AIBU to wonder why more people don’t use reusable nappies?

[KatyClaire]

I have a fairly new baby and I’m a little surprised at how few people I’ve encountered are using reusable nappies. I haven’t met anyone using them in my antenatal group / baby classes / local parents group etc. There has been such an explosion in the use of reusable products (sanitary products, straws, cups, make up wipes etc) that I had assumed it would have crossed into nappies as well.

I don’t know whether it’s a perception issue (people thinking they’re messy and hard to clean), the upfront cost, confusing information etc?

Dusty, I think you’re right. If people were pushed more towards reusable by government more people would use them. Yes, if everyone had easy access to a free supply to try, more would try and find they like them. But, although there are schemes to make them cheaper, or available for loan, they just aren’t widespread enough or easy enough for people to use.
The environmental impact is complicated by the fact people will launder cloth nappies differently. Washing at 60 is necessary, whereas washing at 90 isn’t. If people wash a full load at 60 and don’t use a tumble dryer, clearly the environmental impact is less than washing lots of half loads at 90 and always tumble drying. These are realities and the fact that people will launder differently means the impacts cannot be certain.

Disposable nappy companies are big business too aren’t they. As tobacco companies resisted anything to reduce sales of cigarettes, the big firms that make nappies won’t be rolling over and giving up a profitable market.

And I agree too that the ‘enthusiasm’ some cloth nappy users have can put people off. I think that’s especially when they combine their use of pushing cloth with other areas that lots of parents find difficulty such as issues about co-sleeping, baby-wearing, long term breast feeding, home schooling etc. Somehow some people move any discussion from just one about nappies to something which feels like it’s about a whole approach to life and people get switched off by that.

and people are wierd about washing things that are dirty. For the same reason most people think washable sanitary products are "gross". The whole point is you wash them and then they are clean.

I used reusables at start of first lockdown because some absolute arseholes bought up all the disposables. My baby was around 6 months old at that stage.

I really don’t have an issue washing things that are dirty or shitty and I am definitely going to look into Sanpro. But there is just absolutely no arguing that having filthy, shit-stained bits of cloth hanging around your home (whether you need to soak them or not any more) is really unpleasant. We also don’t have a utility room so I used to have the bucket in our downstairs WC which leads off the kitchen - pretty unhygienic.

The laundry loads was significant and I wanted to wash them separately because I didn’t like the idea of sloshing shit stained bits of cloth around with my regular wash - Napisan or no.

Op, you asked whether you were being unreasonable to wonder why more people don’t use cloth nappies. I think that is unreasonable: you admit yourself that your husband takes to do with the laundry in your home. So if I that’s the case, you really have no idea of how much extra work the laundry is. I had a lot of outside drying between March and about July when I knocked it on the head, but it was a lot more work.

So it shows a startling lack of imagination to wonder why people prefer disposables - all the reasons have been articulately and comprehensively explained on this thread. I hope it has enlightened you.

Didn't realise you didn't have to soak. But I wouldn't really want poo and wee in my washing machine.

Tbf you’ve very little experience of using cloth nappies too. But here you are....

Indeed, here I am - asking questions, listening to people’s views, achieving a better understanding of perspectives other than my own, broadening my perspective. All good stuff ☺️

I haven't either. I splashed out on good quality ones. Got all the detergents and buckets. Gave up after a week. Horrific.

I am not going to weigh in on nappies (I don't think there's anything more to be said) but I am going to pick up on one point which has been made by someone else but ignored - if you are using cloth for environmental reasons then please re-evaluate your use of micro fleece liners and at the very least take steps to ensure that you aren't sending micro plastics into the oceans.

@Piglet89 Presume you've stopped using cloth nappies, but if not then I really recommend not having a bucket but putting them all in a giant wet bag. When it's washing time, unzip wet bag and invert it into the machine then stuff it in after the nappies and wash it with them. We have two on rotation and they're brilliant. Zero smell escapes! You can hang them up if your LO might get into it but ours is just on the floor. (Yes, in the kitchen.) Perfectly hygienic, imo.

@PerspicaciousGreen we found with our wet bag you don’t even need to empty it - if you chuck the whole thing into the machine with the bag open the motion of the machine tumbles the nappies out.

Vivienne, but I suppose you’d wash the sheets if a child wet the bed and if a toddler had skiddy pants you’d wash those.

People tip the poo from nappies down the loo, so isn’t that there’s a whole poo going I the washing machine (although people seem happy to put a whole poo in a nappy in the bin, rather than throw it down the loo rather than just roll it up and bin it)

But your reaction about poo and wee and washing machines isn’t unusual. Lots of people feel like you do and it’s a big barrier to reusabales use.

The reality is that there are lots of barriers to people using reusables. Some are more perceived than real, but perceived barriers are still barriers.

I think the best message and most effective message from cloth nappy users who like them is;
‘I found them easy to use and they saved me hundreds of pounds, plus meant I didn’t send a wheelie bin per week to landfill. If you want to know more, ask me’. And leave it at that.

@PlumsInTheIcebox I still think the microplastics issue of 20 microfleece liners pales in comparison to the roughly 7000 disposable nappies I’d have used otherwise - especially if I have a second baby and reuse them. But I will certainly look for alternatives if I ever need to replace them. If you have any recommendations let me know!

7000 nappies?

I'm not a fussy excessively clean person. But I just couldn't stand cloth nappies. But I agree disposables are bad for the environment.

@AaronPurr that’s according to google. Assuming a child toilet trains at 3 that’s just over 6 per day which sounds about right? Obviously less or more depending on when your child actually toilet trains.

[quote KatyClaire]@PlumsInTheIcebox I still think the microplastics issue of 20 microfleece liners pales in comparison to the roughly 7000 disposable nappies I’d have used otherwise - especially if I have a second baby and reuse them. But I will certainly look for alternatives if I ever need to replace them. If you have any recommendations let me know![/quote]
You literally started a thread to promote cloth nappies and recommended microfleece liners to everyone reading. Multiply those twenty liners by a few thousand families, shedding fibres in your twice-weekly washes, and you’ve actually got quite a big problem so don’t be disingenuous.

As has been explained to you upthread, you can use a Guppyfriend bag to catch the fibres and minimise the issue.

Obviously less or more depending on when your child actually toilet trains.

And whether you exclusively stick with cloth for the full three years.

For me, It's basically because I don't want the hassle of dealing with shitty nappies and the added hassle of washing and drying.
I have never felt guilty about using disposable nappies and wipes. Amazing inventions they are.

I actually started a thread to ask questions about using disposables, not to promote anything. We already use a guppyfriend, I was asking for alternatives to using microfleece at all - apologies for the confusion.

Your point about a few thousand people using microfleece liners is a fair one, but I think my point still stands. I would consider the environmental impact of thousands of people using microfleece liners to be significantly less than the impact of thousands of people using thousands of disposable nappies. It’s not just the issue of all those nappies going to landfill (where they slowly break down and leach microplastics into the earth anyway), it’s the energy and resources used to produce them as well. That’s not disingenuous, it’s pretty factually straightforward.

@strawberriesontheNeva

For me, It's basically because I don't want the hassle of dealing with shitty nappies and the added hassle of washing and drying. I have never felt guilty about using disposable nappies and wipes. Amazing inventions they are.

To add, I buy wooden toys, organic clothes, had babies in slings etc but never felt any inclination to clean shitty reusable nappies.

Because when you have a newborn baby you have precious little headspace and time as it is?!

I think that's everything that needs to be said really! I'm sure that lots of people cope wonderfully and are filled with the energy required to add even more washing and cleaning to their day but whilst I am usually very concerned about being as environmentally friendly as I can, I was so horribly mentally ill after having my DS that it was all I could do to wade through every day without giving up.

@KatyClaire

Tbf you’ve very little experience of using cloth nappies too. But here you are....

Indeed, here I am - asking questions, listening to people’s views, achieving a better understanding of perspectives other than my own, broadening my perspective. All good stuff ☺️

And sharing links you haven’t read to push your cloth nappy agenda.

@willFOURbagsbeenough you’re determined to see an agenda and bad intent where they don’t exist. That’s really your issue, not mine, so I’ll leave you to deal with it and not respond to any more of your comments. I’ve had very interesting and helpful discussions with others on this thread, and I don’t want it derailed by this kind of defensive conspiracy-mongering. If I were you I would hide this thread and get on with having a nice day.

If I were you I would hide this thread and get on with having a nice day.

ooh! You would, would you? Well you are good at deciding what other people should do, we know that much.

I’ve had very interesting and helpful discussions with others on this thread

The trouble is you've hardly actually acknowledged the points of views from those not using reusables and their multitude of reasons. You genuinely seem to have a preset idea of what disposables are like but you've not used them and you've ignored quite a few posters who have had experience of both. So in parts it does seem like you only create the thread to preach about how amazing reusables are rather than have a balanced discussion.

I’m going to be honest @KatyClaire and say I don’t particularly feel like you’ve listened to me on the extra work/women’s work issue (perhaps because of your own almost exceptional circumstances with your husband doing the laundry). I also believe the original question you posted is a bit disingenuous: like, who couldn’t possibly work out that cloth nappies are a pain in the arse for some? Even some women who’ve used them the whole way through have admitted on this thread that they found them a pain - but they went ahead and used them, so fair play.

I will only have one child and, as others have said, having a kid is one of the worst things you could do for the environment, so I really don’t feel that bad about using disposable nappies. I also do other things that are environmentally friendly, like clothing him in second hand as far as possible. I also have at least given cloth nappies a shot - but it just was too much bloody faff, from choosing the right product right down to using it. That’s my experience and it’s completely valid.