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?

@Quaffy I used to do that too but then a friend mentioned she just lets them work their way loose and it works just as well (and no having to handle the dirty nappies!) You could try nappy sanitiser if you don't already - I use a scoop of the MioFresh stuff.

Thank you for all the comments. Good to read the different view points. Still reading through but for those that have asked, I use reusable sanitary pads. They are lovely and soft. I did use a mooncup pre-DC but much prefer the pads now.

We tried with cloth nappies but quickly gave up. Combination of factors: we don’t have a dryer and our son was born in the depths of winter. We already had trouble drying just our laundry pre baby. Add in sicky reflux baby and there was so much laundry.

My partner was squeamish about poo and as he does the laundry, I didn’t push it.

I also didn’t really have the capacity. I just needed least complicated solution. I found newborn stage hard. I agree that they’re a better solution but I failed to make them work for us.

I looked into them and was told I needed a tumble dryer to dry them otherwise it compromised their absorbency, and I didn't have one at the time. I also had a very small house and kitchen and didn't have the space for nappy buckets, storage for dirty nappies, or space for drying inside in winter. I went on to have two under 18 months old so there was a convenience issue too.

We can get grants where I live for the initial outlay. I had not read much about them with my dd bit was keen to try after I had my dd but a conversation with my mum put me off as she said I would have enough to do with two young babies (small age gap).

If we have another I intend to give them a try as I know a lot more about them.

People are reluctant to use reusable nappies because it’s so much easier to use disposable ones!
We found washables nicer, and easier in some ways.
Poo goes down the loo and isn't on your indoor, or outdoor black she HOT bin for ages. And it was weekly collections when DS was a baby IIRC, down to fortnightly now.
They are much better at containing poo.
If you get the right fit they are just as good for wee.
They smell less.
(And you get to be smug).

I like the idea, but I don’t think they would work for us. We live in a flat, and I barely keep on top of the washing we have, and is difficult to use washing machine at naptimes and at night for this reason too. Very limited space to dry things. I work, I don’t have anymore time to be doing anymore laundry. Looking at the cost, I actually don’t think it’s any cheaper to do reusables, and it’s more work.
If it was significantly cheaper, I lived in a bigger house with a utility room, a place to dry things more efficiently, and I could afford to work less or not all, then maybe it would be viable. It’s actually a bit of a luxury I think and it’s brilliant if you can afford it financially and in time spent... I don’t really have either.

I know terry nappies were once commonplace, but I think disposables were a lot more expensive, and most women didn’t work. I think it really comes down to a cost benefit ratio for each family tbh.

Regarding cost.... currently spending about £2 a week on nappies... how do reusables compare?

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this already but I have a disabled DS who is still in nappies. They don't really make reusables for 11yr olds.

I was living in Brighton when DD was a baby and they gave you 5 free washable nappies - they were two-parters which i found a bit tricky but it piqued my interest enough to try out others. I think nappy lady did trial packs so i ordered a load of different types and ended up with BumGenius. I had 15 of those which was enough for 3 days, so 2 days worth would get washed on day 3 and be dry enough to use by day 4. Sold them, and a load of washable wipes, for £50 at an NCT sale once we were done.

I did it for financial rather than environmental reasons at the time (DD had been prem and in micro nappies, i got a shock at the price of the next size up!).

Being actually given a small starter pack seems like a great idea

For me it's because they look bulky and uncomfortable for baby and they don't keep them as dry.

For me, at the time, the biggest plus was getting the DCs toilet trained earlier.

My two are in their twenties, so the environmental impact at the time wasn't so acute.

Personally, I don’t have the time to deal with them. Might sound like a cop out but I just don’t.

I do my bit in other ways so il not going to lose sleep over nappies 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm due PFB next month and looked into reusables- I used a mooncup pre-pregnancy and am using reusable sanitary pads and breast pads at the moment, so I am probably an ideal "candidate" for reusable nappies. However I found the whole thing incredibly confusing and expensive. What really blew the idea out of the water for me was finding out that different reusables suit different shaped babies, and that there is trial and error involved in getting the right ones.

I would have been happy paying £200 for a starter kit, but given there was no guarantee it would work out I just couldn't justify the cost. I also know that it will be difficult getting used to life with a baby, and I'm unlikely to have the headspace or money to be sourcing and trying different reusables. And DH doesn't give a shit it will fall to me. There's little to no secondhand market locally- just had a look on fb marketplace and the only ones on sale are £10 a pop or £120 for 15. Secondhand!

I also looked into "biodegradable" nappies when I realised reusables were unlikely to be for us. They're a real swizz- there's no such thing as a truly biodegradable nappy. Only certain parts of the product will degrade, and even then only in specific conditions which aren't seen in normal domestic landfill.

I will go for reusable wipes for use at home, but nappies-wise we'll be sticking with Lidl at 6p a go.

Bucket @ 9.99 £2.99 clip lid from Wilko
Nappy Mesh twin pack @8.75 no idea what this is, I didn't need one?
Nappies 15Teddyssize 1 (8-22lbs)Aplix@ 9.34 15x tots bots yep similar price
Night Time Nappies 5 Bumble poppers @ 9.85** not necessary
Wraps 5MothereaseRikki Small 7- 12lbs @11.99 5x tots bots yep similar price
Wraps 5MothereaseRikki Mediums @ 11.99**
Boosters 6 Triple layer boosters @ 10.00** cotton face cloths from Wilko or similar £1 for 3 give or take
Not included in the total price Liners Ultra liners 100 a roll (flushable) pack of [email protected]
Optional and not included in the total price-Washable Wipes 40 (full time use) @33.00 see above re face cloths\cut up towels
Optional and not included in the total price-Vest Extenders 3 @ 6.49 not necessary

I had 15 nappies in s1 and 15 in s2 plus 5 wraps in each. This I spent about £350 in total.

I preferred separates, one wrap lasted all day and one clean one for through night and I found with separates I could get the wrap on tighter which prevented leaks. I used a towelling face cloth folded up as a booster through night, these also could be used up as reusable wipes (clean ones obviously!)

Once DS was doing more solid poops if he did one in a clean nappy without a wee / little wee I could remove the poop on the liner and just put a clean liner back in the nappy, with a disposable it would've been a complete new nappy.

No nappy rash, very few leaks despite being a boy and a tummy sleeper.

Wet nappies in a cheap clip top box from Wilko, wash on every 2 days. Not sure why people seem to think chucking 7 nappies in a washing machine with some detergent is a faff - takes 60 seconds? And those saying "too tired/post CS/new baby worries" don't your DPs know how to use a washing machine?

I also used to hang them on one of those octopus sock hanger things in the airing cupboard in winter.

I kept disposables for emergencies and the odd occasion we needed to use them I just though they looked so uncomfortable hanging all saggy on him one they were wet?

I worked full time and DS was in nursery, neither I nor them found reusable a hassle at all.

YABU people have different circumstances. The start up cost us prohibitive for many, as is the cost of running a washing machine so often. I found with my eldest I could only use them in summer as we don't have a tumble dryer and as we'd bought thick ones they take days to dry in winter. My youngest has very sensitive skin and eczema on his bum, even a lot of so called eco disposables hurt him but we've found a brand that works.
We also don't have a car and spend a lot of time on public transport which isn't great for anyone when you're carrying a pooey nappy or two, especially in a heat wave.

I agree more people should use them. That said, I've found the people I know who use them all have cars, a SAHP, tumble dryers and a decent disposable income.

I think everyone should use soap nuts for their laundry instead of detergents, only buy second hand clothes and stop flying abroad. I also don't think people in cities should have cars without special circumstances but I would be unreasonable to push this on others. We can all do more but we can't expect everyone to be able to manage what we can.

I toilet trained DS quite early (2yrs and 2 or 3 months) because I felt so guilty about using disposables. He had sensitive skin and was already getting annoyed at wet nappies at around 20m so I can imagine DC getting fed up with reusables even sooner.

Good thread op, I have some questions... I'm interested in putting my very tall 9 month old in reusables but I have some questions... he is a great eater and does about 3-4 often big, bad, squelchy poos a day - it's completely disgusting. Sometimes if he's been crawling around and we haven't realised he's done a poo, he gives himself a wedgie and then the poo escapes.

Given that these poos are sticky and not really 'flickable' into the loo, I assume I'd need to use a liner. I think it'll need to be a flushable disposable one as I don't think I can face scraping anything off - any recommendations?

Also, I used a bambino mio on ds once when he was about 2 or 3 months old and I had to change him an hour and a half after it went on because he was wet - I don't want to be changing him after every little wee or I'll be changing him 10 times a day! Would the disposable liner help with that too?

And finally... should you change the nappy every time or just the liner, or does it depend? Approx how many nappies would you expect to go through in a day?

...and bearing in mind I'll be going back to work 4 days a week in a couple of months, is this going to be at all sustainable? I don't want to drown under laundry.

Because dd1 was so skinny the wee leaked out of the sides. Dd2 I really persevered buy it was far from ideal mostly just gross

I cut up old rags to use as liners; big family, so plenty of trashed clothing to cut up. If full of squelchy poo then I could double bag the rag (in something like old cereal/bread/packaging bags) and dispose of in household bin. Else wash & reuse the rag liner.

So newborns only need tiny nappies (muslins often suffice), while bigger tots can probably get thru 6-7 terries/day. Per child, the cloth nappies amount to basically the same as one large thick adult bath towel/day in volume. If you think that would mean drowning in laundry, that's your call to decide.

... when we used disps I found they tended to cost £5/week. That was 15+ yrs ago. Very impressed by the £2/week person! Suppose use only 3 nappies/day, 7 days week, that means < 10p per nappy. Is that a standard price nowadays?

Given that these poos are sticky and not really 'flickable' into the loo, I assume I'd need to use a liner. I think it'll need to be a flushable disposable one as I don't think I can face scraping anything off - any recommendations?

Please don't. Flushable only means that the liner goes through the pipe, and it ends up clogging up the sewers or polluting the sea.