Why use cloth nappies?How to choose?Where to buy?

Why use cloth nappies?

With more and more focus on environmental issues, single-use plastic and the awareness that disposable nappies will spend hundreds of years sitting in landfill, more and more parents are choosing cloth nappies.  Here’s what some cloth nappy users had to say on their reasons:

 I love using cloth! Every time we wash a load, I smile thinking of the waste we’ve prevented going to landfill ❤️ You can’t beat them for absorbency and the big bum is super cute! We only wash nappies every other day and use reusable wipes too 

Sam
image of baby wearing colourful cloth nappy

I bought one set of cloth nappies and they got used for two boys from birth to potty training- what a bargain buy! No leaks and no issues with washing them either because let’s face it life with small people is a round of constant laundry anyway so adding a load of nappies didn’t make much of a difference!

stephanie
  • Skin-friendly Disposable nappies contain chemicals whereas reuseable nappies are made from natural materials (you can even buy organic nappies). However, as with anything else you should look for the most suitable nappy for your baby’s skin type.
  • Bin wars Disposable nappies make up a huge percentage of domestic waste. With refuse collections becoming fewer – free up space in your bin.
  • The Environment Millions of disposable nappies are binned every day. They clog up the already bulging landfill sites and some say they will take hundreds of years to decompose. Yuk!
  • Cost Even though the initial outlay can be high – washable nappies do work out considerably cheaper in the long run.
  • Style Reuseable nappies come in a range of funky colours and designs.

 I love ours! We used disposables whilst she was too small to fit in birth to potty size but she ended up with nappy rash and lots of poo leaks. I’ve never had a leak in cloth and never had any nappy rash since switching ???? the prints are cute and they’re actually really easy to use and wash contrary to a lot of old rumours about boiling them and stinky wet soaking buckets 

Jemma

How to choose what to buy.

Modern cloth nappies (MCN) can seem daunting when you first start looking at them. There is lots of terminology and abbreviations to get your head round and, as well as different types of nappies, different brands and different places to buy. On top of that is finding what works best for your baby and what works for your family. A lot of people find themselves put off at the first hurdle because they don’t want to spend a fortune on nappies that might not work for them.   There are various online services where you can fill in questionnaires to see what might work for you, but we are lucky enough to have a not-for-profit nappy library locally.

Caroline at South Lakes Nappy Library can put together a trial pack of nappies for you, with a range of different types of nappies so you can try before you go out and buy your own. The nappies are all washed and sterilised before they go out on hire, and she can give advice and demonstrations (for free) before, during and after your trial. We can do one to ones in your own home, go along to a baby group to demo to a few of you, or you can pop along to one of our nappy natter meet ups which are held once a month in the ice cream parlour opposite Asda in Kendal.  Caroline is happy to travel as far south as Lancaster/Morecambe.

Where to buy?