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.

do you know that the orange napisacs or not boots degradable nappy sacs, which look and smell the same but degrade?

i second everyone else, its THEIR baby and none of YOUR buisness!

"why do people use them? why not just chuck the nappy in the bin? "

We do have a bin in the bathroom for the nappies (smelly ones in the nappy sacks) - not one of those fancy nappy bins - just a normal one.

"When we're using disposables I do, if it's pooey I flush the poo, then put nappy in bin (outside if still smell)
why the bags?"

I think I've had maybe - ooo 2 or 3 poos in 6yrs of nappies that was fully 'flushable' (that's over 2 children) usually I'm lucky if there's ANYTHING that's flushable as it's usually be 'squelched' - even if it is flushable there's still some on the nappy - and I'd rather it was wrapped in a nappysack where little fingers can't mess with them than just in the bin unwrapped.

And I'm so glad you have the energy and the time to run outside (to your obviously sheltered from the rain) bin to put your nappies in - only the really stinky ones make it outside before the 'nappy bin' gets emptied.

Oh and Twiglett - go to your nearest BodyCare shop - 250 bags for 89p - and nicer than Tesco Value too

And I'm so glad you have the energy and the time to run outside (to your obviously sheltered from the rain) bin to put your nappies in - only the really stinky ones make it outside before the 'nappy bin' gets emptied

why are you being so sarcastic fannieannie? That's not necessary
fwiw......I don't have much energy, I have a young baby and energetic toddler but I do put stinky nappies outside fairly soon after I change, it's not that arduous to do, yes, I might get a few drops of rain if indeed it's raining, but hey, not a big deal in the grand scheme of things I don't think

environmental survey is due to be updated this summer due to being a load of crap apparently so it will be interesting to see how the two types of nappies compare then.

do people use vaseline still? my mum swears by it but I didn't know anyone used it any more. I love sudocrem myself.

There are a lot of assumptions being made here. Who decided that vaseline is bad because it's petroleum jelly? Do you know what petrochemicals are? They're made from the rotted remains of tiny prehistoric creatures - therefore organic and biologically based. Also what about biodegradable plastics? What happens when they biodegrade? They break down into their component parts and release - you guessed it - carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In some ways it might be better if plastics don't biodegrade and can be locked up in the land instead of adding to the CO2 problem.

I'm not anti-eco and I do try to be green, but a lot of "green" claims by commercial companies are actually just about them trying to sell their products. These things aren't clear-cut - they're often very complex - and it's too easy to just decide you know better than your SIL.

As for me, I use disposables - I got a sample pack of re-usable kit and tried it out, only to find DS got terrible nappy rash and the only way I could fix it was using disposables. People may have their reasons.

each to their own

LOL Snowleopard!

From what I have know and have read, petroleum jelly is derived from the same crude oil that is used to make petrol. Cannot see how that can be harmless to the environment, since it is a finite resource...

dod I say each to their own

"why are you being so sarcastic fannieannie?"

because if it's raining or cold outside I either have to get soaked or very cold to be able to reach my outside bin because of where it is........

ok
I don't

this site is getting a bit snappy for me

we use those smelly bags for picking our dogs crap up, so you don't walk init.

I suppose that's true pannacotta but if you drive a car - or ever take a bus, train or plane - or use electricity - then you're using up far more oil in a few minutes than you'd find in a tub of vaseline - vaseline isn't going to seriously deplete any resources.

However, since oil is finite, and we are just about reaching peak oil, it IS going to get used up - or used up until the point where it becomes to expensive to extract. Since we are going to use it, maybe it's better that it gets used for things that don't biodegrade and end up in the ground permanently (as long as we bury them safely) than being burned and releasing CO2 - its other main use. Locking carbon away is called carbon sequestration and it's a big topic at the moment. i'm not an expert, I'm just being devil's advocate and pointing out that all this is not that simple.

How about the issue of landfill and the fact we are running out of space where we can bury our rubbish in this country and end up exporting it, which makes no sense in environmental terms?
Surely we need to look at ways of reducing our waste in the first place.
One way for example is to make cloth nappies more accessible, financially viable and easier to use and therefore encourage parents to use them.
I don't personally believe burying our landfill is the answer, I really think we need to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce in the first place, in all areas of our lives.
Re the vaseline, I prefer not to use a petroleum based product when so many good alternatives exist, however smal an issue this might seem.
If all parents/familes were to take some responsibilty for reducing their own waste, then this would mean a decent contribution in terms of reducing our collective environmental impact.

Nobody has oil rigs running for Vaseline production! It is a by-product, completely. It is the stuff that doesn't get used for anything else. It doesn't penetrate the skin at all, and is harmless to eat, even. And of course, is a totally natural product!

You got shares in vaseline Aloha?!

"lucyellensmum, You say that vaseline doesn not allow 'the skin to breath and providing alovely air tight environment for bacteria to breed in.' Bacteria can NOT breed in an air tight environment, any more than we can! A covering of vaseline keeps skin sterile and moist and so provides the perfect environment for skin healing. Dermatologists recommend it for precisely this reason."

I'm so sorry to say this Aloha, particularly so long down the thread but I have yet to find a single deramtologist that doesn't ask you to avoid it like the plague (DS had severe eczema as a baby and we were told about sealing the bacteria in. It works well for me, though. I suppose it depends on the actual condition of the skin. On helthy skin fantastic, otherwise it depends. Other than that I agree with any other thing you have said about vaseline

dear fannyannie .. thanks for the body shop advice re cheap bags

but

and listen very carefully to this

I will never ever have to change a nappy ever ever again

mwahahahahahahahahhaaaaaaa

Agree with Aloha about vaseline, completely. Have heard the same from at least 2 dermatologists and it's been great for dd1's eczema. "Natural" stuff is a nightmare because it's full of things for her skin to react to.

Anyway. To the OP: if, during the horrendous sleepless agonising breastfeeding early days of dd1, you had popped up and lectured me about nappies, I'd have lamped you one.

Let her make her own decisions!

OP - you sound like a nightmare. glad you are not my SIL.
interesting you refer to it as my "SIL" is doing x, y, z. isn't it your brother too?

Oh poor old OP she wasn't suggesting givng her SIL a lecture FFS she was trying to find a way to drop a few hints. I do drive a car shop at a supermarket etc so no halo BUT I was converted to the 'eco' disposables by another NCT friend who used them and the smell of the nappy bags is SO much less yeuch (Nature). However when DS started to run around they were just too stiff and cardboardy so at the late stage of 18 months have gone to reusables-Bumgenius's which I LOVE even DH can cope with them.

So in answer to your question dear OF COURSE you're not going to bloody well lecture the poor woman but I suggest if yours are still in nappies then that could be an opportunity to show her the Moltex or whatever and say you like the neutral smell. Or offer to change the niece/nephews nappy and say gosh I used these fab eco friendly nappies with biodegradeable bags I think they were called etc. OR even better offer to babysit for an afternoon so she can get her hair done and pop the little mite in your specially bought ecos. I'm sure you were not thinking of adding to the poor womans stress by being preachy anyway. Good Luck!

If I had a first child and somebody changed nappy brands on me whilst they babysat I would be so livid I would probably have freaked out

.. every decision you make for your baby is YOUR decision to make . .nobody else's

I think that's rather poor advice actually

If someone had babysat for me so that I could have my hair done they could have left them butt naked as far as I was concerned-I really wouldn't have cared what brand UNLESS of course there were skin sensitivity issues but then I am more at the slummy mummy spectrum

slummy mummy end of the spectrum that should say

even with your FIRST child .. you know .. the FIRST one