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?

Because they are inconvenient and expensive.

1. You have to wade through a lot of info to find the right ones and discover how to take care of them. Try a few types, purchase them (it can be hard to find the exact brand and size you require 2nd hand). The type of nappy that your chold needs might change as they grow/wean/potty train etc.

2. You need somewhere to store soiled nappies (at home, at nursery, when yoy are out and about)

3. Everyone who is taking care of your child - family, childminders/nurseries - have to be onboard with using them and educated as to how.

4. It is more laundry, at a time of your life when you really do not need more laundry

5. They are bulky and don't always fit under modern baby clothes.

I used cloth with both of mine for the first 18 months of their lives. Just because they were so much better for their skin than any disposables I tried, better for night times and they were cute. I was lucky enough to be able to take long maternity leave and have the funds and resources to purchase and launder them. It is definitely a lot of inconvenience.

I switched to disposables when mine went to nursery/childminders because a) nurseries and childminders prefer them (can u imagine if they had to cart reusable soiled nappies about wherever they went for every single child?) and b) I had a one hour commute by train at the begining and end of my working day and would not have been able to manage this with the pram, toddler, all of our daily crap and a huge bag of nappies.

I reckon that most of the downsides of cloth nappies could be addressed, if local nurseries/ childrens centres ran a proper nappy library and laundry service though..

Not unreasonable at all! I wouldn't judge someone for using disposables but I promote them to any new parents I know. I also use disposables sometimes (if we're out and about for instance - which doesn't happen much these days to be fair!) but use the Beaming Baby bamboo ones. I think it's kind of like being the nerdy kid at school - it can take a bit of perseverance, but I think it's totally worth it. With the rate that black bins are emptied these days (mine every 3 weeks) and the possibility of 8-12 nappies a day... who wants >200 dirty nappies sitting in their bin!! Personally, I think that is more gross than putting the nappies through the wash.

Disposables are not expensive if you ignore Pampers and buy supermarket own brand which, IME re just as good. They can just be flung in the trolley when you shop.

Many people simply don’t have the cash flow to invest up front and live pay check to paycheck. Plus people place a value on their time (and/or have jobs and other kids and basically no time)- there is no denying that reusable nappies is way more time-consuming than disposables.

Some people can cope with wiping a bum but draw the line at scraping Poo off a nappy into the toilet and having Poo in their washing machine.

Lots of women are influenced by Mums who brought them up using old terry cotton nappies and who tell stories of what a pain in the arse it was and say things like “you are so lucky to have disposables now”.

Why does everything have to be an either or - we used cloth nappies for ours and really liked them - but we were never so daft that we would use them all the time. We definitely used disposables when we are out all day - there is no need to be carrying around pooing nappies for gods sake.

One of our children has SEN and is still in nappies at 11 and we use disposables for him. The major problem with disposables is landfill. Your child's nappies are still going to be around when their great grandchildren are having children!!! We cannot keep on producing this amount of waste.

Laundry services would be a great idea, we would not have used one as we really did not find the washing an issue but i would imagine it would make it more accessible for lots of people.

PS. For people who live in flats with no tumble drier totally agree you couldn't cope with the laundry! It is sometimes two washes a day for us.

Also no idea about nursery as my wee one is so small... but I guess as they get older and start to potty train you use fewer disposables anyway?

Oooh, I just remembered the one BIG plus to using cloth - no poop up the back! Honestly, I never had any poonami's using reusables.

I only have a washer/dryer combo. I don't have much space for a maiden and anything I put on there takes ages to dry in this weather in my cold house. When I first had DS I looked into it and it all just seemed a bit overwhelming (I had prenatal depression to be fair) and it was just easier to buy a pack of disposables and have done with it. I'd love to use them if I have another but DS is 2.5 now and not far from potty training so it would be a bit of a waste.

The cost is definitely prohibitive. The bulk of the nappies means you have to be quite selective about what clothes will fit, cheaper brands and supermarket clothes don't always fit well over cloth, we can't all afford Frugi and other scandi brands.

I also think sometimes cloth talk turns into yet another competition amongst parents, who has the biggest, brightest collection, who has this print, who has that print etc, who has the scandi wardrobe to match. It defeats the object of using cloth and just becomes consumerism. It really put me off asking for any advice while I was trying my son out in cloth.

@Chwaraeteg I never had a poonami with DS using disposables either to be fair 🤷‍♀️

I used them 15 years ago with my first and then my second baby a few years later. Tbh they all leaked. I tried so many different kinds and even back then there was a lot of choice and advice and it was quite overwhelming trying to match the right nappy with the right liner and the right cover. Still I was having the leaks. It was so much more hassle than it was worth when I knew I could just buy disposables that didn’t leak. I did donate all my cloth nappies though so they weren’t wasted.

I live in a flat with no tumble dryer. The washing would be doable but the drying would be impossible

I love them. No outdoor drying space, and no tumble dryer. A dehumidifier does the job. I love them. Hate the sight and smell of disposables, ugly smelly things. We use them full time, and will be doing so for #2 next summer.

Honestly, people are just lazy and can’t be arsed to try. Very very sad, how wasteful our generation is.

Because I was at breaking point when DD was a baby (prem, health issues, feeding problems, beyond awful sleep) and any additional inconvenience would have pushed me over the edge.

Anyone who preaches about re usable nappies and “doesn’t understand” why more people don’t use them clearly had an easier baby.

Honestly, people are just lazy and can’t be arsed to try. Very very sad, how wasteful our generation is.

Seriously why must people just jump to the lazy response. If your situation had been the same as several in this thread e.g. Having children with additional needs and continence issues I'm pretty sure you would soon change your mind that those who used disposables were lazy.

It's great they work for you but seriously enough of tarring everyone who didn't use them with the assumption they are all lazy.

@KatyClaire

For people concerned about wicking, I really recommend microfleece liners - they’re amazing. They come out of the washing machine virtually dry and they wick the moisture right away from your baby’s skin. They feel dryer than a disposable nappy when I change them, and they’re so soft against the baby’s skin.

Your micro fleece liners are shedding micro plastics into the oceans, unless you are using a special washing bag (which adds another £30-odd to the outlay of buying the nappies).

Honestly, people are just lazy and can’t be arsed to try. Very very sad, how wasteful our generation is.

@Same4Walls

Honestly, people are just lazy and can’t be arsed to try. Very very sad, how wasteful our generation is.

Seriously why must people just jump to the lazy response. If your situation had been the same as several in this thread e.g. Having children with additional needs and continence issues I'm pretty sure you would soon change your mind that those who used disposables were lazy.

It's great they work for you but seriously enough of tarring everyone who didn't use them with the assumption they are all lazy.

I never said I had an easy baby. Raging PND, a husband who worked away a lot, horrendous time with breastfeeding and a baby who didn’t sleep.

The mummy martyrdom has begun, I see.

Honestly I was already overwhelmed with keeping up with constant washing & drying, my baby spent 1st year dressed in baby grows it was easier and practical.

If it wasn’t coming out of one end it was the other. I would of used baby wipes if they had made life easier but they didn’t.

The vast majority on this thread aren’t in that situation though, they’ve quite openly said they just couldn’t be bothered. Fine that’s your choice but why do I have to pretend I agree?

@OrangeSlices998

I love them. No outdoor drying space, and no tumble dryer. A dehumidifier does the job. I love them. Hate the sight and smell of disposables, ugly smelly things. We use them full time, and will be doing so for #2 next summer.

Honestly, people are just lazy and can’t be arsed to try. Very very sad, how wasteful our generation is.

Honestly some people^^ are just incredibly ignorant about the realities of life for others.

I never said I had an easy baby. Raging PND, a husband who worked away a lot, horrendous time with breastfeeding and a baby who didn’t sleep.

And? It's fab that none kf those things prevented you from using cloth nappies bit for some any or all of those would have led to them not using cloth at all or switching to disposables? It doesn't make those people lazy though does it?

I did when I had one child.

With four of them now, it would have tipped me over the edge with the washing and drying. They were faffy and inconvenient and I hated using them.

Honestly some people^^ are just incredibly ignorant about the realities of life for others.

Nope. Just not ignorant to what millions of disposable nappies, wipes & nappy bags do to the environment.

@Same4Walls

I never said I had an easy baby. Raging PND, a husband who worked away a lot, horrendous time with breastfeeding and a baby who didn’t sleep.

And? It's fab that none kf those things prevented you from using cloth nappies bit for some any or all of those would have led to them not using cloth at all or switching to disposables? It doesn't make those people lazy though does it?

In my opinion it does.