, budget and circumstances. There are always bargains on Ebay, but ask yourself why they are bargains. Is it because they were well-loved and used, or because people did not get on with that system? Cynical me thinks the latter!

A good place to start is your own local council as they may well have a discount scheme or at least know a local mum who can give you an honest appraisal of different systems. If all else fails, feel free to PM me and I'll point you in the direction of different organisations who I know won't try to rip you off. Good luck!

squashy

I faced similar dilemmas to you when I decided to weigh up cloth nappies, although this was when my baby was already 6 months old. In the end I contacted an online nappy advisor who helped me decide on selection of nappy combinations- there is a vast range out there. I also bought a couple of second hand ones (got some from https://www.hunnybeez.co.uk - go to buy and sell forums). I built my collection up from there. I didn't like the idea of just having one system but prefered a few different types eg everyday, nursery, bedtime. It is also worth bearing in mind that if there are any nappies you don't get on with, you can get a good price for them by selling them on, enabling you to try other types and swap and change as much as you need.

I agree with the information above about the money saving and environmental benefits- a big benefit for me was also the "cute" factor, I oved all the different designs and patterns. I still have them in storage for if/when I have another baby.

My favourite nappies are Wee Wonders Pockets (all in one- you stuff the inside to pad it out but there is no seperate waterproof wrap) as I loved the patterns and the adjustable elastic in the legs, plus they are easy for grandparents etc to use. But they are slightly on the pricey side for a full stock of them. Cheaper to have a seperate wrap which can be re-used all day without needing to be washed, with a changeable nappy or terry square (eg) inside. https://www.thenappylady.co.uk has advice on the different types and can make personal recommendations based on a questionairre.

(Edited due to misspelt link!)

heather38

the other thing to consider is if you put you child in nursery. the one my baby is going to wont use 'real' nappies you have to have disposibles as they don't like having wet or dirty nappies lying about the place

skyrocket

i reccommend thenappylady too. you can buy second hand a few different types and see which you get on best with. imho you can't go wrong with motherease one size. these are birth to potty nappies and you can sell them afterwards (can't do that with disps!) i found them wonderful and have had no nappy rash with my daughter. i don't bother soaking them just chuck them in the washing machine
check your local council to see if they have an offer in a nappy laundering service or money off reusables. most councils do now and we got the first two months free with a nappy laundering service then used our own
edited to say: forgot another advantage with reusables is if you have say 20 of them you never run out! had a few evenings with my son driving round trying to find a shop to buy nappies! wish i'd had motherease then!
xx

super41

I put my DS into reusables when he was 5 mths and I wished I'd used them from birth as I think they're great. I have a rather eclectic mix of prefolds + wraps, shaped terries, shaped nappies and a Kooshie! All bought 2nd hand (though most were new or hardly used) eg. prefolds birth to potty pack for £60. I've bought them at a fraction of the cost of new and in the long run will save £££ over disposables. Also they say a toddler will potty train earlier which will save money. They are not much more work. It works out at about 2 extra loads of washing a week. The prefolds dry really quickly on the radiator or line (I don't have a tumble drier), I rarely iron them. The shaped nappies and all in ones are slow to dry in winter but should be easier when I get them on the line when the weather improves.

I like them because I think they're healthier for babies - no chemicals etc. He hasn't had nappy rash which was a concern. Weighing everything up I think they're better for the environment. And I'm saving money.

I suggest contacting a nappy advisor, there have been some suggestions already. Try to get to know about the different nappies, I found the terminology mind-boggling to start off with! Also I would invest in some trial packs of different nappies so you can try them out when you get your baby. There are special offers or you could try Ebay. A birth to potty pack is something you could invest in when you know which system you want to go with.

I would really recommend you give them a go. I think if you're determined to use them you'll get on with them. I think maybe some people give up too soon. I think I had them sussed within a couple of weeks and haven't looked back since.

squashy

heather38 wrote:

the other thing to consider is if you put you child in nursery. the one my baby is going to wont use 'real' nappies you have to have disposibles as they don't like having wet or dirty nappies lying about the place

That depends on the individual nursery, the ones I know are more than happy to accomodate. Also, you can line them nappies with paper liners which when removed take any poo with them and the whole lot is flushed down the loo. That would eliminate any bad smells etc at nursery (although a disp actually smells far worse than a freshly-wet reusable!)

Newtonlot

Not sure which link I clicked on but it led me to Little Lambs. I requested a free sample so I can see what they are like before buying.
If all the companies do this then I'll just get one of each and save a bomb :j

rainbowrisin

I'll buck the trend here - I started my eldest littlie on re-usables and they were a complete nightmare from start of finish TBH. They leaked, the washing was a complete nightmare - I went down the hand washing white vinegar and sunshine route, which was fine until February. My hands ended up shredded, I was up all night changing leaking nappies and I hated the nappy bucket in the corner of the kitchen.
At 10 months eldest littlie had the most revolting bout of gastro entritis which took (literally) weeks to clear up. After THREE weeks of hand washing the most disgusting nappies in Christendom I cracked and bought disposables - it was the best thing I ever did w.r.t the whole nappy issue. They didn't leak, they were easy to put on, they didn't need soaking, washing, drying, folding or other messing about with and best of all they were disposable - into the bin and out, out, out. No more heaving over the latest offering as I flushed the toilet over it or used the showerhead to get the worst out (sorry TMI I know, but that's how it was). I would never, ever go back to re-usuables.
I remain fairly neutral about which method is best ecologically - if purse and conscience permit you can get disposables which break down completely, so no landfill. I am ecologically conscious, and in some ways it grieved me to admit "failure" with the re-usables, but they were horrific in my experience and I would never recommend them.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Thriftylady

I'm another lover of washables.

On the rare occasion that my daughter wears a disposable, it brings her out in a rash and I have also found that they leak far more than the reusables.

I got my nappies from a non profit environmental co-operative organisation. The whole pack cost only £70, not the £200/300 that some of the others do. This included 20 nappies, the nappy bucket and washing net, and four waterproof wraps. The deal is that when she is bigger they swap the nappies for bigger ones, so in a way I'm sort of hiring them rather than buying them. Then when she grows out of nappies altogether, they give me back the small nappies so that I will have them for my next baby (if there is one!). I bought extra waterproof wraps myself as I think four is not enough.

The washing is no problem at all - I wash every second day, last thing at night usually. The bucket doesn't smell and my baby has had, er...loose bowel movements since the day she was born, so I probably have more to contend with here than most.

Interestingly, my nappy advisor had a lot of info on the environmental aspect and she told me that the most widely publicised research in favour of disposables was actually funded by Pampers, who of course were trying to promote their product, and that the research was very flawed and not replicated in other studies.

But I am in no doubt at all that washable nappies have saved me a fortune. Personally, I couldn't stand the thought of forking out for disposables, I would just see it as literally throwing money in the bin.