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?

Don't you have to keep buying different sizes though?

Yes - not as often as the dispoable sizes though. I seem to recall buying having to buy two different sizes in the first few months. Bloody expensive 10 years ago and it's a good job I had lots of free ones from my friend.

Because they are really really hard work. Very simple. Disposables are easy. Separate, cold rinse, cool wash, another cold rinse. Hang a million liners and other associated bits on a line outside if you are lucky enough to have outside space or inside if its lashing down and you need dry stuff reasonably quick. When they're dry put them all back together and put away.
Then when they're on they leak and you are constantly changing cos they don't hold a lot.
All that on top of other kids, family, working full practically time. 4 years of it was enough for me. I was fanatical about it for a while as well. Realistically it's something that can be easy so people go for that option.

Wind the ones we used had popper or elastic systems so they grew as the child did. We used one nappy size from about 6 months until potty training. I think newborns generally do better in newborn specific sizes.

I don't understand it either, not that long ago everybody handwashed their nappies and that was just part of what you did if you had a baby. These days so many people can't even be bothered to put them in the washing machine?? It also confuses me why people are okay with so many toxic chemicals so close to such a sensitive area of their baby? Maybe they've not thought about whats actually in them, but personally you couldn't pay me to use disposables......

They use less water and electricity in washing than production of disposables, not to mention environmental benefit of less chemicals...WHY isn't cloth mainstream yet?? Weird.

Start up costs can be high, we use terries which are cheap. Even cheaper if you buy secondhand! You can also get cheap pockets and pad fold any cotton fabric in them. But even just a few cloth nappies a day means less in the landfill letting out toxic chemicals, or less being releasedinto our atmosphere if you live somewhere that incinerates. And a lesser impact of toxic chemicals against your baby.They either poison our land and water in landfill, or poison the air we breath.

I don't get on with menstrual cups, and there is a similar issue with having an expensive outlay for something which may not suit you. But I hardly ever have periods on my current pill, so it isn't much of an issue now.

.... I live in an area with lots of social deprivation and I can see lots of barriers.

Cost - its a big outlay when you don't have the money to begin with.

Storage - no where to store dirty nappies until you can wash them eg those living in a bed sit for example.

Cleaning - nowhere to dry them (mine took ages to dry) m. People often live in cramped accommodation.

@WindFlower92 nope! The majority are all 'birth to potty size' and have poppers you can use to make bigger/smaller for baby 👌🏼

@Windflower92 I did have small nappies (little lambs) which fit up to about 20lbs, but I got them unbelievably cheap second hand.

I prefer little and bloom, they fit from around 9lb and go up to potty training size, they dry very quickly on an airer and I'm hoping never to have to buy another. I have 15 of them and around 30 prefolds (like terries) which I use to stuff them with. I like the bum genius but I could manage without them, they're expensive in my opinion but are also very adjustable.

I was the only person I knew using them 15 years ago. They are definitely more hassle than disposables at first, but once you get into a routine with them, they're not much bother. In my case, the initial hassle was worth the piece of mind about not contributing to landfill. I also enjoyed saving a shit ton of money

I'm enjoying this thread, reminiscing about how cute they looked with their huge bums!

I'm a granny now but as a mum I used terry squares for my first 3 DC. There was no other option really. Disposables were around but they were useless.

They were no problem and we never boiled them on the hob. They were soaked in a bucket of nappisan. Solid waste was flushed away first. The buckets were a pita and on a couple of occasions they were tipped up by a toddler standing on them. I washed nappies every other day. Washing them was no trouble but getting them dry in the winter was until we bought a tumble dryer.

For DC4 I used a mix of washable and disposable. By the time he was born disposables worked and I used them on holiday and days out. Still washed most nappies.

For the youngest I switched to disposables mainly to cut down on the washing and to save time. I did have three in nappies for a while.

One downside apart from the washing was that babies did get more nappy rash with terries. But one big plus was that DC were potty trained earlier. I know that others will say that's me looking back through rose tinted glasses! Children were out of nappies sooner. Modern nappies are so good and DC can be in them for hours and not feel wet. I have 8 DGC now so I have plenty of experience with all sorts of nappies.

Parents have the choice which is great. Washing nappies isn't so revolting really but it does take time. Putting human waste in the black bin is not great and it smells much worse than a nappy bucket.

I would definitely try the new reusable nappies if I was doing it again now. In my day the reusables were Terry squares you had to make into a nappy, secure with a nappy pin and plastic over pants!

No wonder we used disposables when faced with that. With the new reusables there’s little excuse really.

Because I'd be constantly washing. At one point I had 3 children in nappies and for the last 2 years I've had 2 in nappies. So it's not convenient for me. Plus they are expensive to begin with as I'd need loads.

I didn’t understand how they worked and among the many things I needed to do pre-DD I didn’t find the time to investigate. Two friends use them and it now looks totally doable. Would use with any subsequent children.

We use totsbots easy fit (the old versions are known to leak so buy newer ones) and mothease wizard unos during the day. Motherease duo over night, they hold 500mls so no need to change overnight. Have tried smart bottoms but not worth the money, probably last well though so maybe worth it second hand.
The motherease has become so popular though no one can get hold of any which is frustrating when people ask me for recommendations.
OH was very sceptical at first but now he's a massive fan. I think it's more hygienic than having a bin full of old nappies. We put our straight in the washing machine to wait for the next wash so no bucket and wash every 2-3 days with our own stuff. Once you've got into the habit it's not really any extra work.

I've always had at least 2 in nappies. It's easier than you think.

I love them!anaged to buy a few here and there whilst pregnant with my eldest, now almost 15. Built up quite a stash of different types! Used them for all 4 children and have them to my sure start centre!

It’s easy enough to tip poo of a fleece liner and rinse it on the flush of need be! They weren’t hard to look after at all

All in ones are great if you’re really committed or the ease of disposables but want to make a difference!

Sadly, in my 10 years working at nursery, my children are the only ones to have reusable nappies 😭

For me, I think I was just so nervous about being a mum I didn't want to take on any extra responsibilities that might complicate things.
I just thought: "My priority is keeping this thing alive. I'll think about the rest later"

I do wonder why this is treated as an individual issue though.
I remember back in the late 80s/early 90s: CFCs were banned, catalytic converters were made mandatory. Government seemed much more willing to regulate. It wasn't left up to the consumer to make the "right" choices. Actually, the environmental movement of the time lobbied government do these things. It wasn't so inward looking and focused on the individual lifestyles of its members.
I've seen biodegradable nappies on the market and I wonder why no one is calling for regulations to outlaw the non biodegradable kind.

I didn’t know about reusable nappies before DD was born. I was quite interested with trying but -

A) I had a baby who refused to nap at all during the day so most of the day trying to get baby to nap so it was a struggle to get anything done in the house (no she would nap in a sling whilst I did housework)
B) I felt very unwell after birth and has very low energy levels due to low iron
B) DH was useless and though mat leave was a holiday so I was doing everything in the house as well. The additional washing would have broken me.

Not nap in a sling!

At nursery nappies are “clinical waste” and disposal is charged by weight.

Therefore all were more than happy to take on cloth nappies, saved them money! There was even one nursery locally that only used cloth.

We lived on a road where rubbish was still bagged as no space for bins. I normally had less than one bin bag full a week. The odd time i used disposables (washing machine breakdown) I had two or three bags per week. When you see it like that you realise exactly how much is going to landfill. For just one baby you’re talking around 52 full bin bags per year. For a class of 30 children that’s 1560 bin bags per year. In our area there are at least 100 primary school, most with 2 class intakes. So 6000/week for one school year.

Children are in nappies for around 3 years.

So for one council area they will be collecting 18000 bin bags a week of disposable nappies. Around 100 000 bin bags per year.

Add up the whole of the Uk and that an astronomical amount of waste.

I feel really guilty about having used disposables (esp as my son took a long time to give up nappies) but my sister uses reusables and having seen what's involved I really don't think I could have managed it. DS basically fed and pooed round the clock for the first year and I was utterly broken. If I'd had to deal with all that extra washing on top of no sleep I honestly think it would have tipped me over the edge. And cloth wipes are so disgusting too - horrible scratchy flannels all stained a murky pond colour. Urgh.

But yes, I've probably shortened the lifespan of the planet still further so I don't feel great about that. :-/

We use them, and find them easy but I understand how it would be more difficult for those with less space, limited access to a washing machine (having to use laundrette for example), limited funds for upfront purchas, multiple children in nappies etc. However, I do think more people should make the effort tbh. It’s really not that hard for your average middle class family.

As a midwife, I do try to mention them where possible but it’s hard enough being the big bad ‘breastfeeding nazi’ without being seen to be adding more pressure unfortunately 🙄

I've seen biodegradable nappies on the market and I wonder why no one is calling for regulations to outlaw the non biodegradable kind.

As I understand it, biodegradable nappies are a bit of a red herring unless you have an established composting system of your own - they can't biodegrade in the conditions household waste is disposed of.

They're not environmentally friendly, most cloth nappy insta type people have hundreds, collect limited editions etc, it's fashion. So once you have that many, add up the carbon footprint of their manufacture, plus the liners, plus the extra laundry and extra bleach/sanitisers. We use a combination, so cloth at home and the reusable swimming nappies are great, but out and about we use disposables. I tried cloth over night but it made DS sore to be wet for that long as he sleeps around eleven hours. Also if both parents are working full time it's a lot of extra washing.

Most people simply can't be arsed is the true answer.

It's slightly more work but absolutely better for your bank balance and the planet in the long run. Also it's not a recent thing as I used reusable nappies for my now 15 year old from new born until she was toilet trained. They cost a fraction of the cost of disposables over that time. Also the brand I used rarely leaked and they were easy to use and simply popped into the nappy bucket until slung in the washer. No poo in the nappies as you put a flushable liner in them which caught solids and wicked the wee away from the baby's skin. They were easy to wash and tumble dry or line dry weather depending.