To wonder why more people don't use reusable nappies?

[GinGeum]

I know this will be controversial and I know there will always be some circumstances when they are not suitable, but since becoming a parent, I've not come across a single other parent using reusable nappies.

Everyone I know has also said they were never mentioned to them at all by antenatal classes/midwife/anyone. In the hospital, none of the staff we encountered had any idea what our baby was wearing.

Surely now we are all thinking about reducing plastic, disposable nappies should be fairly high on the list of things to cut down on? Programmes like the war on plastic on BBC barely mentioned disposable nappies. Even switching to reusable wipes would make a huge difference.

AIBU to wonder why reusable nappies aren't promoted more?

My son is 18 and my daughter is 11 and I used square cloth nappies. They were great - nappy liners kept the poo out and I was very proud of my line of white nappies.

I never had leak problems with them and they didn't smell like disposables. The smell of disposables makes me feel I'll!

@Itsonlytuesdayqwer so by your logic it's either do EVERYTHING to help the environment, or nothing at all? What a ridiculous post.

*ill not I'll

@hooraysuperworm There are reusable training/nappy pants. Grovia, Bambino mio and close are a few brands. Check out secondhand sales pages on FB to reduce costs. They won't hold as much as a disposable pull up.
For reusable wipes, cut up old towels are just as good. You can hem them if you have a machine, but they will last pretty well even without. Ask around friends or on local FB sale/swap groups for people getting rid of old towels. You don't need to buy the branded cloth wipes.

WInter drying without a tumble drier, cheaply: Must pass on this tip which came from my very local and excellent nappy seller:

Pop your washing on an airer, point an electric fan at it (on cold ) and leave a window behind it in the room very slightly ajar to help the excess moisture dispersal.

I've used cloth nappies with two babies and I love them, they are so much better for their skin and poo explosions don't happeb. However, I have to admit, they do have their drawbacks, so I fully understand why people don't use them.

They are hugely expensive (for the most reliable one's), they create mounds of extra washing (especially a problem if you don't own a dryer) and they can be trickier to change. You also have to know a lot about the different types of nappies and how to care for them.

I've actually decided not to use them now my youngest is off the nursery because it would mean transporting clean nappies to the nursery every morning and dirty nappies back home every evening. I don't drive, so that would be a fun commute!

@Ginandgingers92 What you’re missing on that spreadsheet is a convenience cost. I don’t want to spend time ‘flicking poo into the toilet,’ as a PP suggested. I have better things to do with my time.

The table also doesn’t include the cost of washing powder, hot water for the washing machine, etc.

Such as putting disposables in bags and taking them outside to bin? Which takes exactly the same amount of time I mean it's fine not to want to use them but don't use ridiculous arguments or try to suggest that people who use reusables have a much less busy and important life than you

It’s funny yo day that as if you read the thread you will see plenty of responses from posters who said that the time taken to wash and dry reusables would have ‘sent them over the edge.’ So maybe lots of mothers have other/better things to do with their time, not just me!

Does anyone know the environmental impact of cotton wool? Better than wipes but not as good as a flannel I'm guessing?

My baby goes through about 5 nappies a day at 5p per nappy. When he was younger he used more nappies but they were cheaper. So 25p a day for two and a bit years is £200.

A set of cloth nappies would cost over £200, plus I’d have to buy disposable liners at a cost of about 3p each (over £100 in total), plus the cost of electricity and soap powder. It would be way more expensive and more hassle. It might work out cheaper if you have multiple babies but I’m only having one.

I know you can buy second hand nappies but as pp have said, you wouldn’t buy second hand knickers. I wouldn’t put my baby in second hand nappies.

Op do u use tampons or pads?

The thought of storing poopy nappies/wipes between washing cycles is really gross. I also really hate the noise from the washing machine and wouldn’t want it on any more than it has to be. We’re past that stage now anyway.

I find the comment from Oddsocks123 abhorrent. It's tough enough being a new mum without this horrific judging and making parents feel guilty.

Has anyone mentioned the environmental impact of laundering reusuables? Ie- detergents, Washington cycles, water usage and tumble drying?

Just thought it would be interesting to see exactly how environmentally friendly it is compared with disposables? I mean, I'm presuming it's more environmentally friendly, but I suspect there is still an impact with reusables.

I used them with my second dc who is now 16. There was as scheme subsidised by the council at the time so it was cheaper than disposable and really well organised. Airtight ' bin' which was emptied weekly and new with new, clean nappies delivered . Found it really straightforward and she was potty trained much faster than dc1.Shame that this hasn't taken off.

Washington cycles? I think that's meant to read "washing" machine cycles

My nursery is happy (and even encourages) to use cloth nappies. They installed a special sink to sluice them in and everything. They say they care about the environment and realise that some babies bums don't get on with disposables.

That’s great. Not every nursery is like this. If not, parents can’t force them. Over my kids we used a few as moved areas with work. None of those would have contemplated it. If you didn’t like it there was a waiting list miles long that would have towed the line eager to take your spot so how does that work?

We use Lidl disposables. I utilised our local nappy library from 9 weeks (we'd been on a university nappy study prior to this) and I hated them. I tried and tried but i didn't have a positive experience at all.

We use disposables and, when I researched into it, knowing the carbon emissions were a negative factor helped alleviate the guilt a little.

I do use reusable sanitary towels, reusable cotton face pads and reusable baby wipes. We are not planning on any more than one child, we won't be flying for a long while until the baby is a lot older and then only rarely, we take public transport to work and we do things like meat free days and always have the heating on low in the winter. I think it's ok to have a black mark on our record when we do well elsewhere.

I used them with my 3 youngest children, who are now aged 15,13 and 11. I loved them. They really aren't that much work and so much nicer. We had all sorts of fun nappy, including christmas ones, which admittedly added to the cost.
As for the extra bulk and babies looking uncomfortable, it is actually better for them. one of my sons had a clicky hip and the doctors were happy to see that he wore reuseables. They said that the extra bulk is better for babies' hips.

Really surprised by all the people on this thread washing theirs at 40. I wash mine at 60 and they don’t come clean. Is this because I dry-store them?

If you use disposables then the waste issue is a given but some are made more sustainably eg Naty, Mum&You and are worth looking into if you are concerned about environmental factors but can’t face reusables.

I agree reusable wipes are incredibly easy. I can’t bear the wanton way some parents use disposable wipes, eg using 2 for a wet nappy. If you must use them, use them sparingly.

I store them dry and they're clean at 40. If there's any staining I just hang them out in sun and rain and that tends to sort it. I do them at 60 every few rotations though.

Rain is amazing for making them soft again and freshening them.

Plus I feel sorry for stinky baby who has an increased chances of infertility and certain types of cancer. Seriously ya'll, consider what is actually in them! If you don't care or believe in the climate crisis and plastic pollution... Surely you want to give your child the best start in life?

Solid gold and winner of today’s internet.

Where are the references for this? Not shitty Popular Pete’s website but peer reviewed medical journals?

With mine I went back to work around 3mths, worked 12hr/ish shifts. DH and I tag teamed so they had a parent at home but we only overlapped by 3hrs/day. Try and fit in some sleep, baby care, cooking, cleaning and you really want people to fit in extra laundry as well????

We sent ours to daycare/nursery from 2yo and none would have contemplated reusables. Great for those that have centred that do but none of ours would over our kids and I don’t blame them. Also, my line of work at the time when mine were born/young involved a LOT of bodily fluids. Didn’t have to deal with it at work (others got that joy). Sure as shit was not coming home to deal with it.

My kids have all had ‘the best start in life’. Infertility and cancer due to disposables may be something you have been sucked into but it’s not a thing. Also, in new news, the earth is round.

Are they all bunched together in the mesh bag? I make sure top is open so they can work their way out in the wash as otherwise they don't clean as well. The one time I forgot to loosen top, I had to rewash. You could try a pre-rinse programme too.

Thank you celebelly. I actually take them out of the bag and open them out to wash which is a bit grim - just throwing the bag in and opening the top is a much better idea