To think a tax on nappies is unfair?

[colacolaco]

It just seems like yet again, it’s the poorest families who will be penalized and suffer most from this.

And what next - a tax on sanitary pads and tampons? Because guess what, they’re not very environmentally friendly either.

Single-use nappies have become a lot cheaper in recent years, even so the cheapest and easiest to dry are flat nappies (terry squares and prefolds). What few people realise is that because cloth nappies are designed for multiple use they have superior elastic at the legs and waist, which in turn gives better containment overall, and less leaks. I know plenty of people have been surprised by this and that actually there isn't masses of difference in the amount they wash.
As for drying washing (any washing) , we plonk ours on an airer pointed a desk fan at it and it dries very quickly, leaving a top window slightly ajar to prevent condensation.

It's worth remembering that up till about 30-40 years ago terry squares were the most popular choice. They're cheap (a full set including covers and everything else you need for around £130 or less). Even if you only substituted half your throwaway nappies with washable, you can save lots of money and save throwing away lots of nappies. Doesn't have to be all or nothing, every little helps.

These are the realities of becoming more green, but as with most things people will ignore that in a few years time that people will question why washing machines are taxed because they have to use them more, water and electric bills will follow, unironically posting on a nice new smart phone.

It's the nimby style argument, it's reducing the wider argument down to the lowest problem with the added emotional angle.

How long does it take for happy meal toys to decompose? Or the toys from comics? Or cereal boxes? Or the 3 layers of mixed plastic packaging from numerous overpackaged food items sold by supermarkets?

All of the above are unnecessary plastic litter and should be banned in my opinion.

Cheap plastic giveaway toys from the 50s and 60s can often be found on beaches.

I think it’s awful, by all means encourage people try greenest things going. But For everyone who has nice warm well aired home that can dry a load washing overnight in the kitchen without a tumble dryer. There will be someone in tiny flat that’s damp and freezing cold. That even t shirts take days to dry never mind the thickness of nappies.

I bought cloth nappies second hand, used them on two DC then sold them. No tumble dryer, you need a socktopus!

@ActonSquirrel

You can say the same about adult nappies, incontinence pads that go in underware and incontinence pads that go on beds used by cafe homes, hospitals and people in their own homes. Adults who require them tend to need them for a longer length of time than babies/toddlers, they are much larger than baby/toddler nappies and I have never seen a carer or HCP empty the poo into a toilet either. Do you think they should be taxed more too or just baby/toddler nappies? Should adults who require such products for incontinence also have to use cloth nappies/inco pads?

We bought second hand cloth nappies from a lady on a forum I belonged to before MN. I think it cost me less than £50 to kit DD out. And we had plenty. We also didn't have room for a tumble dryer so they were either line dried or dried on the airer. I didn't find them a great hassle.
So no, IME it is not expensive to do cloth nappies.

Oh and I forgot - once Dd was dry I sold them on and pretty much got what I paid for them. Meaning 2 years or so of nappies cost me pretty much nothing

People who think £50 or £130 is cheap are living a different reality to that of many women in the UK. £50 was more money than I got per week to survive on in 2002 as a teen mum on benefits. Even now on Disability payments if I fell pregnant I absolutely would not be able to pay that out, it would mean not eating for a good couple of weeks.

I used cloth nappies fory first. We had a lot more money then though so we could afford the upfront cost of the inners, shells, liners and buckets.

Our local authority had a scheme where they gave you £50 if you could show a receipt for the nappies and a health visitor's letter saying that you actually used them.

We didn't (and still don't) have a tumble dryer but still managed to get them washed and dried ready for use the following day.

We only used them for just over a year though because they started leaking but the extra pads made them too bulky and when dc 2 was a baby, dc 1 was still only toddling and it felt like too much to cope with.

There's a better, cheaper overall, more ecological solution available, so I'm all for it

@Niconacotaco

I agree. I don't have a tumble drier. I don't know how I would have coped with reusable nappies and paying extra tax wouldn't help me afford a lovely big kitchen to fit a drier in.

we half and halved reusables and disposables for years in a tiny flat. No dryer. No garden and the kitchen was tiny. 3 bums at one time. you don't need to use them all the time, even once a day is worth it. its something

@UndertheCedartree

I used cloth nappies. I am on a low income and it saved me a tonne of money. I don't have a tumble drier (nor a big kitchen with room for one). It was fine. I don't agree with a tax on disposable nappies but it would be good if more people tried cloth nappies. At the time my council was running a scheme where you got a few free to try out.

Yep exactly the same here. We've saved hundreds after the initial outlay. I dry them in my bathroom and I do 2-3 extra loads a week - for a family of 4 I think that's nothing but appreciate we're all different.

Rather than taxing nappies couldn't they give people a voucher for cloth nappies or a little pack of free ones?

I tried cloth nappies but they leaked after only an hours wear. I had to cart dirty nappies everywhere. We never stayed home it was impractical and after one to many posts car seat situations I have up.

@ReggaetonLente or get health visitors to ask if mums have considered them and the overall cost effectiveness of them.
my health visitor knew nothing about them when I had my second.
I bought 3 'pants' and 9 liners with my first and used to hand wash them in the sink so they could dry in time. it cost me about a tenner (which I saved for then ) and when I had more money with my second I bought more.
you can buy one at a time or look second hand. people give them for free, especially or eco friendly groups online if the velcro or button is broken or needs mending.

There needs to be more adverts for cloth than there are for huggies and pampers.

also cloth babies potty train sooner because they feel more wetness, nappies such as dry nights and the like stop a child feeling wet which hinders potty training and prolongs the time they are in nappies.

It’s just anothertax in women and the ones who will suffer are babies, there will be a lot more babies sitting in their piss for a long time and a lot more serious nappy rash.
There are eco friendly biodegradable disposables available it would be better if they became mainstream in the same way biodegradable wipes did after Hugh’s campaign.
I have tried washable nappies but faced with constant leaks and there fore more laundry with limited space to dry it in bad weather I went back to disposables. I can’t afford to buy the current expensive biodegradable nappies but could afford a bit more on nappies
In our area all waste is incinerated as well.

@Moelwynbach

I tried cloth nappies but they leaked after only an hours wear. I had to cart dirty nappies everywhere. We never stayed home it was impractical and after one to many posts car seat situations I have up.

This was my worry too, but honestly we have used cloth since birth and the only time she has leaked was when she was in a disposable that I had to borrow in an emergency off SIL!

I do think different babies suit different brands and styles and it was be so nice to be given a little starter pack of a few different cloth nappies to see which suited before making an investment.

Smartphonetoomuchoo yes they are still seen as something of a rogue choice aren't they?

Tax on nappies wtf?

Nope.

@KilljoysDutch - you don't need to buy them all at once. I bought mine gradually. The amount of money you save is incredible. It would have made life much easier on £50 pw if you didn't have to spend £5 odd pw on nappies.

Looks like it's been shelved anyway.

@LegoCaltrops

How long does it take for happy meal toys to decompose? Or the toys from comics? Or cereal boxes? Or the 3 layers of mixed plastic packaging from numerous overpackaged food items sold by supermarkets?

I'm not arguing against promoting cloth nappies. It's a good thing to do. But I think there are better places to start. And there needs to be more carrot before the stick is used.

Happy Meal toys are all cardboard now.

All of the things listed there are about children.

I read an article a while ago about how often environmental initiatives mean more work for women.

Maybe the increase in price might encourage potty training. The number of NT untrained children entering school seems to raise every year. I think someone mentioned up thread that the average age is 3.

When my eldest DC were training 10-14 years ago the advice was 2. So I waited for the nearest free week to their second birthday (half-term) and trained them without any bother.

I remember our head calling us in to write a personal care policy for non-SEND children for the first time and we were all .
Now it is becoming the norm.

Whilst I agree in principle, there are so many mistruths about cloth nappies. Don't know a single person who uses them who tumble dries them for example. Mine are almost dry when I take them out the machine. If they leak, something is wrong. Agree with pp you can use a mix and build up a supply at once. Yes the outlay of around £50 to start with would be a lot to some people, but so is a pram or cot surely? There should be schemes to help with this though. We got £25 back from the council but I appreciate not everyone can pay up front and wait for the cheque back.