Cloth nappies... dispelling the myths!
- Nicky Barnes
- Jun 10, 2024
- 4 min read
If you're looking into using cloth nappies, you're sure to have lots of questions. And you've probably had others give you various reasons as to why it won't work! I'm going to go through some of the common questions and myths, to help show you that it can and will work out.
Cloth nappies leak.
The beauty of cloth nappies is that you can easily customize what and how you use your inserts to prevent leaks. Positioning of booster inserts for boys or tummy sleepers at the front, or for girls in the middle of the nappy targets the flood areas, minimising any leaks. Secure yet gentle elastics give unrivalled protection against the ‘poonami’ that we've all experienced with disposables!
Cloth nappies are a lot of work/extra laundry.
As the extra protection you get from a cloth nappy is going to reduce leaks, you're going to find you are having less outfit changes and have less clothing to wash. In terms of the nappies themselves, most households that cloth one baby full time will be looking at doing a short 30-minute prewash/rinse cycle, followed by a long (2-3 hrs) main wash cycle, every 2-3 days. This isn't really that much extra, however if it does sound too much for you, there are lots of ways to incorporate cloth nappies part time, such as at night only or at the weekends only. We are big advocates for part-time cloth and very happy to help you work out a wash schedule that fits in with your life.
Cloth nappies aren't really that much better for the environment - what about all that laundry?!
It is true that you're going to be using more water for those few extra loads of laundry that you're generating; 2-3 loads a week would use an estimated 140-200 litres of water. However, did you know that the manufacturing process for disposable nappies uses a huge amount of water? Manufacturing enough disposable nappies for the average baby for one week alone will use an estimated 1400-1500 litres of water; up to ten times the amount of water used by laundering cloth nappies.
DEFRA recently updated their environmental study 'Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK 2023', looking at the wider environmental impact, as well as water usage. The conclusion was that cloth nappies are still much better for the environment, even after factoring in the extra laundry/water and detergent used. You can read the full report at https://randd.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=20622.
Cloth nappies restrict movement and delay development.
Paediatricians will tell you that cloth nappies are great for good hip placement and development. There is no evidence that cloth nappies are detrimental to a baby’s movement or milestones. We all know that every baby is different and they all hit milestones at different times.
Remember pretty much everyone over the age of 45 right now was in traditional terry nappies. If you asked them if they had any issues with movement or development as a child, I would expect the answer to be no.
Cloth nappies cost too much money
This is probably the easiest myth to dispel! On average you need around 25 nappies to cloth your baby full time. With good quality nappies retailing at around £8-10 each, you can get a full kit for £200-250. Alternatively, if you'd look at the more economical systems, such as terry nappies or by using preloved nappies, you could halve this cost.
It’s estimated that the average baby uses around 6400 nappies from birth to potty training. With even the cheapest supermarket brands costing on average 7p each, that is £448. If you’re opting for 'premium' branded nappies, then this could be an average of 16p a nappy, or £1048. If your child stays in nappies longer, or uses them overnight for longer than they are dry in the day, then these totals will be even higher.
You do have the initial outlay with cloth nappies but over the course of two or three years you will save a considerable amount of money compared to using disposables. In addition, you can use them again for future babies, saving even more money, or you can sell them on or donate to a nappy library.
What do you do with the poo!?
I do love this question! The answer is - the same as you do with the poo in a disposable nappy - you put it in the toilet! Yes, that's right poo should go in the loo. How many people actually do that though? Pick up a packet of disposables and have a look at the side and see what it says… it will tell you to dispose of any solids in your toilet before you discard the disposable in your bin. Just think about it - who wants a whole load of poo in their household rubbish or going to landfill!?
Hand in hand with that question often comes..
Don’t they smell?
The truth is that disposable nappies smell a lot worse than cloth nappies. That yukky, dirty nappy smell is caused by the poo and wee mixing with the chemicals in a disposable nappy. That smell is then lurking around your rubbish bin until it gets collected, which for many households is only once a fortnight - now that will smell!
Were these amongst the questions you had about cloth nappies? Are you surprised by the answers? We're always happy to help you get started or help you along to way so you can make your cloth nappy journey work for you – let’s make a huge difference to the environment and to your pocket too!
Written by guest blogger Nicky Barnes
Owner of Happi Nappies - An amazing cloth nappies, plus more store!
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