Real vs. disposable nappy debate

[SAHMof1]

In a House of Commons debate yesterday Ivan Lewis (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health) said ?It has to be said that a report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found that, in the end, in terms of overall environmental consequences, there was very little difference between disposable and reusable nappies.?

Why are they still using that report when it is known to be flawed!

I have about 20 nappies in all and some of them I don't use much as they were ones I was given or bought to try and decided I preferred others. However, I will when I get round to going through them, sell or give away these nappies so they're not going into landfill. The nappies I'm using are all birth to potty sized so hopefully I'm done buying (except wraps and for fun), and of course they'll do for any other babies.

I use about 4 nappies a day, wash around twice a week at 40 and put other washing in with them so it's always a full load and probably is therefore adding maybe 1 extra load a week. I don't have a tumble drier so no environmental impact there.

And they leak way less than sposies so technically I'm probably saving on washing when you take all those changes into account .

are we not supposed to iron our nappies? and I've been paying the ironing man to do it - drives all the way over here in his van to collect and returns them all flat and crinkle free - now - they hadn't factored that into their equation

No, no leaks.
Her poo is pretty solid now.
I used them, reusables, when she was smaller but fuzzi bunz just didn't cope when she got bigger.
I tried a wambamboo but is was soo smelly!?
She seems to be such a wet baby!?

But I am happy with one a day (though, I try to brush my guilt away ) it is when I use one through the day that I feel bad!
I only do it when I have not kept on top of the washing.
I wash every other day and pop them in with our stuff on a 40 wash, so no empty drum for me either.
Ironing!! My fuzzis would melt, surely!!
I only have 10! bout 5 a day, on average, sometime more hence the washing being a day behind at times.

Aah yes, fuzzis are useless overnight - a bamboo of some sort with a wool wrap

ah I like fuzzis overnight - the only thing to get right is the amount of stuffing/gap at legs if overstuffed thing.

Just a thought re. ironing nappies, maybe the report was referring to nappy laundry services? I wrote to my mp to complain about lack of promotion of real nappies round here, he also quoted that report as justification for a lack of support...

I've just had a look at the report - all the assumptions are based on a survey of real nappy users, so that's where they're getting their figures from. Having read the WEN critique of this, it seems to be the survey that's the problem, not their analysis.

Joan Ruddock was just on the radio (R4) talking about this, so I will email her as well as Ben Bradshaw tomorrow, making the point (as made below) that they could be far better than disposables, and so should be promoted.

Sorry, all very terse, bathtime calls.

Can I butt in for a mo....whilst all you real nappy afficiandos are gathered....Can yu recommend a real nappy for my newborn prem son,( 775 grms...so tiny ! ,the hospitalare happy to use them if we supply and have them washed in hospital laundry....use motherease one size for DTs aged 1 but no good for outr youngest...ant suggestions ? ( 1lb 11ozs in old money..)...Thanks and sorry for hijack

Real nappies are bad bad for the environment . You know when you do something that you firmly believe is good and someone comes along with what you think is an ill conceived argument how angry does it make you om a scale of 1 -10 (10 being apoplectic).

Bambineo do teeny tiny ones on request - but I'm not too sure how long they would take to get - would you like me to contact them? (flamesparrow here - you can email me bumfluffnappies at gmail dot com)

If not, a WAHM could be your best bet - puddlepants maybe.

mozhe.... could you just use folded muslins? while hes so teeny tiny?

I will try the folded muslins whilst I wait for the tiny Bambinos...Thanks !

Do you want me to call them about the Bambineos this morning? Just drop me an email and let me know how many and I will see if it is still doable

I would go for muslins with eenee tie on snibs.

The report was a pile of poo but regardless of this, what about using a green electricity tarrif - this also reduces energy waste. I use ecotricity and so even when washing nappies (which I admit to still doing at 60), I don't have the guilt I would have sending a disposable to the bin. Although I do admit to using disposbales at night (putting any poo down the loo) and occassionaly when feeling very ill or, dare I say it, when I have forgotten I am a mummy for a night and had a too few many vinos ... But they are eco disposable (bambo nature) so, rightly or wrongly, that helps reduce my guilt !

Ta Flame...but do not worry, I have ordered some tiny inserts,( they will then be useful later...),which was suggested on one site, and will use them with nippas...he doesn't need wrap as teeny, weeny amounts of urine.....Thanks anyway...muslins are on him now though foldingthem for my LO is a bit of an origami experience !!!

I've been reading this with interest. DD is four weeks old, and I hummed and aahed about whether to use re-usables or not and left it too late to get reusables. I am horrified at the amount of rubbish that has gone out of our house in the last four weeks...full wheelie bin every week, nearly half filled with nappies. Also DD has had permanent nappy rash since she was born.

Reading this has made my mind up for me and I will change to re-usables as soon as I have figured out which system to go for.....it's a veritable minefield! Shes getting through 12-16 dispos a day at the mo as she is a very pooey baby, so not sure how many I would need either.

Daisyandbaby... - I started with bambino mio - but am now using diddy diaper nature babies (aplix fastening) and LOVE them!! Wish I had used from the beginning... hopefully I will have another baby and will start them off on them from the beginning... no leaks, very easy to use,not too bulky and very cute.. would highly recommend (they are not the fasted drying). I also have a couple of easy peasy bimble popper fastening and they are faster drying and just as good - but for some reason prefer my nature babies. But you could always have a few of these whilst the others dry. I got mine though kittkins and Anj is very helpful - so you can ask her all your questions..

are you allowed on this thread if you use Pampers?

or is it only a debate for those with time on their hands?

nattysilv thanks for the advice...I've started a new thread so this one doesn't get clogged up....

olive yes it certainly is for people with time on their hands

someone once told me that they couldn't use reusable nappies because 'they didn't want to be washing 24/7 as they had a life'

threads like this show how unshackled we are with our real nappy decisions

well it is even quicker to put it in the bin

and I do have some work to do

i love my little fluffy bamboozles

aesthetically tehy are better than disposables

I used the bummies system for a year but switched to disposibles when i went back to work, i really couldn't face being handed a plastic bag with a daysworth of poo and wee in it when i picked up ds from nursery after work everyday.
As cloth is less absorbent i also worried that ds would get a sore bottom through not being changed at the right time. Nurserys change at set times, at home we check every so often and change when dc is wet or has just done a poo.
point is that if we want to encourage people to use cloth then get nurseries and child minders on board [ofsted] is vital

most childminders are on board if you ask them.
I get given a plastic bag full of dirty nappies every day for ds3 - just take it home, tip them into the nappy bucket and wash as usual - no hassle at all.