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?

I do a bit of both. I will say this though reusable nappies can be a pain. Especially when I’m travelling with the baby, which is frequent. I just can’t handle carrying around a shit filled nappy until I get someplace I can wash it. When I’m not on the road we try and do reusable as much as possible.

I had 2 in cloth at once... one until 7yo. We had him in disps at 3-5yo at night, actually, but switched back to cloth & saved a lot of money that way. Very glad I used cloth for that extended night time period.

Wet-only disps smell, too. I came to hate the disp smell as much as wee.

I still have some of the muslins, 20 odd years ago.

Great for face cleansing.

LOL, how on earth did my mother cope with shitty nappies in the days before disposables? A nappy liner, plastic pants to hold the leaks in and NO AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES!!!! People are just inherently lazy and as a PP has said, no actually gives a stuff about the environment if it makes their life more difficult. A bit like reuseable sanpro, that's what my grandmother used to use, with no washing machines at all.

Well I certainly hope you aren't using a washing machine then. The energy to manufacture then the ongoing energy to power them is ruining the environment.

I mean they used to do it years ago without a washing machine so you must be just LAZY if you do have one .

Can we please remember that "back in the day" before automatic washing machines and disposable nappies and all the other lovely modern conveniences we take for granted women largely spent their lives doing domestic chores, children were seen and not heard and life in general was very very different. Any comparison to how women did it years ago is largely meaningless.

Everyone has a reason for the choices they make... chuffing hell men never rip each other over how they contain baby poo.

This thread has appeared at just the right time! I'm currently looking into reusable nappies, I'm thinking of going for the 2 part ones (no tumble dryer, baby due in winter so getting all in ones dry would be a nightmare). Does anyone use them and would you recommend them? :)

We used two part nappies (Little lambs then Motherease Sandy’s, over Airflow wraps). No leaks. Those jokes about poonamis up the back of vests? Never had anything like that happen. And reusable wipes just work a lot better at removing shit than normal baby wipes do.

We have 14 nappies and 6 wraps, and this size has lasted from six months old to now. You can make about 30-50% back by re-selling when you’re done. We use a fleece liner inside and the poop just drops off when you shake it over the toilet. Nursery use disposable papers liners. So the nappies themselves don’t have shit on them.

I think more people should try them out - nursery were very uncertain to start with, but we’ve actually converted one of the nursery workers to use them on her own children because she can see they work well and aren’t hard to use.

I had three in nappies so it was no brainer for me. Far easier and cheaper. You have the washable insert or a disposable biodegradable liner so of course you dont put the shite in a washing machine. I had quite a collection of wacky snazzy nappies and even sold them on afterward at a rather decent price. Ours were very young when they were out of nappies thankfully. Many people thought I was an eco-warrior but it is just common sense nappies are vile.

Banana I’d look at Little Lambs. If you need speedy drying get a few microfibres ones, they dry super-fast. They don’t hold quite as much wee as the bamboo ones, so we had half and half (and used the bamboo ones overnight).

www.thenappylady.co.uk/shaped-sized-nappies/little-lamb-microfibre.html

I’d also recommend a heated drying rack if you don’t already have one - babies create a lot of extra washing.

Haven't read the thread so not sure if this has already been mentioned, but nurseries and childminders don't (as far as I know, maybe some do) deal with washable nappies. I did get a couple but they leaked and also ds' nursery didn't allow them.

Of course it becomes another stick to beat mums with - selfish for working in so many ways and this is just another one "they should think of the environment and not use childcare because they can't use washable nappies".

Sashkin - ooh fantastic thank you! Do you have to use the specific little lamb nappy covers with them or can you use another brand? :)

I've had all 3 of my kids in washable nappies. For me it wasn't ecological impact (though a positive!) But merely convenience and cost! I found it much easier to use that than work out the brand/size of dispo nappies. And the mental load: no need to remember to buy etc. Also: the thought of having loads of shirty nappies in the bin disgusts me way more than the thought of them being washed in the washing machine (the intended purpose of the washing machine!!) As well as being a worry if the dog ever got into the nappy bin...

I'd recommend organic hemp inserts if using cloth. A real lifesaver

Banana you can use any wrap, we used Motherease Airflow wraps which are bombproof. Lots available secondhand on The Nappy Lady FB group as well.

Berlin DS has now been to three different nurseries in two different countries (Canada and UK), and none of them, or any of the others we looked around, have batted an eyelid about dealing with washable nappies.

@Hmmmbop THANK YOU that's what I was after - I need details!

On the reusable wipes, I actually have a fleece set I made but though I tried to use them for nappies I was taking them out of the machine and they weren't very clean so I've just been wiping faces and hands after he's eaten and then putting straight in the washing machine, which is easy since we're already in the kitchen.

What kind of wipes do you use and how do you collect / wash them when cleaning bums? Currently we have a normal pedal bin next to the changing table, not sure how to store before washing, I assume I'd be putting them in with the nappies on a hot wash?

the thought of having loads of shirty nappies in the bin disgusts me way more than the thought of them being washed in the washing machine

Actually it was that that convinced DH to switch to cloth. I’d been considering it pre-baby and DH was worried it would be too much work with a newborn, but one week of living with a stinking bin fully of dirty nappies quickly brought him round. A lidded nappy bucket with the water changed daily is far less disgusting.

I used them for my three, starting with DS1 21 years ago. All in ones were new and expensive so I only bought a couple, they were very cute but didn't work that well. The ones I persevered with were Terry squares that you folded into an oblong pad and then tucked into modern waterproof pants. They were easy to dry because they pegged out on the line like traditional nappies ( very satisfying). I still use them as floor cloths!
I'm also convinced my boys all potty trained early ( just before two) because they experienced feeling wet after a pee, not that it seemed to bother them!
The only person to also try was my sister and she lived in New York with no laundry facilities in her building! With a good washing machine it's easy, you don't need to soak them like in the old days, or boil them because of modern cleaning products. Good old sunlight is enough bleach too.

“back in the day” DM and MiL both worked or studied at least part time, but they used cloth nappies because they had no alternative!!

To those squirming at the idea of scraping poo: you're meant to put solid poo from disposables from 6 months too. Because the toilet is the best place for poo.

I had 3 kids under 3 , 20+ years ago . I used washable nappies ,bought them shaped from mothercare then put waterproof cover over ,saved us a fortune,dried quickly as well overnight .

No shitty nappies in a nappy bin ..you use a liner that’s flushable,

There is plastic getting into the sea from Washing also so I just got my DC out of nappies as soon as they turned 2 I also use a menstral cup myself instead of pads! I did try the reusable nappies and they leaked so I would not use them again. everything has an impact

I’ve never known anyone to empty the poo from the nappy into the toilet. I didn’t realise that was even a thing! They go straight in the bin

No liner is truly flushable, no more than a baby sock is flushable. They are all made of unsuitable materials for any sewage system to deal with.

We only dry pailed our cloth nappies. I don't know how to wet-pail without making a mess. The wet onlys went straight into the machine to wash with rest of household textiles.

I used to put a banana skin in the nappy bucket for the hot wash items (lidded bucket, anyway). I swear the banana skin helped to neutralise odours.

Because I have enough laundry to do! TBH disposables are just so much easier.