To not understand common attitudes to disposable personal hygiene products?

[hooochycoo]

I'm confronted by this again and again on MN, and I confess I don't understand why it's OK to justify using disposable nappies, wet wipes, sanitary protection etc? Why is it OK to add so much rubbish to the world on the justification of convenience when there are alternatives that are still easy but generate less or no waste? Use a flannel, use a moon up, put/hold your baby regularly over a toilet/ potty, use modern easy quick drying cloth nappies. Why's it OK to recoil in horror at the hippyness of such things? But it's ok to continue buying disposable rubbish from huge corporations and throw them into landfill? Apart from an argument of "each to their own", aibu to not get it?

But I still don't agree convenience is a valid argument. I'll keep an open mind to be convinced otherwise though. Anyway, got to get off train now ( not as bad as a plane, not as good as a horse and cart) so won't be responding as quickly. Please don't think I'm ignoring you, just got to go. Thanks for debate!

I am 37 and don't really care what happens in the world after I leave it. I work in the oil and gas industry, drive a big car that has saved our lives 4 times. You can't expect everyone to resent it. The first time we moved to the ME my cousin said to have air conditioning is the same as genocide. I urge anyone to live through a 52c summer without it to say it is a sacrifice you would expect your children to understand

Are we moving backwards in time and heading towards the 1950s? I've read a few threads on here today that make me think we are.

No flaming, as I've said, medical
Issues are a different issue!

No I don't drive/fly. I've potty trained a child. I use child are about half the week. I have a busy career. I am a feminist and an environmentalist. I think that is possible! I am not a man.

We do these things because we are a large complex society and have multiple responsibilities beyond worrying that our family's landfill contribution might go up by something like 0.0001% over a lifetime as a consequence of doing this.

Meanwhile there are many more significant causes of environmental damage that are worth greater attention. If women faff about rinsing jam jars and using Mooncups thinking they are saving the world, then they are sadly deluded.

Can I ask where you put used pads that you intend to take home to wash? I mean when you're at work and stuff? Not everyone works in an office or is able to carry a bag around. I'm thinking of police officers and the like. Difficult god teachers too I imagine.

How many dcs do you have op? I have 3, soon to be 4, one with additional needs and I'm on my own from mon-fri. I struggle to fit everything in as it is and just don't know how I would fit in all the extra washing let alone holding baby over the toilet. I already struggle. Maybe I should stop putting the disposable mats on dc3s bed as well and just take his mattress to landfill every 3mths.

but I still don't agree inconvenience is a valid argument

that's it.

women Back to the home for you.back to the Monday wash day for us all and scrubbing the front step, washing by hand, scrubbing your and your dds sanitary wear, holding your babies over the toilet!!!

career??? don't be silly that's inconvenient.

op you must be either very rich or have a rich husband who can support you as you have so much time to do all these pointless things.

yous all sound lazy, arrogant and bit uneducated.

!

When it comes to disposable nappies it is their manufacture that has the bigger environmental impact rather than the disposal, though this has reduced a lot in recent years. When it comes to reuseables they can have a higher or lower impact than disposables depending on how they are laundered and if they are reused for subsequent children.

It is not as simple as saying reuseable good disposable bad - life is rarely that black and white. If anyone can be bothered to trawl through it this is afaik the only meaningful study into the issue.

I have a career. I am not rich, nor do I have a rich husband. I have more than one kids. And I still think some of the comments on here sound lazy , arrogant and uneducated! For instance, I do think it's lazy to use disposable products purely for convenience. I think it's arrogant to think that because it's your choice and you can afford it then it's Ok. And I think it's uneducated to decide the alternatives aren't for you without having researched or tried them. Apologies if you think that's rude of me to hold that opinion.

Boffinmum, where should I be focusing instead or as well?

OP - you said But I still don't agree convenience is a valid argument. can I ask why not? Why is "I have limited time so I buy products that reduce the amount of time and effort I have to put into certain tasks" not valid? Why is not wanting to waste my time not something that's acceptable to you?

I don't have a lot of spare time, perhaps you do so you don't value time and effort in the same way.

Personally, I'll use things that make my life easier and reduce the amount of my limited time on this earth doing dull mundane things. If I use disposable nappies, I just take one off DD, stick it in the bin and put a clean one on her. I don't have to put any more effort in than that, I don't have to carry a selection of dirty nappies around with me for hours, I don't have to store them at home until I have a machine load full of them, put the machine on, put them in the tumble dryer. I just about manage to do one wash load of clothes a day for us, ifI have to factor in washing and drying nappies, that's going to eat into my time.

Same argument for reusable vs disposable saintary wear, with the added issues of a) I don't always know when my period's going to start, if I get caught out by a day, there's always somewhere close by I can quickly buy a pack of dispoable pads and b) the reusable ones my friends use are very thick - and will show through tight clothing. (as well as being less comfortable than disposable, and no, I don't care if you think I should have an uncomfy foff for the environment.)

I use loo roll that's on offer, I don't care if it's recycled or not, I use baby wipes because I can't be arsed carrying around several flannels to wipe Dd with.

I don't think it's healthy to keep holding a baby over a toilet, and again, I've got better things to do with my time.

My time on earth is limited, the earth's resources are limited. Of those two limited things, i value my time higher, you don't, that's great, I think you are wrong but it's your choice.

mmm it's fairly arrogant lazy and uneducated to criticise others actions based on YOUR personal preference.

posters have explained why they feel if necessary to use such products for a perfectly valid range of reasons. you ignore these.

again how on earth do you have the time to do all this washing and drying???

You decided to call people, lazy, selfish, arrogant, uneducated etc. because they didn't agree with you not for the reasons you have stated.

again how on earth do you have the time to do all this washing and drying??? she gets the maid to do it!

But do you understand how vital convenience actually is for mothers like me with a large brood of children including one with additional needs?

And yes, I'm sure you think having that large brood is, in itself irresponsible for we have specific, valid and very personal reasons for that choice rather than just wanting lots of kids. I wouldn't expect you to automatically assume that but the main problem with your op is that you are making the massive assumption that convenience is always a lazy choice.

Why do you want to deny us the conveniences that have allowed women their freedom? I don't want to spend my time in the office worrying about how to deal with a reusable sanitary pad discreetly. I don't want to spend my precious time at home with my son handwashing nappies like a 50s housewife.

I don't understand where in my tiny home I am supposed to keep all these soiled reusable cloths and nappies once I have discreetly got them home and where I am supposed to put them to dry once they are clean?

Each to their own. I don't think it 's helpful to judge others' choices. Please don't impose your preference for old-school wifework on me. It's not just convenience - it 's freedom for women not to have to struggle with washing when we could be out having jobs.

I haven't ignored them! I've said that medical reasons are understandable and fair enough others who have tried and failed and therefore make other choices .

But I think that saying you 'can't be arsed' and viewing your own convenience against the resources of the planet is wrong! I've explained how I do the washing and drying. It's not too bad.

The mumsnet is the perfect one for this job.

I would justify my choices, hoooch but CBA because you wouldn't want to hear anyway.

oh do go and weave some lentils

Why is your answer to the point that MurderOfGoths made about disposable sanitary protection and nappies being a feminist issue? Or the questions about the costs and environmental impact of washing and drying reusable sanitary pads and nappies?

I don't have a maid! I work too! I have two children! Now who is making assumptions?

It is not that diffucult honestly!

But I think that saying you 'can't be arsed' and viewing your own convenience against the resources of the planet is wrong! - why?

but then if we're trading character assessments, yous all sound lazy, arrogant and bit uneducated.
I was going to comment further. Went back to read from where I had left off and OP had posted the above.

I've got this really radical idea.

How's about every women uses what ever they feel comfortable and happy with, be it washable, disposable, genetically modified lentils with a bean crust or a babies sock, and every one else accepts and respects that womans CHOICE.

Well maybe not the baby's sock!

Gawd,a real proper lentil weaver.