to think that people who use cloth nappies act superior to those who use disposables?

[DearJohnLoveSavannah]

I think I've just noticed this more because apparently it's National Nappy Week right now.

I have a friend of a friend who is always putting up photos on FaceBook about cloth nappies - such as the birth to potty ratio of how many disposable nappies one baby goes through, or the latest cloth nappy she has just bought.

When she was at the same children's birthday party she gave people a demonstration on how to use them too.

I think it is fine to educate people and promote being more eco friendly, but she does it with such superiority that I feel if I got a disposable nappy out I would be extremely judged.

I have another friend who is like this, but less extreme.

Very willing to be told AIBU - because I'm just basing this one two people.

(Also sorry for posting in AIBU twice in one day)

Sorry I haven't read the whole thread but I wanted to respond to something in the OP. Cloth nappies are NOT more eco-friendly than disposables, that's a myth. The Environment Agency did extensive research comparing them and the conclusion was that both have a damaging effect on the environment but in different ways and overall neither is better than the other. If your primary concern is landfill, you'd choose cloth. If your primary concern is water and/or energy consumption then you'd choose disposables. My primary concern is convenience because my middle name is Lazy.

Please - if you look back through past threads, that study was very flawed. The Nick Clegg webchat covered it too I believe.

Someone was saying about designs on disposables, I will be sad and admit, I'm a bit disappointed Pampers Active Fit don't have Sesame Street characters on them anymore

Penguins I would, but to be honest nappies don't interest me enough to bother. The only reason I know about the study is because my husband who is a scientist working with industrial recycling was telling me about it. Although I confess I may have dozed off about 30 seconds into the conversation.

Please just shoot me now - that study has been de-bunked and redone by government agencies (rather than the disposable manufacturers who carried it out in the first place) and it was found that overall the environmenral impact was 40% less.

The original study was based on washing at 90 degrees (usually wash at 60), tumble drying (don't even own one) and ironing nappies (ha I struggle with clothes) as well as massively understating the amount of water used in the production of each disposable (250ml I believe?)

Nimh,your assertion babies are left in disposables for 6hr,it typifies a certain smug cloth nappy user
Obvious inference being cloth bum babies are changed more and not left in soiled nappy
Because the disposable user,is mindful of cost,so baby left in nappy too long

You dont care for aspects of my post you think misrepresent cloth nappy users?
I dont care to read misrepresentation that babies are left up to 6hr in soiled disposable nappy

I just told DH that. He said can he please have a source for the research which debunks the original paper. Not being funny or anything. It's genuinely his field of research and he says he's seen nothing in the journals and he's really interested.

Fair enough Please. It was just that you cared enough to come onto a thread to specifically mention the study, so I thought you might like to know it was wrong.

There are many good reasons to use disposables, but false environmental equivalence isn't one.

Sorry, cross posted. Try looking for the Clegg webchat. That might cite sources. I am on my phone.

Op, yes.
You are projecting an assumption based on two people. I bought cloth nappies (plain white - too tight to pay more for coloured one, a babies arse is a babies arse) and used them. If anyone asked I said I found them easy and not much hassle. If they didn't ask we didn't discuss it.

I didn't act superior and if you asked any of my friends their opinion I suspect they would spit out their tea laughing at the idea that my cloth nappies would have made me act superior or made them feel inferior.

PleaseJust - updated study from the Environment Agency here: www.nappyinformationservice.co.uk/docs/SCHO0808BOIR-E-E.pdf

Oh, wait, I don't think that's the one I was thinking of! Still interesting, though: "The environmental impacts of using shaped reusable nappies can be higher or lower than using disposables, depending on how they are laundered. The report shows that, in contrast to the use of disposable nappies, it is consumers’ behaviour after purchase that determines most of the impacts from reusable nappies."

I think it's really good that people take the time and effort for cloth nappies, personally I struggle to keep up with the washing as it is - but I redeem myself somewhat with flannels rather than wipes :P I think wipes are nonsense.

I have not noticed anyone giving the impression of being superior though - I think you just feel guilty for using disposable ones.

Who's misrepresenting, who said 6 hours? Are you assuming or generalising? Where's the facts? Do you have proof of your calculations?

All in jest, I don't give a flying fuck

My baby sleeps 13 hours at night, and he poos in the morning. So there's one nappy. If we were using disposables (I have no idea if disposables and their gel beads last this long) and one of the 4 a day users that would leave 3 nappies to use in 11 hours. On average less than 4 hours in a nappy. Not as eek then. As you keep saying, whatever the hell it means.

Now please fuck off and personally challenge some other mother about her choices and experiences

I disagree, you probably use more energy, water, washing powder & disposable liners than it's worth bothering with.

I think both are just as bad on the environment & pocket when you take the above into consideration.
Why waste precious time on something that can be bought in a packet for £5 ?

Because I honestly don't find them that time-consuming compared to disposables, and I'm more convinced by actual studies like the one I linked above, which concludes cloth is significantly better for the environment (as long as you wash/dry/reuse them sensibly), than by someone's guess that it's not? Also because my baby gets nappy rash in disposables, and because I like the idea of saving all that landfill.

I am not interested on being preachy to others - God knows there's plenty of environmentally-friendly things I don't bother with, for a start. But come on, it's not like people who use cloth are just making up the eco benefits because we love pegging laundry out to dry.

Nimh thanks for the offer.but on reflection,no. I won't fuck off