Nappies

[CharlotteRobins]

Can anyone recommend nappies that are good for the planet, that aren't just the basic cloth ones (I hate washing them!)? Thanks!

Hi

You can buy nappies that apparently biodegrade eg Naty disposable nappies but I'm not sure if they will biodegrade in landfill inside bin bags so I'm not sure if that is helpful.

You can be reusable nappy shells called G nappies where you replace the small inside bit, so you throw away the bit that absorbs wee and poo each time but keep the outside. So you are still throwing part of the nappy away but the volume is less.

You can also use cloth nappies which I used for a while and I found the washing fine, they go in the washing machine and once I was in the habit of it I didn't find it a chore. Saying that I'm not using them currently so I understand your reluctance!

Maybe one thing we should discuss is potty training children earlier. Kids used to be potty trained younger when nappies had to be washed by hand :) Now we use disposables I find the prevailing attitude is to wait until they are old enough to train in a weekend rather than trying younger and having accidents and it taking longer. I waited with my eldest but we ended up using disposables for an extra six months which is obviously a lot of landfill. I'm wondering about starting earlier with my next child.

I do know a couple of mums who potty trained their tiny babies, of 3 months. It is possible! Sometimes with a mother in law from overseas coming over to help. I didn't do it myself but I did think it was an amazing thing to do environmentally.

3 months sounds biologically impossible! But a very good point generally speaking that training sooner rather than later makes a difference. In countries like Belgium almost all children are potty trained by 2.5-3 at the latest because that is when nursery school starts, almost everyone uses nursery, and being potty trained is a mandatory pre-requisite.

Nappy brands: also a good point about biodegradability but it still feels like a compostable one will burden the planet less. Plastics evidently do end up in rivers, oceans etc. I’ve used Tidoo in this category.

Alternatively, Bambo Nature has a bunch of Nordic certificates attesting to its (relatively) green credentials through the whole production process. It’s what we are using now.

Moltex is also quite good and supposed to be a greener option.

My question is why women feel this responsibility when industry, mass consumerism etc, has a much greater environmental impact

Have a look at beaming baby website. They are biodegradable mostly and have some good options.

I used those all in one cloth nappies and it really wasn't a problem, just shake out the poo and put them in the washing machine.

Beaming baby- not the perfect solution but a great product. Also potty training by 2.