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'm a cloth bum mummy and I'm yet to meet anyone else that does in my area! My son is the first and only cloth kid at nursery too. I changed to full time cloth because I'm a stop at home mum and my husband lost his job. With 2 in nappies we couldn't afford to buy packets of nappies and wipes all the time. People forget that they are reusable so are really cheap to pick up second hand. Bit of research and off we went!

^^Lucafritz Tue 20-Aug-19 12:08:06
I was looking at the main brand competitor which seems to be pampers. And using newborn nappies as price comparison is pointless as they get more expensive per nappy the bigger the nappy you buy but for sake of argument if your spending 3.6p per nappy and your baby was average at about 6-8 nappies per day you'd be spending about £8.60 a month in nappies with the added risk of running out of them or baby having a bad reaction to all the chemicals in them etc whereas with a reusable as i stated upthread it costs about 15p per wash to clean them so 2 washes a week depending on the size of the nappy stash would cost only £2.40 per month. Also as mentioned by previous posters disposables stink they don't biodegrade at all they kill the planet (that thing your children need to live) and there are expensive plus all the faff of running out of them having to go to the shops constantly for more etc. Im choosing to pass on all that plus a cloth nappy baby looks so much cuter than a baby in a soggy looking disposable that looks like it constantly needs a change.* I rest my case won't be furthering this argument with idiots who can't see past their own selfishness and immaturity to actually do some of their oen research and do what's right for their children and grandchildrens futures*^^

LMAO
NO nappy is cute, they are literal shit catchers.
so where was your computer or phone made? All eco friendly I assume.......
ever been on a plane? better cycle everywhere
Its idiotic to think all wanna live the same way you do, add extra stresses to their lives when really, they dont need to
Whats right for families is what keeps them going, for some an extra load or 2 in washing is too much and thats ok

@AdelaideK only planning 2 kids thanks. Like most I suspect. And I'd rather have 2 in reusables than disposables.

@BrightRight EXACTLY
@ArtistOfTheFloatingWorld you're welcome

Jesus @AdelaideK

I’ll just pack in recycling, quit the staycations, and go back to eating shitloads of cheap meat then, eh?

Don’t shit on the folk who are actually trying.

Thanks to this thread tonight I’m picking up a trial pack of reusables from the nappy support team I didn’t even realise existed in my area until 48hrs ago.

If anyone gives a shit (pun intended) I’ll let you know how it goes.

@PaulHollywoodsSexGut Yay! Good luck!

Genuinely don't understand why people are getting so narky!

Don't want your kid in cloth, for whatever reason? Use single use!
Do want your kid in cloth? Do it!
Do want your kid it cloth part time? Go for it!
Don't want your kid to wear any nappy? Whatever you think it best!

How has this turned into yet another thread full of angry women who seem to be way too interested in what is encasing other kids arses and seeming personally affronted because other women do something different to them?? 😴😴😴😴😴

Also... what is this viewpoint that it has to be all or nothing! You use cloth so god forbid you ever use a phone or drive a car?
I was under the impression that every little helps when it comes to saving the planet? :)

I loved our cloth nappies! Plop poo in toilet, stuck in washer, not too difficult. I had 2 in nappies at the same time. In fact, they are still in a box in the loft, "just in case", but now that dcs are 13 and 11, I think that ship has sailed😂

If any Mumsnetters wants a set of cloth with all the bits, you can have them for free! Maybe just pay postage if you're far from me...

Purely cost for us. I would love to use them

@Sweetbabycheezits what a generous offer! What brands did you use? X

Re the comments about the extra work - that's your viewpoint. From my point of view it was less work to use washable nappies. I didn't want the mental load of working out nappy size/preferred brands/not running out and therefore found washable easier. Also no nappy rash with my sensitive kids (my first 2 would get a rash after a day in disposables for instance). So for me it was easier. But to each their own! Certainly worth considering in the first instance.
As for the ridiculous comment re number of kids - the idea that someone would decide how many kids to have for environmental reason is ludicrous at best and a complete aberration if you know anything about human psyche. In any event I didn't opt for washable nappies for environmental reasons anyway, that was just an added bonus.
And yes it definitely doesn't have to be all or nothing. My 3rd child currently mostly uses dispo at night atm as it's easier for us. And has used some dispo during the day for potty training before moving on to normal underwear.

I've used reusables on my son since he was 2 weeks old and plan to use them on my second due soon. OP I agree, I think it's a shame more people don't use them. I think the main reason is probably the massive amount of misconceptions out there about them, as evidenced on this thread. I planned to use them because of environmental concerns, but we love them really because they save us money and we never have leaks/poo explosions.

Everyone should be trying to do their bit to help preserve the environment for their children, for some that's using cloth nappies, but for others it might be something else, like not having a car. The thing is it doesn't have to be all or nothing with cloth nappies either. Kids are in nappies for 3 years almost now on average. I started at 2 weeks, I have a friend who started at 6months when her LO reflux was finally under control. Another started at 18months when the PND fog lifted. No one I know who uses them is a SAHM either. Or has 2 washing machines

I also thinks it's a shame this is being made into some feminist issue. It was my idea to use reusables yeah, but my DH got on board (because he had to). He did almost all the nappy changes in the early days (c-section) and does the majority now despite working full time to my part time, as he is my sons nappy changer of choice! He even puts the nappies in the washing machine.

I've never judged anyone (openly at least) for any parenting choices, but I've been judged, both in RL and on this thread for using reusables. I barely mentioned it whilst pregnant as I thought people would scoff, and so many people told me it wouldn't work as it didn't work for them because of xyz. Everyone is different.

And I don't enjoy trawling through poo (or do it very often!) and I'm not some poor downtrodden housewife. It works for us. You do you.

'I've just read the whole thread and it's interesting that a lot of the people who use reusables mention having 3 or 4 children.

Not that environmentally conscious then.'

I don't know of any statistics, but I assume its better to have 4 children,use cloth, buy sustainable clothes or buy secondhand, have no or a small amount of meat/diary than to have 1 if you're the sort to use disposables, support fast fashion and are the sort to eat meat nearly every day or every day!

I don't know of any statistics, but I assume its better to have 4 children,use cloth, buy sustainable clothes or buy secondhand, have no or a small amount of meat/diary than to have 1 if you're the sort to use disposables, support fast fashion and are the sort to eat meat nearly every day or every day!

You think that using cloth nappies and shopping more sustainably when they’re kids offsets three entire lifetimes of energy consumption, food consumption, waste production, transport, simply breathing etc? I think you’ll find it difficult to find statistics to back that up!

Cloth nappies are great. We should all use them if we can, but come on now.

All these comments about extra washing and falling to the woman as extra women's work! Should we wear disposable clothes as well to lessen the load? Are men not capable of washing clothes and nappies? My partner and I work and both of us are quite capable of putting a load of washing on in the morning then whoever is home first hangs it up.

Sweet I was in your position and saw that a cloth nappy bank had opened locally so I donated mine to that and got to feel really smug and got rid of them

The too much work thing - it’s not like you have to walk to the river to wash them is it? If you get into your routine it’s fine. I literally couldn’t bear the guilt of disposables they made me feel sick thinking of mountains of my dcd nappies mouldering away for years. But that’s my issue.

The thing is, although people think about the environmental impact more now, most people still probably plan the number of children they have based on emotions and finances.
And its surely better to have 3 children and use cloth nappies, buy everything second hand etc. Than to not do any of that, but still have 3 children.

Platform is spot on.

I had a few reusables nappies for DC2 but I only used them when I was at home. I still used disposables, but I found a routine where I could easily incorporate reusables into my routine.

I also agree that if using reusables nappies don't work for whatever reason, there are plenty of over ways to 'do your bit' for the environment.

Day 1 of cloth nappy trial:

One turd. Caught in biodegradable liner and flushed down loo.

At this point i am guiltily glad DD is a little constipated as it was just like disposing of a wax crayon that had been in the sun.

PaulHollywoodsSexGut please, please do not flush the liners, they don't break down. (If you don't believe me stick a clean one in a bowl of water and see how long it takes to breakdown. Compare it to some loo roll).

These ones say they’re flushable - fucking hell, so even though they say they’re flushable they aren’t?!

You can use reusable liners. They’re a lot softer than the disposable ones and cheaper in the long run.

as it was just like disposing of a wax crayon that had been in the sun

This is what the Nappy Lady site says about flushing.

'Disposable liners biodegrade much slower than toilet roll so if you have any concerns over your drains or just want to avoid problems you should not flush liners. Wet only liners can go into your compost bit if you have one or even your paper recycling bin (WET ONLY!!!) This will dramatically cut how many liners potentially go down the drain if you choose to flush or into your rubbish bin. Please refer to the packaging of your liners to see if they are recommended for flushing or not, most do not recommend flushing. Personally I was a liner flusher when I used disposable liners and took the risk but officially we do not recommend flushing them.'

@DamnitCharlie being capable and doing it are two different things. You can't force your Partner to Parent equally. Or some can't because of working hours.

For those using fans/heaters etc to dry your washing, your carbon emissions could be more than for disposables.

I used cloth nappies in the 80's. We'd have a bucket with soda crystals in and drop nappies and separately TOTM underwear in, to soak before washing.

It was the drying that was the issue. But we had laundrettes on every corner and it was cheaper (and healthier) than heating a room, so they could dry.

I agree that it's always Women's behaviour and anything to do with young children, that is scrutinised. As is Women's spending.

There's been an attack on producing babies, in terms of the environment. Mainly because it's easier than attacking our rubbish transport systems, air travel, meat consumption, how we generate electricity etc.

So we create another stick to beat Mothers with.