How can I get my sil to stop using pampers and those hideous smelly orange nappy bags?

[alhambra]

that's it really. Gorgeous new baby, lovely family. Very right on in so many ways, so I was totally shocked to see them using VASELINE, PAMPERS and those repulsive orange nappy bags that do not biodegrade in 600 years. I didn't say anything, as thought - aw, they are still getting used to things - but then I thought, no somewhere along the line they have made a DECISION to do this. I really want to say something but a)obviously it's not my baby and b)I remember when I had dd1 and my sister tried to make me take all her old manky reusable nappies and I rebelled, although only to Moltex.

I am pretty Moltex do part biodegrade in fact. And their packaging is fully biodegradeable (goes on our compost heap). Also they are not bleached (which is a pretty damaging process for the environment) and they don't contain lots of nasty absorbant gels which are a) bad for babies skins and b) not green.
IMO that is quite a few reasons for using them.

Sorry alhambra but on your original post and a couple of others you came across like you were firmly up your own arse, but as I said in a later post, it can be difficult to read what someone is trying to say over a written message with no body language or tone of voice to go on. Maybe everyone has read you wrong.

However you came on here, asked an opinion and didn't get the one you wanted. You;re right we don;t know you or your relationship with your sil, all we could go on is what you wrote, so no need to start having a go, not our fault you didn;t get the response you wanted ie yes you are sooooo right, how awful is she, single handedly destroying the planet etc etc.

By the way I use reuseable and have told many people about them - just not in a lecturing way!

Maybe it's just the way a few people express their opinions that gets peoples shackles up. I'm sure there's a way to say "sorry I don't think there is a way to change your SIL habits if that's what she's chosen to do".
However, IMO it might not hurt to carefully start a conversation about nappies to assess the situation, you never know she might say she's been thinking about alternatives and not sure where to start - if someone hadn't told me about a local nappy service I probably wouldn?t be using them now!

Do you shop at a supermarket? yep
Drive a car? yep
Grow your own veg? yep
Recycle everything? yep
Only buy Fairtrade goods? yep
Have a composter? yep
Breast feed? yep
Did you wean at 6 months? no - till 8mths
Did you b/feed until 2 years? yep
Does your child ever have sugar? yep
Does your child ever watch tv? yep
Do you ever buy clothes that may have been made in less than perfect factories? yep

Difficult innit....? nope

i'm perfect

"but it's wrong" and "it's my duty". How judgemental.

do you have a car? well it's wrong! you shouldn't have a car, you should be walking everywhere or getting public transport when walking is not possible, because by having a car you are polluting the environment. And as a non car driver who walks everywhere and gets public transport when walking is not possible it is my duty to tell you this.

Blimey, I'd hate to be your SIL. NOgoes made me laugh out loud, actually.

Judgey judging judger.

Is sugar, tv and child labour ok now? Hurrah!

Quick! Ds, come and have some booze!

There may be lots of valid-in-the-circumstances reasons why people use disposable nappies. But I really can't come up with any justification for those scented nappy bags. An utterly pointless product. And nasty to boot - how can anyone with a sense of smell bear to use them? baby poo is much more appealing!

I'm intelligent and I use Pampers cos I won 6m supply on MN - howzat for bright?

Can't beleive anyone thinks they can 'tell' another mother what to do!!! I'd probably stop talking to you if you were my SIL and you did that. Disposables might not be the best choice but they are many peoples choice. Emphasis on the word 'choice' - theirs not yours.

It sounds a bit like The Apprentice. The OP is some version of S'Alan's aides, following the contestant around and making notes

oh fuck a duck ...whats wrong with vaseline?

sincerely,bot

alhambra I know how you can get your sil to leave you alone, if that's ever a problem

lol at judgey judging judger, judgermunker

Blimey, this one's kicked off, hasn't it.
I actually agree with alhambra I think.
I think the problem is the word "duty" which smacks of sunday school and virgins with startched shirts.
But serious. Noone else on mumsnet is ever judgemental/judgmental (sp?)
are they.

starched shirts

Can someone tell me how weaning a child at six months is better for the environment? Am I missing something obvious?

Al, I would love to tell all my 4x4 driving friends to sell their monstrous gas-guzzling tanks. But at the end of the day OBVIOUSLY I wouldn't. It is after all their choice what car they drive (although how much longer they will have that choice for we'll see... ).

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Blimey, another holier than though PC mother thread. FFS, its not your baby!

Do you grow your own organic veg?

Do you not have a car?

Do you never use chemical cleaners?

Do you never wear cosmetics?

Do you use medication?

Do you recycle, reduce and reuse?

Do you make your own compost?

Do you buy fair trade coffe?

If you give the wrong PC anser to any of the above then i suggest you butt out. Yes you are right they have made a DECISION do use pampers and those awful orange bags, which i think stink, are you saying that your sister in law and brother are intellectually subnormal (which i obviously am cos i cant spell for toffee) and need you to take them to one side?

I made a DECISION to use pampers because IMO they are best for MY child, if anyone has a problem with that then they can kiss my rather large arse. There is a very good argument that the amount of water, electricity and detergent used in cleaning cloth nappies outweigh the benifit of not using disposables! I take it of course, you use a mooncup.

Now excuse me while i go and switch off the tumble dryer and climb in my 4x4 to go to the corner shop and buy some more pampers.

beansontoast vaseline is in fact petroleum jelly, not so nice to put on a baby's bum..

um, actually what is wrong with vaseline, i never use it cos i hate the stuff, someone is going to say petrochemical? anyway MIL swears by it, she even advised SIL to put it on childs burn FFS (thank god i was there!) but do tell, id love to be able to give her a reason why that stuff will never go near my child, apart from the phobia i have of it cos my mother used to put it under my nose when i had a cold!

I thought this was a joke, but I'm not so sure now (apologies if anyone thinks this is an inflammatory remark), but I really did think it was.

Vaseline is petroleum jelly, ie derived from petrol, not sth I would ever put on my Ds's bottom... Also bad in terms of world resources etc etc
And no should not be used on burns!

I am torned on this one....I really like the smell of the orange bags... although I think they should be banned or added extra tax!