To think that the "reusable nappy crew" are on par with the "breastfeeding only crew" when it comes to hysteria?

[DisposableNappy]

They both come out with that old chestnut "it doesn't take extra time or energy".

The reusable nappy crew keep emphasising how much money they save. How the disposable nappy parents are "harming the environment" with their non-biodegradable nappies and baby poo.

They try to make disposable nappy parents feel bad IMO. The same way those breast feeding mad mothers do.

I use cloth nappies and slings and, while I've never heard anyone have a go at anyone for disposables and buggies, I've had a fair bit of grief over the last 3 1/2 years over my "alternative" choices.

As soon as you do anything that's not considered the norm, it seems to be complete open season for anyone to have a pop at you.

So if you're basing your rant on one person having a go at you, I think you'll probably get over it!

One thing about the environmetal benefits though - I don't understand the arguments about "oh well, but you use cars/planes etc). There isn't just one environmental issue to think about - there are loads. Using cloth nappies won't reduce your emmissions - but it will reduce your landfill contribution. So if everyone used cloth nappies, in 50 years we'd still have various other environmental issues to worry about, but overflowing landfill would be less of an issue.

miaow

I mostly did breastfeeding with a bit of formula and did about half and half cloth and disposables (depending on how many children in nappies at the time and what trousers they are wearing).

I've never had any comments about nappies other than the general discussions about which ones leak and people asking me where I got DS3's leopard print cloth nappy.

With breastfeeding I felt like I had criticism from both sides. I had a poorly FTT DS2 who was struggling to suck properly. I was expressing milk and pouring it down his NG tube, still trying to breastfeed him and giving him a bit of high calorie prescription formula. I had people who breastfed telling me to just breastfeed him and ignore the HV, paed, dietician etc. Formula feeders were telling me I was making a rod for my own back. The house was a tip because I literally spent all day either feeding DS2 or attatched to a breastpump. It was awful and I felt like whatever I did it would be wrong.

DC4 has been diagnosed with a cleft lip and the first thing I thought was I'll have to go through that mix feeding nightmare again.

"harming the environment and that reusables are so easy and "kinder" to use"

These are facts not opinions (I've crossed out the opinion) due to the chemicals involved in manufacture.

I've been using cloth, and slings, for my entire 3 month parenting experience. I get an embarrassing amount of questions and often end up unintentionally dominating the conversation at baby groups. That's from other people curious about my choices because of the lack of information available. Luckily, we have an excellent children's centre who have asked me to set up a group to discuss this, with

You get zealots in all walks of life. Ever met an ex smoker? Or a religious convert?

YABU for calling people a "crew" like they are some homogenous mass..

Although at least you didn't call them a "brigade"

My sister is a cloth nappier (and wiper!), but doesn't try to convert me - I think that most people are happy with their own choices, and the worst they'd do is let you know that there other options out there.

I tried it, and it wasn't for me.. or rather it wasn't for DS who could dirty (that's dirty, not wee) a dozen nappies in a day, and the washing machine only managed to get them partially clean (still stained yellow!) unless I used bleach/a boil wash which seemed to miss the whole point of it all.

Oh, plus our rubbish was incinerated, so I had no landfill guilt to get over.

Zealots are the issue, not whatever they're so enthusiastic about.

YABU OP. Sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder to feel so defensive about your choices/lack of choices.

Trying to twist things to see if you can get those who have made different choices to be defensive themselves - why?

IME, hippy mums are more 'live and let live' than most and placing some misguided blame on them for your own unnecessary guilt is a bit strange.

And agree with shagmund re guilt

I considered reusable nappies but my baby was a winter baby so I'd have the tumble dryer on constantly, no environmental benefit really because we burn the wet nappies in our wood burner and only the stinky ones get binned.

I have never felt that people who use reusuables are oushy, in fact I've never met a pushy breast feeder either, I've onky come across these people online where perhaps people are just a little less inhibited about telling others their POV.

Try not to get your knickers twisted over it, these people's children are not yours so who cares :o

I considered reusable nappies but my baby was a winter baby so I'd have the tumble dryer on constantly, no environmental benefit really because we burn the wet nappies in our wood burner and only the stinky ones get binned.

I have never felt that people who use reusuables are oushy, in fact I've never met a pushy breast feeder either, I've onky come across these people online where perhaps people are just a little less inhibited about telling others their POV.

Try not to get your knickers twisted over it, these people's children are not yours so who cares :o

I BF and used reusables. Neither exclusively (well, bf initially but then shared as I couldn't get enough expressed for creche - but we shared until 9 months). Creche also wouldn't use reusables (DD went into creche at 3 months) as too much hassle. That was fine as it WAS a lot of hassle for me too!!

I did it mostly for environmental reasons, and admittedly the new reusables are a LOT easier than the old terry squares my mum had used (and she also wasn't exclusive).

But at the same time, it wasn't that hard, when I was already doing a fair amount of washing and the nappies could go on the line.

BF was for trying to do my best for DD, convenience, and it's what I was used to seeing at home (at least initially - there were bottles at some point).

If I was asked, I would say what we were doing, and if someone was interested, I'd show them the nappies. But I certainly never was evangelistic about them - each to their own.

(That siad, I know a good few who were VERY strong on bf, reusables, growing own veg and using organic food, lots of them were veggie too - whereas I enjoy a good steak, grow some veg but shower it in slug pellets to get to eat some of it, only buy organic on occasion, will drink plenty of red wine with my steak, and know I make lots and lots of mistakes among the occasional things I do right for DD and the big wide world! Oh, and I bought a car after DD was born and now drive everywhere when I used to be the queen of public transport - so there is definite ofsetting of my good efforts going on! )

Sorry accidentally posted twice

Ps yes as a society we should be making more effort - we should feel bad if we flick cigarette ends (or any litter), we should make better and more informed choices.

We won't get everything right but we should try - guilt is natural - it helps society pull in vaguely the right (at that time) direction - if you choose to take a different direction then that is your choice but it may come with a level of guilt - whether that is acceptable to you is your choice.

I don't see others talking about their choices as preaching - surely it's just sharing - you don't have to listen - if you feel guilty maybe you care more than you think.

Burning nappies? That sounds like a terrible idea. And I don't understand why you need to get reusables sparkly white either, they're going to get pooed on. So long as they're clean (and they can be stained and still clean), then what's the big deal? However many cloth bummers get totally worked up about getting them sparkly white, I'm just not one of them. For what it's worth, a 60 degree wash with biological and soda crystals works perfectly well on my flat terries.

The only person who has ever tried to force their parenting choices onto me was DH's cousin who told me that I must put 2wo DS onto a bottle and put baby rice in his bedtime feed to make him sleep through. She went on and on and on while I smiled, nodded and wished she would shut up and then got all offended because I wouldn't say I would do it. The conversation ended with the words "Next time I see that baby I want to see him on For.Mu.La." She hasn't seen him in the past 3 years for some odd reason :o

We do a mix of reusable and disposable at night or for a tummy bug. For us the reusable just hold my sons poonamis better and even with the nappy washes I found I was doing less washing than if I used pampers in the day, thanks to my DS's long and tall frame that meant poo would always leak no matter the brand. I would never try to force them on others though or imply they were better but I would also sing their praises if someone asked me about them.

Can I ask you OP what you wanted from this thread? You don't seem prepared to hear anyone else's opinion or accept that some people have made different choices to you.

Live and let live...

I'm not convinced that you hate cloth nappy wearers as much as you're making out.

My comment last night was because I was on my phone and couldn't be arsed to type out a full comment.

My point is:
We use cloth nappies for DD - she has never got nappy rash, she is comfortable in them and it's great.
They're not cheap to buy, but they are dead easy to look after, and they don't fill up our bin at a rate of knots like 'sposies

I am not middle class, in fact I'm pretty poor, working class. I breastfeed my baby, not because I want to prove a point to the world, but because I CAN

So, in answer to your OP, YABU and being very short-sighted (and also seem to be good at worrying about other people's problems )

"blessyou, I bet you I don't do more harm than a massive 4x4 or pick up truck does going up the M1 when I chuck a disposable nappy in the bin. "

I live 10 minutes' walk away from the town centre, where I work.

we only ever use our (hatchback) car when we really need to - so probably once or twice a week.
And very rarely for long journeys.

I was one of both those "crews". I've clocked up 5 years of bf with 3 dc and I used washable nappies. It was no bother really, an extra wash on at bedtime every 2nd night and as we used fleece wraps/stuffables they dried easily.

We chose reusables partly for environmental reasons (we lived on a small island with limited landfill options when dc were small) and partly because when our dc were born pretty much every decent disposable was impregnated with bum cream that brought me out in hives. Dd2 was also allergic to almost all disposables - one day in them and her skin started to break down. When she was 16 months and ds was just over 3 (plus older toilet trained dd1) we spent 3 weeks backpacking with the dc in Central America, washing nappies as we went!

If you want to use reusables/breastfeed (which has actual tangible personal benefits) then you will. If you don't, that's your choice.

They can be cheap.

Under £80.00 for 20 plus £6.99 for a bucket

That's cheaper than 12 weeks worth of disposables.

You can also get a free trial kit from wwf and some wildlife scheme just give them to you after a trial and loads of local councils offer a cash back scheme when you buy them of between £20 and £50 so keep the invoice/ receipt and they just give ou that money back.

You don't need a tumble dryer an airer indoors in winter (I have one attached to a ceiling in a warm room) or outdoors in sunshine works fine.

We didn't buy a bucket, we put our dirties in the bath - wet ones straight in, and pooey ones go in a washing up bowl with water.

We don't always do a full wash of nappies, we can wash loads of other things in with them (especially towels, underwear and DH's work shirts)
and we dry them on the bannister.

now, we were given a load of 'sposie nappies when DD was born, some in a larger size.
We always intended to do cloth, so we never used the larger size.
I had to go away for the weekend with DD, and decided to try 'sposies for the weekend so we didn't have as much luggage. I tried one out a few days before just to make sure that i could use them okay, and she had one on about 2 hours and the stench!!!!!! euuuuuwwwwwwwwww. Even without going up close to her bum, it reeked! She's only done a couple of wees in it - no poo, and I couldn't even bear to go near her to change it. The smell was even worse when I took it off.

We never get smells that bad from cloth nappies, and they do seem to be more absorbent.
You can't even tell when she's done a poo unless you get right up close (ie put her bum to your nose) to whiff it (You can tell because she cries from the lump)
and we put an extra booster in at night and a cloth nappy is perfectly happy for 10 hours.

mummytomog yes I open the door, throw the nappies in, shut the door and they burn, don't see what's so about that, better than sending to landfill and they burn away completely.