Nappy Recycling

Yoshi

yes i would recyle nappies but not to make more nappies i would hope that it would be turnd into something more hygienical to use, any ideas?

also would like to think it is the responsibility of the parents to foresee the right disposal of their childs nappies, but in saying that the government should have a correct system in place,

cris

Yes it concerns me greatly! It is not only the ammount of time they take to break down but also the chemicals used in them. I do know of several brands that are made to be recyclable, but that is where we live in newzealand, so one answer would be to make these both more affordable and more accessible. Another option is to use cloth nappies, either ready made fitted ones or plain square cloth ones. I know the cost of the fitted nappies is horrendous and even though they say in the long term they work out cheaper than disposables, it's still a matter of having the money to buy them in the first place.

Anonymous

I do think about it, but would never even consider using cloth nappies. My 4 month old son has just finished antibiotics for a virus which caused him to soil his nappy 15 times in 2 days, he normally would wee between feeds but only soil his nappy 1 or 2 times a day. I would have constantly been standing at the washing machine and clothes line and not giving my attention to my sick son. The other thing is that babies are more likely to wake during the night with a cloth nappy on as when they wee, they get a cold sensation that wakes them, that they do nto get with disposable nappies. I do my fair share of recycling, every fortnight our recycling bin in overflowing and despite having 6 nappies a day in our normal bin, the rubbish in our general waste is far less than in the recycling.

isaacsmum

It defintely does!! We used disposables for our son - this was fulltime for the first 2 years and then less frequently until he was fully toilet trained at 3.5 y/o. The thought of how many nappies we'd used during that time made me shudder - to think that all those nappies are still in landfills. With our daughter this time round, we are using modern cloth nappies. It's not that hard to clean and the rewards are massive - you save money and the environment! I would advocate for all parents to give cloth nappying a go, even if it's just one nappy a day, that's one less disposable nappy clogging up our planet. Remember, every single disposable nappy ever used is still out there today!!!

bydesign

Yes I'm concerned, but of all the eco-friendly life choices we live by, I've found as a single mum Moltex (disposables) were the best solution for us.

I think its the responsibility of the parent (the govt has enough on its plate!), and I applaud the respondents you've had to date - all seem to use cloth (at least the majority of the time). Hat off ladies. I thank you & I'm sure my daughter (as well as her kids) will thankyou!

dmagon

no it does not concern me as do eventually break down and yes i would recycle them

bpdenton

Cloth nappies are the way to go. I estimate that I have saved over $2000 already and I have one 2 year old who has used them and a 12 month old still in them. Especially if you plan to have a few kids, it is worth it. But I wouldn't be using them if they were the normal terry towel folds, I use the pocket ones, bum genius to be exact. You have to get your stuffing right and yes they can be a bit restrictive when learning to sit, which is why my kids learnt to crawl before they sat because I avoided sitting them.
But if you are staying at home with your kids, I see no need to use disposable, if you plan to go back to work I would understand as you wouldn't have the time to do the washing and you wouldn't use them with the kids in childcare, but staying at home, it will save you a lot of money and I just wash once a week and I have about 20 clothes, but I do use disposables overnight. I think we do need disposables, but we should be responsible about it to.

Jane

I use cloth nappies the majority of the time, only using disposables when we go out for long journeys or at night.
It is the responsibility of the manufacturers to make nappies bio degradable. Disposables are very expensive so to add a further 50 cents to recycle it is way too much.
Why is ownership constantly put on the consumer.

mez

I have a 3 month old baby boy and we have used cloth nappies on him since we brought him home from the hospital. There are so many different types available these days. I bought 3 different types to try out and I love them, no need for folding as they are designed the same way as dispoable nappies.
There is also no need to soak them at all. My baby currently goes through approx 6 - 8 per day.
Soooo much better for the environment, my pocket & my baby....all round thumbs up.
We do get an occasional leak through....but that also happens with disposable.
I wash a load of nappies every second day....I really do not think that it adds that much to a parents workload and even if it did, isn't your child and the world they live in worth it.

david

it is certainly a concern for me.young adults do not thing about the break down of plastics etc.the old cloth nappy is the only way to go.empty into toilet soak in bucket then wash and cuddly.do they make cloth nappies any more.young adults hardly see poo nowdays,remove the plastic wipe the bottom and replace.my mother from the old school was blind all her life.when asked how she changed nappies.her reply braille.

arcanedevice

Not a mum, but as a proud father of a six month old, we use environmentally friendly nappies. BumGenius make a great one, but we current use Flipz which are a little more fidgety to put on but do a great job.

shachah7

It is certainly a problem environmentally that we should all be concerned about. However, i dont think cloth nappies are the answer also.

The amount of water and electricity used to clean them daily may amount to greater than that required to manufacture disposable ones.

Perhaps a nappy that breaks down quickly is the answer?

Mellie

I also use cloth nappies and manage to keep our water consumption lower than that of a single person household. Their modern design makes them as Dad-friendly as disposables and they don't take up your whole day with washing if you plan well.

Anonymous

We used cloth for our first, just the flat terry squares. Modern cloth nappies (mainly pockets with hemp inserts) with our second until she was 4 mths, then began doing Elimination Communication. There is no washing, waste, landfil concerns etc with EC. Both kids are now out of nappies all together and Aly is 20 mths old. I liked the EC approach as with out the use of nappies, there is no nappy rash, no nappy bucket, etc. We did use cloth as back up at times and yes, the occasional disposable at night.
EC is very environmentaly concious, and increases bonding with the child.

Via

I think the govt has a responsibility to recycle all things where possible, but if was easier for parents somehow to help out a bit I would....what about buying offset points (like carbon offsetting)??

jasperjen

Having been married to an operator in a landfill site who constently bemoans the mountains of smelly disposables and the Grandmother of 21 who all seem to have been raised on disposables regardless of the cost in money and to the enviroment. . I see both sides surely a fair tax could be placed on each nappy to cover the cost of disposing them in a similar way to Hospital waste.

rach

The misconceptions on here about cloth use still astound me. I use modern cloth nappies - made from bamboo mostly (apart from waterproof covers and velcro or snaps to close) which is a very environmentally friendly crop to grow, no chemicals and minimal water. They do not require soaking so they are dry pailed, bamboo has inbuilt antimicrobial properties so a rinse and then a normal wash cycle with a tablespoon of washing liquid then pegging in the the sun disinfects and stain removes them. With a toddler we go through about 6 nappies a day. I wash every 2-3 days, but we are soon to have our second child so that will be every 1-2 days as the nappy bucket fills up.

tracwy

i used to use cloth until my daughter got to a few months and seemed to get rashes sheich she didnt in disposibles, it does concern me a bit with land fill .

MellissaD

I use disposables. As far as environmental impact is concerned, we need to look at the big pictures, not just landfill. I think cloth and disposables are probably fairly equal as far as impact on the environment is concerned. Yes, disposables are manufactured and contribute to landfill. But cloth are also manufactured, and made from cotton, which is a very water intensive crop. Cloth also come packaged when you purchase them, and a lot of the fabrics are chemically treated in some way - bleached, dyed, etc. Cloth need to be washed, which uses water and electricity and detergent. The detergent is manufactured and comes in plastic bottles.... etc etc. So I don't think disposables are necessarily any worse.

joyfulfish

Another cloth user here. Better for the environment but also some very strong reasons to use them for baby's health as well. In my opinion also WAY cuter!! :o)

samantha

I use cloth nappies and used them on my first child too. I do use disposables for the overnight or if my child has diarrhoea. I would pay extra for recyclable nappies but it should really be subsidised by our local councils if they were interested in keeping landfills from growing. Currently, nappies that are eco friendly are a lot more expensive which puts me off.
We should all take an interest in the effect our disposable nappies are having on the environment.

Angie

In answer to your questions above....
1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. No -we pay enough for them!
5. Govt with the companies paying for it! They make lots of money don't you worry!

kyles14

I use disposable nappies and wouldn't change. Apart from the convenience of using them, research has shown that the environmental impact is very similar to cloth nappies. Once you look at the water usage and the chemicals you use to soak and wash the cloth nappies, then the impact the chemicals have in the run off water, neither are "environmentally friendly". Choice magazine recently covered this topic. You then need to think if you are using bleach, how does this affect the skin when on the baby? I have sensitive skin and I cannot wear anything that has been exposed to bleach, and cleaning using bleach is impossible!

There isn't a lot you can do to reduce the amount of disposable nappies used, when they are soiled or wet they need to be changed. Otherwise there is a very uncomfy baby and/or nappy rash can occur. So far I haven't experienced nappy rash!

The cost of the nappies doesn't bother me. And if they increased in price I would still buy them. Choice magazine also looked at the price comparison for nappies, and again, once you take into account the washing products and cost of water, there isn't that much difference, especially with the new nappies that are prefolded and often made of hemp or bamboo.

I do think of the landfill that nappies cause, but then, when so many recyclabe things eg glass that are put in recycle bins and then sent to landfill as it costs too much to recycle, I think there are a lot of things that add to the landfill which could be done differently and aren't. When putting nappies in bags I use the bags that are biodegradable. A small thing but at least it is something.

I think the nappy companies are more responsible for trying to improve their products so that they are biodegradable, and whilst they will cost more, those who prefer the convenience, will still pay the extra price, and be happy knowing they are being more environmentally friendly!

annielou

There are so many ways to use cloth in an environmentally responsible way - dry pailing the nappies, using no chemicals to soak them, only using a rinse cycle on the washing machine, reusing the water used to soak or wash them, line drying them - all of these can be adapted to suit your circumstances. I never scrub my nappies - by removing the soil as soon as I take them off, and giving them a quick rinse, the bucket, the rinse in the washing machine, and the sun do the rest - so washing really doesn't take much time.

Modern cloth nappies can be as small as a disposable, as easy to put on and off, and help prevent leaks. There's also some great covers that really protect the clothes.

And there is another option too. Elimination Communication is an ancient technique that is used in many countries around the world even now, where carer and child work together to recognise the child's toileting needs. Its not early toilet training, its just a different way of looking at toileting, and it can really help save on nappies and time in the long run.

Anonymous

There are so many ways to use cloth in an environmentally responsible way - dry pailing the nappies, using no chemicals to soak them, only using a rinse cycle on the washing machine, reusing the...

Thanks for the great responses from everybody. Much appreciated

GalaB

I don't know how anyone affords them. I hear Mums talking about the cost of fresh vegetables, meat and fruit, but topping off their trolleys are bundles of these disposable nappies. Surely cloth nappies would be best all round. It's been a very long time since I had a baby in nappies, and I did use them if we were going out, but for home, never!!!!!

Michelle

This ones a little tricky. Do we use disposables and hope that a recycling solution will eventually arise? Or do we use cloth nappies, and use more precious water, electricity and chemicals. My ideal would be cloth nappies of course, but with recent water restrictions and a hike in electricity bills, it is more cost effective for me to use disposables. Yes, I am concerned about the recycling issues, but my immediate problem is financial. Especially in winter when I require the dryer for the cloth nappies.

incie

I am concerned about using disposable nappies, however, the time required to clean cloth nappies and the amount of water used to wash them are major contributing factors to me not using cloth nappies. I have to admit, the convenience of disposing of the dirty nappy also outweighs the advantages of using cloth nappies and I think if a nappy recycle service could be put into place, I would be all for it. I do feel the government and local councils have a responsibility to fund part of this service, if they only provided this service at a discounted cost to rate payers, that would be understandable.

Jo

I would recycle if I could and it was safe - I dont think the government should be responsible it should be up to us as individuals.
I did use cloth with my older kids but found that by the time you take into consideration water used for soaking and washing, detergent, waste and time we felt it was more econonmical for us to use disposable plus our 4 year old develped terrible nappy rashes when he was in cloth nappies despite any amount of cream etc used so it was better for him as well.

Looie

Throwing away disposables does cross my mind everyday, However so does the water crisis that we are currently in and have been building up to. I have used disposable from the start with my little boy, due to this reason. I recycle water where I can !! However, I would love a biodegradable product that is cost friendly, I believe that alot of us would then use these nappies instead. To recycle them would be great, but 50c per nappy is a bit pricey, for this day and age and petrol prices/mortgage rates etc... I do think the government has a responsibilty to do something for sure, they want us to reproduce !! ( one for Mum, one for Dad and one for the country !!!). I also plan to toilet train as early as possible, he can then pee in the garden like his day to save flushing to toilet !!!

amy_michelle

I would recycle them if we could

wendy

Yes throw away nappies does concern me greatly. If it was not for working I would not use them, its only for the convience of using them.

lizzied

Its funny that so many mum's say that its either not their problem or its the government's responsibility... Is this what we want to teach our kids? Don't worry about it love, someone else'll take care of it!

Felix Fan

Yes it does concern me. I think we have clever people here in Aus, we need to design a nappy that breaks down quicker over time. Yes i do believe its the governments responsibility. They make all the rules and regulations, they are supposed to be taking care of our future, its topics like that that we need addressed.

78bucket

I feel really guilty about not getting into cloth nappies when my son was born. I've bought a couple of bamboo ones that are great, but I do find working full time and keeping up with the washing a bit hard. I've taken the edge off the guilt by using ecofriendly ones, but even that's not ideal, and still an expensive option. Cloth will be utilised for no. 2.

Anonymous

We have a new born, 6 weeks old, and I had planned on using cloth nappies.
but we're farmers and during this drought, have been BUYING in house water every month.
so we've resorted to disposables out of necessity: have drinking/showering washing water or wash nappies.
but to make sure the environment is pretty safe, we have a fire bin (44 gallon drum) int he back yard, where we put all nappies
and then we fire them up... leaves a bit of plastic scum in bottom of drum, but better there than in a landfill.

loo

I use cloth nappies too and am very happy with them. But if you can't be bothered with all that extra washing, there's now a 100% biodegradable nappy that is meant to break down completely in 4 or 5 months, it's a brand called 'safeties.' Could make a huge difference to the landfill problem.

Anonymous

I use cloth nappies too and am very happy with them. But if you can't be bothered with all that extra washing, there's now a 100% biodegradable nappy that is meant to break down completely in 4 or...

Where can you buy these? And roughly how much do they cost?

Larissa

I have a mixture of both 'green' nappies and cloth nappies. I feel cloth are more appropriate for when I am travelling and have outings.
The green nappies do not require harsh detergents and can be placed in the normal wash loads which are great and cost effective.

angelskies

considering that all nappies the fecal matter should be tipped into the toilet and currently 95% of parents do not do this simple act that is illegal not to, I really do not think the chance of recycling nappies being successful. Currently there are nappies made from recycled materials (recycled coke bottles) which helps reduce our waste as well as producing reusable nappies.

econappies also only biodegrade under certain circumstances and have been shown not to break down in landfill.

also would like to answer a few of the comments here:
Would like to have time to use cloth nappies. Disposables are much easier and apparently cause the same amount of harm to the environment as washing cloth ones. from hallee

actually that has been debunked, the study that is being quoted around with that conclusion was not only based on cotton flats (not modern materials) but also had worked on the basis of soaking, washing, drying them in a dryer but then IRONING them which I do not know a single person using flats who does this. The study has been shown to be completely flawed and the new study is due out this summer.


So for us it works out 0.27 cents a nappy - when you compare that to cloth (Soaker, washing powder, softner, electricity, and labour) from tasha. Soaker is no longer used due to the fact it is remarkably bad for the materials involved (elastic and pul) and dry pailing has been scientifically proven to be hygienic, softner isn't used for the same reason as well as the fact it causes repelling, electricity 3 loads a week really doesn't add to the bill all that much.

Not only do they save you money in the fact they can be used hundreds of times but if cared for properly on the 2nd hand market you will most likely get 2/3s of the purchase price back! So they save you an immense amount of money especially with one size nappies, save the earth due to the fact nonrenewable resources aren't used in the making of them (where a cup of crude oil is needed per sposie) are made out of water reduced materials such as hemp and bamboo and don't lay in landfills for hundreds of years.

so yes disposable nappies concern me, especially considering the amount of water needed to make a single disposable nappy!! Recycling is a step in the right direction but without parent participation, water reduction and reduction of importing nappies made in australia (using australian resources) I don't think it will make a great deal of change.

angelskies

I use cloth nappies too and am very happy with them. But if you can't be bothered with all that extra washing, there's now a 100% biodegradable nappy that is meant to break down completely in 4 or...

also quick point: recent study of cloth nappy wearing households had each of the households due to water recycling and just awareness coming well under the water restriction daily limits. You use more water flushing the toilet then you do with most modern machines doing a load of washing. Added in on average the parents do a nappy load every 2nd to 3rd day it doesn't have the extreme impact that people seem to think.

Personally this is one topic that frustrates me as people honestly do hear what they want to hear, eg even in this singular thread despite the info about other fabrics, the lack of softner/napisan, lack of soaking etc soaking, rinsing and the like is still mentioned as to reasons not to use cloth. Plus studies that have been shown as hopelessly flawed keep being cited?!

angelskies

considering that all nappies the fecal matter should be tipped into the toilet and currently 95% of parents do not do this simple act that is illegal not to, I really do not think the chance of...

Thank you for you detailed response. Much appreciated

Donna

When our first (now 5 months) was born, I was fully prepared to go modern cloth all the way. Unfortunately, he was too tiny for his nappies so we were forced to use disposables for the first two months. I agree that they are convenient, but the cost comparison was insane. A box of 108 is $35 and that was lasting me a little over a week to 2 weeks at most. My cloth nappy stash (nappies, boosters, liners and covers) cost me $750 and I will not have to buy any more (unless I find some cute new pattern I can't live without). I've estimated that I would have to spend approximately $2000-3000 on disposables from birth to potty training (assuming he'll be trained by 2 years).

With my clothies I also dry pail (no soaking, just toss solids in liner into the toilet then rinse nappy and put into bucket) and the liners are biodegradable. I do one full load of washing every 3 days (unless I get lazy, then it's 4 days) with 1/4 a cap full of detergent only, then dry on the line. I've found that some of bub's clothes don't fit with some of the nappies, but there are some great low profile moderns out there which are just as big as a disposable (even after you put on a cover). The length of time the nappy stays on was regulated by bub in the beginning, but we now only change every 3 hours. He got used to the schedule and I think he waits to go just before a change. We did have some problems with leaks at first too (and it still occasionally happens, but it did with disposables too, especially when the changer was too tired and not paying attention), but once you find the right fitting nappies it's fine. My husband actually prefers the "daddy proof" clothies (his favourites are the kissaluvs) and was annoyed when we had to use disposables full time those first few months. We do still use disposables, but only on long days out and when travelling. And the only time he had nappy rash was in disposables. I still can't figure out how that happened. The way we've avoided nappy rash is by using pure lanolin (lansinoh) on his bottom. It's also a great nappy rash cure!

Most of my nappies are made of hemp or bamboo, which is antibacterial and short cycle growth (which means they are usually harvested every year). Even cotton is short cycle, versus the paper of disposables which is made from trees that take years of water consumption before harvesting... thereby, the water usage to produce those materials is far greater. (My husband worked for many years on a cotton farm, so I know more than I want about cotton)

As for recycling disposables, if it were possible I'd be all for it. The responsibility should be on both parties, government and the consumer. For instance, in the Netherlands there is a surcharge for plastic bags and I think some stores here have started doing the same thing to try and reduce the number of plastic bags used. It's the price of convenience, if you will. But perhaps if there could be something more along the lines of soft drink cans and bottles, where you pay a fee initially, but it's returned to you when you return the can/bottle. Then the products are returned to the manufacturer, which would force them to deal with the recycling issue as well... and maybe then they would make disposables out of recyclable materials.

Cloth really isn't much more work than disposables anymore and they are more environmentally friendly, but it's really up to each family to decide whether to use cloth or disposable. I'm not against disposables, heck, I still use them on occasion, but I also would not be against being charged for a disposal system for them... like the tax on cigarettes. We aren't high income by a long shot, but that would be like the price we have to pay for the convenience.

angelskies

When our first (now 5 months) was born, I was fully prepared to go modern cloth all the way. Unfortunately, he was too tiny for his nappies so we were forced to use disposables for the first two...

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. Not only are you helping the environment, but you are saving a good amount of money too.

Kerensa

Using disposable nappies as opposed to cloth ones is for me a matter of convenience. I am a little concerned about the environmental effect, but it is easier and quicker for me day to day to use the disposables. If a recycling plan was put into place however, I would be more than happy to participate! It should definitely be a joint government/parent initiative, obviously the government would have to implement some sort of plan and fund it, but it shouldnt be too much trouble for parents who use disposables to participate. I think that 50c/nappy to recycle is pretty steep, thats more than the cost of the nappy originally!!

hails81

It does concern me, but I tried using cloth nappies and they leaked alot. Also with level 5 water restrictions in Brisbane, I'm afraid washing cloth nappies will have us over the 140 liter target for water usage. I can't win either way.
My mum does cut the gel out of alot of my son's nappies and uses it in her pot plants and veggie garden as it is just like those expensive water crystals.

anny08

I use disposable nappies, as when you add up the cost of using cloth nappies with water, energy and soap flakes they break about even in the envirnomental and cost stakes.

Dee

If there was a service in Sydney (even one that you had to pay to subscribe to) that recycled disposable nappies then I would gladly use it. There is such a service in Melbourne. I feel like you can't really win. Using disposable nappies adds to landfill but cloth nappies require a lot of water for washing which is not sustainable.

joblue1

i have 3 children in nappies at the moment, we use disposable nappies and yes, some are better (absorbancy, softness and plastic content) than others. Some brands fit different children better than others as well. I bought cloth nappies with our 1st child with the intention of "being environmently friendly" but used Huggies newborns in hospital (providedby them) and have used disposables ever since. There are arguments that the amount of water required to wash cloth nappies (we either drink it or waste it,as we don't have enough for both) as well as the detergents used are both harmful to the enviroment, not to mention where do you get the time to wash about 30 nappies a day. We only use about 4 disposable nappies per day per child (about 12-15 nappies per day).
I think it's a governments job to regulate not recycle, it's the responsilblty of the nappy manufacturers to improve recyclability and parents to actually recycle them. 50c per nappy is to much to recycle them as it is somewhere between double and the whole cost of the nappy itself.
There are companys making environmentally friendly disposibles already.
We don't necessarily need to recycle disposibles (i't is a biohazard after all) but we should be encouraging the manufacture of more rapidly biodegradable nappies.

keke929

i think cloth ones are better than recycle ones. just a bit more trouble in the washing

Sharn

I would definately pay to recycle disposable nappies as the amount used in todays society is ridiculous. The alternative would be for more people to use cloth nappies. I have used these since my little girl was born 10 weeks ago. It does take a little more washing up but the benefits greatly outweigh the negatives. They reduce the amount of nappy rash and are a lot more comfortable for babies to wear. I never have problems with leakage as I do when using disposables. They last forever and are not very expensive to purchase in the first place.

I would love to see more people using them. Give them a go, you might be pleasantly surprised.

neigh

I don't think there is a wrong or right for this issue. Cloth and disposables have there place.
Some choose to use one or the other and some choose to use both. Both in my opinion have prons and cons.
Disposable are easy, fast and quick, while cloth nappies are environmentally friendly. The fall down with disposables is the fact that they cause substantial landfill and take a long time to break down. Cloth nappies require chemicals to get them clean which isn't that friendly to our ecosystem.
For me personally I have used disposables and that is conveneint for me. I think that some nappy companies are trying to be more environmentally friendly in providing nappies on the market that are made up of natural resources eg. cotton, paper and corn based materials. For example "Nature babycare" nappies by Marlene Sandberg. She uses chlorine free pulp and instead of using plastic based on oil she uses a film based on corn, which is not only 100% biodegradable but it also makes the film naturally breathable and thus is kinder on the baby's skin. I also knew that while I was living in Melbourne there was a company that was providing a pick up service of used nappies and actually recycling these. So for me if a company provided that service nearby I would definitely be prepared to invest my money in that company.

Shaunea Exon.

Joanne

You also have to take into consideration the impact washing cloth nappies has on the environment. Firstly there is the amount of water used for soaking, rinsing and washing nappies and secondly there is the detergents, nappy cleaners and other chemicals used to wash the nappies. I think there is environmental impacts for either cloth or disposable nappies it comes down to which is more suitable for your lifestyle.

Mon

I had no idea that it took disposables so long to break down. There were a few reasons we chose to use disposable over cloth, a couple being price, and the fact that I have issues with the skin on my hands. (Just the thought of having to wash poo off nappies makes my skin cry.. and continually wearing washing up gloves also affects them. I hate spending half my day with cream over my fingers to stop them bleeding).

I would be more than happy to recycle disposables, or pay a levy to have them recycled.

Now that I know how long they take to breakdown, I will be more conscious of ensuring they are well used, rather than changing just because its a little bit wet.

Tyreena

The environmental effect of disposable nappies does concern me. But also I don't like the thought of my beautiful little baby wearing them! We have choosen to use an American nappy system called Fuzzi Bunz (www.fuzzibunz.com). These are gorgeous nappies made of micro fleece & they have a waterproof outer. Our daughter was only 5 pound 7 when born & though these nappies were slightly too big for her they still worked well & made our lives a lot easier! I scrub the poo off the nappies them wash on a fast wash in the machine in cold water with normal wash powder, they wash very well. it takes me about 15 mins a day & they nappies dry really fast due to what they are made of. They also look great as they come in a huge range of lovely colours!
There is of course an environmental cost in the use of cloth nappies. So that is one of the reasons we have decided to use Natural Infant Hygiene. This is a way of learning when baby is communicating her elimation needs then taking her to the potty. She is 7 weeks old, we have been doing this for almost a week & already she pees the majority of the time in the potty (obviously we hold her over the potty!) & most of her poos too. It is wonderful & really easy. I suspect a lot easier then toilet training a 2 year old! For more info on this check out a great book called Diaper-Free by Ingrid Bauer. I think we will be nappy free all the time within a few months.

alisando01

I would love to use eco-friendly nappies as I have hard water and would find the nappies get too rough with that water but the only eco-friendly nappies only have one leak guard in the legs. I currently use Huggies because everything else I have tried has leaked either through the legs or up the back. I would love the companies that make the eco-friendly nappies to examine the more popular brands and ask the mum why they use that particular brand so that they can make their nappies more user friendly. I just don't have room to carry more than one extra outfit in my nappy bag so I need to be able to trust that the nappy will catch everything.

hodgypodge

We are about to have our second child and I used cloth nappies folded in Eenies nappy pants. They stop leakage, you don't need overpants and you still gain the benefits of the cloth nappy and saving the environment. We are going to do the same with the next child. We only use disposable nappies for childcare (9mths +) as they won't use cloth and when we go out. Our impact then is very minimal. There are disposable liners for the eenies that can be used for going out that just need to be torn in half and flushed
Every little bit helps

narelle

There has been lots of arguements for and against disposable and cloth nappies. I understand that one is going to take place in Australia. But studies that have been done in North America (Canada I think) show that if you look at the total life cycle of cloth and disposables that effect on the environment is about the same. Due to cotton being a very water intensive crop (and the pesticides used) and the amount of water (hot) , bleach and detergent used to wash cloth nappies. Of course disposables take up lots of landfil. As there is no clear cut case for cloth nappies I use disposables they are easier, less leakage (in hospital I used cloth but after 5 days had enough !!!). I have heard that if you wrap used disposables in paper bags rather than plastic they break down alot quicker than if wrapped in plastic. There is a recycle company for nappies in Melbourne but at the moment there are problems so the whole recycle thing is on hold. I have looked at disposables that used recyled materials but they seem to be for 11kg upwards, so once my daughter is older I would consider switching to those.

jasper0205

I used cloth nappies 100% with my first child (now 4.5 years) with the second I use a combination of cloth and eco-disposables. The second time around I found out about Eenie cloth nappies which are a lot easier than the traditional style of nappy. Eenies keep the mess in, are easier to clean and allow the baby more freedom in the legs. As my daughter is now starting to potty train I find that pull-ups are easier for her and I am very disappointed that none of the companies who make eco-disposables do not make them in a pull-up format because it can't be that hard if they are already making the nappy style disposable.

When I had both of my children I did look into a recyling service for disposable nappies but there was nothing available in my area - I would have gladly paid for such a service and feel that it would be great if local councils could look at providing such a service.

tank

We manage to combine the use of both in our lifestyle. A diposal is definately the way to go at night and when we are out and about. The cloth nappies we use at home during the day which is convienent. We did spoil ourselves to make the job easier and bought 4 pre-made cloth nappies which are already in a pant shape with button fasteners. Thebub at this stage (10mths) has learnt to undo the button fasteners, unlike other clips and also the sizing is from 8-15kilos. . At a cost of $15 each the ease made it worth it and I don't keep having to upgrading pilcher sizes.
I still there is a strong & equal environmental cost with cloth & diposal nappies.

Anonymous

I have always used cloth nappies and always will. I think that using time as an excuse is just that. I have always worked f/t and still managed to launder cloth nappies. I am also using them for my 20mth old twins. I think that it a small way I am making a commitment to the future of my children. The costs benefits are also not inconsiderable.

Trendy

I would pay the extra, but ultimately i think it is the responsibility of the government. Perhaps it should be part of the upcoming election campaign...

angelskies

I would pay the extra, but ultimately i think it is the responsibility of the government. Perhaps it should be part of the upcoming election campaign...

Do you think nappy recycling should be part of an environmental policy?

Anonymous

I use disposable nappies. I tried cloth nappies (A friend gave me some to try) but I found that my little boy got a terrible rash and that they leaked. Yes I would pay money t be about to recycle nappies. I have found that you can save alot of money and a lot of nappies by buying the very best nappies - which in my opinion are huggies. I have tried other brands and I find I use a lot more nappies. I go through about 4 or 5 nappies a day. I also find that Huggies draw the moisture away better so they can stay on long and my little one doesn't get a rash. I always buy them in the big box when they are on special - so they end up being nearly the same price as cheaper nappies. But I think it is great that so many people are still using cloth nappies. Good on you.

michelle

it is the responsibility of the parent

lis

i am concerned with the throwing away disposable nappies as are most of the other mothers i know. living in a rural area with limited water supply i choose disposables. i try to buy the better brands of nappies when i can afford them as i find you dont go through them as quickly as they have better absorbancy, but then i dont know if these take even longer to break down?. i would love to be able to recycle nappies however the cost is of concern as many families including myself could not afford the extra expense. i have heard of biodegradable nappies however have never found them myself and i believe that they are considerably more expensive than even the more expensive common brands. i would like to think that as well as being the parents responsibility to recycle, the government would also contribute in ways such as subsidising the biodegradeable nappies, encouraging retailers to stock them and advertising them, and also possibly putting a little money into the development of biodegradeable styles of disposable nappies. As a parent of a 13 month old with another bub on the way i also plan to encourage toilet training from an early age for all my children to cut down on my useage of nappies, i have noticed that a lot of children are in nappies until three years plus these days.

chill

Well this is a hot topic.....But as many others have said if their was a nappy recycling service I would use it. I do use ordinary dispposables simple because we can't afford the Eco ones. I weighed up the time/water/money involved in both types of nappies and as I'm a young mum with two munchkins I always seem to be running out of time so dispposables are just that much more convienient.

stilly

This has never been an issue for me as used cloth and this also has the added benefit to toilet train earlier as children in cloth naps don`t like the wet feel so generally are out of naps before the children in disposales.
We all could do more for the environment and get more mums using cloth naps. Lets be responsilbes mums and dads.

crystalandsimon

Nappies in landfill does concern me, but what are we supposed to do in a time when water restrictions are so tight, we can't even keep our herbs and veges in the garden alive??

We have a small old washing machine and can't afford a new water-efficient one. Even with the Government rebate they're still very expensive. We use less than our current limit of 140L per person per day, but when our first baby arrives (due any day now) we'll be washing at least once a day, if not more, as we currently do 4-5 loads per week for just the two of us.

When I was a baby I suffered very bad nappy rash, as did my sister, from cloth nappies, and I couldn't bear the thought of putting my little baby through unnescessary discomfort like that. These days disposable nappies are an economical option and with the water restrictions, actually better for the environment, what with the growing and processing of cotton and the maintenance routines required.

I would love to use an environmentally friendly alternative. Don't hold your breath for Huggies to develop an environmentally friendly nappy though - unless the Government makes it mandatory, they will not spend the money bettering a product that is already the market leader.

I would definately recycle disposable nappies if a financially viable option was available. In the meantime though, disposables are still healthier, for our child and for our immediate environment.

Tabby Cat

I too, thought long and hard about nappies long before bubs was born. I was always totally against disposables, then the water shortage we are facing made me think about disposables, also the time involved with washing cloth ones....bottles keep me busy enough as well as the washing, cooking, cleaning and everything else I must manage around the house daily! In the end disposables won out, and although I don't like that they cause so much of our landfill and the cost of them, the thought of having to pay council or anyone even one cent truely angers me for recycling, don't we pay enough taxes, rates, etc to warrant a free collection and recycling service to families? And if government spent even half the amount of money on the environment as they do on sport, there wouldn't be half the problems we face today....

nomad

I agree with one of the other mums that said that if the government can come up with recycling bins for cardboards, bottles, jars, etc. Surely they can do someting in relation to recycling nappies. I know I use aprrox 10-15 per day for our son and 1 at night for our daughter. So the charge of 50c each nappy would work out quite expensive for us per day on top of the costs already associated with raising children. Also the Nappy companies could put there research teams to work on discovering a way that they can make their nappies better degradable once thrown away into landfill, without compromising the quality of the nappy. I would probably only recyle the wet ones not the shitty ones though as that is just digusting.

melinda1972

I used cloth nappies at home for the first 6 months, disposables when out. After 6 months the cloth nappies, even with pilchards, couldn't contain the mess, so I swapped to disposables full time. My son is now almost 4 but not yet toilet trained but a bulk box of 88 nappies lasts about a month or so.

I might consider recycling if the government would subsidise the cost.

Sonet

I don't see why if you could recycle your day to day cardboards, newspapers, etc in a bin at home why can't you be given a special bin for nappies?!! I think it is absolutely the governments responsibility to help with the recycling of nappies. The Government and Nappy companies could work together to solve the problem - after all nappies are not the cheapest thing going around. I don't believe it is our responsibility as parents to pay for nappy recycling, we cover enough costs as it is.

smith_777

I am a new mum. We tried for seven years to have a baby. I care for the environment but would prefer to spend time with my daughter than in the laundry washing cloth nappies. These days life is too short, I try to do more for the environment in other ways.

juey

I don't think the real issue here is a cloth vs disposable debate. The fact is that disposables are so convenient that a majority of parents will use them at least some of the time. The logistics of recycling nappies seems rather difficult ( and also time and energy consuming which is an issue if people use disposables to save time). I don't thnk a lot of people would bother recycling disposables. More effort should be directed toward the development of mainstream biodegradable nappies (some are on the market already, but not by the major manufacturers). If biodegradable nappies were put out under the huggies brand instead of the little companies which produce them at present then they would do better.
The government has no responsibility to recycle nappies but incentives need to be in place for manufacturers to feel like they can take on envirnmental responsibility without affecting profits (such as a tax on non-biodegradable disposables)

Becko

Call me selfish, but I really only think of the convenience when it comes to using disposable nappies and not really the effect they have on the environment. I don't know one single mother who uses cloth so I guess I never even considered it myself. I would definitely recycle them if I could and I think i'd probably still recycle them if it was to cost 50c. Perhaps the government should plug eco friendly nappies more, but really, everyone knows that there's a choice between disposables and cloth, so really it should be the parents responsibility. I think i go through between 5-8 nappies a day, and I'm not too sure how I could minimise this other than use cloth, which as I stated earlier, would be less convenient and they can cause nappy rash. I do find it disturbing that it takes 500 years for a disposable to decompose though. Are there biodegradable options available? I've never even looked. Like I said, selfish!

CompletelyUniqueNickname

I'm expecting my first, and despite the implied guilt-trip from the in-laws, I'm preparing to use disposable nappies after considering the convenience and the costs. I've done a little research into both sides of the cloth vs disposables story, and it seems that there are strong arguments for both, and little difference to the environment between them once you consider the whole process from manufacture to disposal. I'd recycle if a program were available in my area. I think it is the parents' resposibility to recycle and reduce waste, but it is the government's responsibility to provide the means and the programs for us to do so.

Curley

Well just before having my first I was definitely going to try using cloth nappies to save costs the family budget as well as the environment . She was born and the hospital ofcourse supplied the nappies (dispossible) then on bringing her home cloths were forgotten.
Once the second was born I knew it was just easier to use dispossibles, in saying this I don't understand why we can't do more with making them recyclable or even making them out of recycled products to some degree. I would definitely recycle however justiying another 50cents on the already huge expense of nappies may make me halter. In regard to who has the responsibilty to recycle this I believe would depend on the process to recycle them however government would need to do their bit - my government does not even collect greens separately from you household waste????

Evie

I have always used disposable nappies but understand that they are a very difficult thing to dispose of. I use as fewer nappies as possible nad woudl certainly support a recycle system for them. I would be prepared to pay extra to be able to recycle them. I believe that it is both the Government and parent's responsibility to provide a way of recycling nappies. People are always goign to have babies and the world is not going to go 'backwards' and start using coth nappies again.

Pacca

A friend of mine who works for an environmental agency said they had done studies and there was no difference in environmental impact when comparing cloth vs disposable nappies. This was due to the amount of water it takes to grow the cotton to make the cloth nappies. I would recycle disposables if it was easy to do so.

Alina0210

I use a mixture of both disposables and the modern cloth nappies, since i am making the cloth nappies myself i am waiting until i get a big enough stash to completely use them and no disposables... just use normal washing powder in them... and then line dry.

Anonymous

There used to be a nappy recycling service that was very reasonably priced called myplanet.com.au. Their service has unfortunately been suspended which is a real shame because it was a great idea. They collected your nappies once every fortnight from a special wheelie bin. I wish more councils/local government would get behind great initiatives like this one so that they can get off the ground and become widely available to all.

angelskies

I would pay the extra, but ultimately i think it is the responsibility of the government. Perhaps it should be part of the upcoming election campaign...

Interesting. Do you know why it has been suspended?

shannant

I am one of the few who have responded that seem to love disposables. I tried cloth nappies with my son (now aged 14 months) but found they leaked and I not only had to change his nappy every few hours but all of his clothing too. When my daughter (2 months) arrived I used cloth in hospital but switched to disposables as soon as I came home.

I can go through 12 nappies a day in disposables but would cringe to think about how many cloth nappies I would have to be soaking, washing and getting dried in this weather!

I would definitely consider recycling my disposable nappies if there was a nappy recycling centre in close proximity to my home but I wouldn't pay $.50 ea for the privelege. My nappies don't even cost 50c each so there's no way I'd pay more than what they're worth to get rid of them. I certainly wouldn't mind a weekly drive to drop them off for recycling though. I believe the government should take some sort of responsibility for recycling nappies since they encourage us to have "one for mum, one for dad, and one for the country". Maybe setting up some sort of recycling centres (I know there is one in Noble Park Vic) would be a good start.

I do worry about the effects that all of those disposables are having on the environment but in this day and age of water restrictions I wonder if one is really worse than the other.

Anonymous

We go for the in - between Cloth nappies that are shapped and fit like disspossables, have velcro fitttings and come in variopus sizes, they don't seem cheep to start with but compared to continually buying reusable it works out much cheaper.
Narelle

Rach

We use disposable nappies, and we use a nappy wrapper bin to put the used ones in. It is very convenient and for us it's the only way! I take my hats off to those of you who use cloth nappies and recycled water, I just find I don't have the time and for me I find disposable nappies cleaner.
I would be interested in recycling my used disposable nappies and I would love the plastic in the nappy wrapper to be bio-degradable or used from recycled plastic as well.
The idea of land fill does worry us as a household and we try to counteract our nappy usage but still only having one household car, walking to the shops, recycling all we can, turning lights off and trying our best not to waste water.
As using disposable nappies is our choice, we would be willing to pay a little bit extra if they were more environmentally friendly.

Study Mummy

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar fleece liners as they wick the moisture away really well. And the washing is a breeze - we use bicarb soda, vinegar and a dash of eucalyptus oil for odour and each morning put it in the machine and press go (we don't even do the scrubbing, if it doesn't come off first wash - very rare - I just return it to the bucket for another day's soaking. We'd use 8-9 nappies a day now (at 10 months). Fortunately we live in a place with no water shortages so this wasn't a consideration. I do worry about those we throw away but 50c to recycle is too expensive - and the responsibility for recycling must also lie with the manufacturers ... you can't make a product that takes 500 years to decompose and then absolve yourself of all responsibility for its impact on the environment.

Ruth

I would pay the extra, but ultimately i think it is the responsibility of the government. Perhaps it should be part of the upcoming election campaign...

I am expecting my first baby and have weighed up all of the options at length. I have chosen disposable nappies as we are dependant on rain water, not scheme water and would have to put in another rain water tank to cope with nappy washing. this in itself is financially prohibitive to us, plus would damage local eco environment in installation. We already depend on black water recycling too. Producing our own electricity will take nearly fifteen years to recoup the cost of the set up, again this is currently prohibitive to us. Our washing machine would use electricity, encouraging the govenment to look more and more at nuclear energy. I also do not want to spend valuable time washing nappies when my husband and I will both be working opposite shift patterns from each other a large portion of the week so that we don't have to rely on childcare.

Also so many studies have been done now that a balanced argument about what is more damaging environmentally means the choice is clear for me. The cardboard packaging will be shredded and used in our chicken nest boxes and in turn then composted down. We are strong advocates of permaculture gardening, even on a small suburban block and have minimal landfill waste normally.

The government needs to look at the nappy debate country wide and facilitate recycling programmes. It is then up to parents to make concious decsions and make the effort to recycle nappies. Manufacturers have a responsibilty to campaign for recycling, even set up programmes, but also could make a start by moing away from shiny glossy packaging too and use simpler recycled packaging using the environment angle as an advertising pitch.

I would advocate recycling of nappies if it were available where I live, but would never consider cloth nappies.

Ruth

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar...

Who else thinks it is the responsibility of the manufacturer?

Night Goddess

We never use disposables. The cost, the landfill issue, and the possible health issues with the use of disposables all ensure we never will. (Not to mention they stink and leak - creating more washing)
We dry pail and these days mostly use modern cloth - so cute and convenient.
The manufacture of disposables uses just as much water if not more than the washing of cloth and if you have a water-efficient washing machine, a sensible full biodegradable washing detergent to allow use of the rinse water on the garden and use dry pailing then in my opinion you are miles ahead. (We live in Toowomba and have had pretty severe water restrictions for years now) We have not used napi-san or the like since I realised there was no need for it over 18 months ago! You also use less than half the regular amount of washing detergent in a wash as you aren't trying to shift grease...

I guess everyone has their own opinion and values but I am satisfied that I have fully researched the options available and I feel I have made the right choice for my family and our future.

CinMuz

I live in Christchurch New Zealand and the local council have introduces a scheme (limited time due to limit of funds) to subsidise the purchase of pre fold cloth nappies. Along with the council subsidy many of the retailers who stack the reuseable products are also subsidizing the purchase.

I have and my 11month old in prefold cloth nappies as soon as she could fit them (around 3 months). We don't soak them, simply stick them in a dry pail, at night I prewash and wash with eco washing detergents and stick them on a rack to dry. At least once a week I try to get them out in the sunlight, however they often don't need the sun bleaching.

Recently i went to visit my parents, as my mother was sick and in Hospital. During the entire 6 week period my daughter remained in cloth nappies, even throughout the 3-4 hour daily hospital visits. My mother passed away and even on the day of her funeral we still used the cloth nappies. During the week of the funeral my fathers house bulged with immediate family (14 people), still used the cloth, and no one was inconvienced or any the wiser to me doing them (despite the laundry being in the garage and 3 children sleeping in there!!!). My mother was very proud of me using these nappies and I felt it important to continue to use them.

On a return visit to my fathers I ised disposable nappies for a day and my daughter has a nappy rash and has taken 3-4 days to go.

As far as cost and washing goes both do take a little effort. We plan on having 2 children and am able to re use the nappies for the second. Washing takes such a small amount of time and effort, let the washing machine do the work. My daughter is also very obvious when she wants to poo. So from around 6 months she has pooed on the potty or the toilet. This means I rarely have to handle this matter and just rinse the residue off the nappy and or liner before placing in the pail.

I encourage you all to have a try at the "alternative" option, it really isn't that hard.

tanya

I have 4 children and i used cloth with the first even at night. But with my 2nd she would cry constantly when the nappy was wet and as babies are we most of the time she rarely sleept! So i changed to dispossibles and have done so with my last 2 as well. It has stopped the nappy rash and they sleep so much better. I would love to recycle them but as there is no service it in the bin they go. If we had to pay I would as they take up alot of space in the bin.

Claire

I use disposable nappies. When I had my first child I worked out the cost to the environment of washing cloth nappies and the cost to the environment (burning fossil fuels, using washing powder - tried the safe ones and they don't wash as well) and financially it cost the same. Environmentally, there is a similar cost.
Excluding newborns (I have three children now and one due any moment), I try not to use more than 4 - 6 maximum per day. Disposable nappies are so well designed nowadays that there is no danger in leaving a wet nappy on for a bit longer.
Because we are a one income family of nearly six, I wouldn't pay to have them recycled so I would have to be forced to pay by manufacturers incorporating the recycling cost into the retail price of the nappy. Then I would have to rethink the whole cloth versus disposable debate and make a decision. I think most people need to be forced to do the right thing regarding the environment by the government making services which damage the environment more expensive. It's not because we don't care about the environment, it's just a financial consideration/decision for families already struggling to make ends meet. The costs need to be more invisible (factored into taxes or retail prices of services which damage the environment).

KG

I wish I had used cloth nappies with my first as I was in an area with no water restrictions and had a good baby so I could have had the opportunity but by the time I realised I was almost ready to go back to work. There are very few childcare centres ( I actually dont know any) that allow you to use cloth nappies. But with 2 children now I dont know how I would cope. Congratulations to all those who are able to but at the moment I will be adding to the landfill and saving on the water. Recycling would be a nice idea but I also find that a bit expensive and at the moment we do not have much to spare.

Krisseh

The huge amount of disposables used does concern me as I sometimes wonder what sort of world we are creating for the future generations. I get visions of huge piles of nappies. I often wonder why with todays technology they havent done more to create a more environmentally friendly nappy. I do realise there are some but I believe they should be the main stream not the expensive type you have to hunt around for. I would definitely be more then willing to pay to have them recycled. I see it as a small fee for the future. Recycling would be fantastic esp if it was as easy a throwing them into a special bin that gets collected one a week for a fee. Like your council collects ur normal garbage but you register to have ur nappies picked up. I think this would make it easier and less thought about having to sort and such. I think the responsibilty is on the govt to kick-start companies into creating more enviro-friendly nappies and on us as well to use them.

The world of cloth nappies is so different these days. They really are just as easy as a disposable. Made from sustainable products like hemp and bamboo and super absorbant. They do upwith the ease of velcro and snaps. They are even dad-proof. No need for fumbing with pins and such. They are simply washed in the machine with the tiniest amounts of washing powder and then hung out to dry. No soaking with bleach and such. I did use these for a time with my daugther but due to circumstances had to change back. My next baby though I will be definirtely using modern cloth nappies. They even have a fantastic re-sale value. So once u are finished with them you can recycle them like you would clothes and sell them to another mother. Products like the bamboo nappies are actually naturally anti-bacterial as well and Id say much nicer for a bubs bottom in the long run.

Fi

I am a mother of five kids (our oldest being 7 years old). We used cloth nappies full time with our first who was subsequently fully day and night trained at 22 months. I used clothies with our second, but gave up on them within six months as during the changing/cleaning time our 22 month old would start harassing the baby. Once I got accustomed to the convenience of disposables (and I feel lazieness, as I don't have to change them as often) I have found it difficult to go back. With our current council having rubbish removed fortnightly the smell has made lots of our families revert back to clothies. I am one of them. Surely the 500 years break down is worth a load of washing or two. Surely clothies must be better for the environment!!! Also, how many people place the faeces down the toilet when using disposables as you are advised to do??? How hygenic is that? We have used clothies when the children are close to toilet training age (22 months - 26 months for us) and I feel that it aided in quicker awareness and subsequent training.

Cost when having one income & raising five kids is important, so eco friendly nappies at more expensive prices would be no good for us.

Belinda

I have 3 children, and when my son was born I had all 3 under 2 years and in nappies. When my twins were babies I was using 100 nappies a week & at no time had any intention of using cloth nappies. (They were good for cleaning though & soaking up spew)! I was already doing at least 2 loads of washing a day & couldn't imagine doing 4 or 5, plus all the scraping & soaking. I have a friend who uses cloth nappies & she was constantly changing her children as they leak or soak through - where as mine were still fine in disposables.

I actually did the sums with cloth versus disposable - as I annoyingly had family members questioning my decision, and it works out that by the time you factor water, washing products, electricity, ware & tare on your washing machine (& dryer for the colder months) & time wastage, cloth nappies worked out dearer. I also think having bacteria from the nappies in the atmosphere is gross & unhygenic - rather than tying up a nappy bag immediately and throwing it in the bin. I do care about our environment & future & although disposable nappies don't break down easily - at least I am not wasting our precious water & electricity, and putting more chemicals out into the environment.

GO DISPOSABLE!

P.S. There's not much one can do to reduce the number of nappies used - unless you don't give your child much to drink, or force them into toilet training before they are ready. Of course I would recycle them if there was a service provided (like household garbage) although I wouldn't participate if I had to pay for it & I don't think I'd know anyone that would. I think it is the responsibility of the government - although I'm sure they would put it back on the parents by adding more taxes or rates somehow!

maryanne

I am concerned by the land fill aspect of disposables and also by the cost. I attempt to use cloth nappies whenever possible but find it difficult when going out etc. so use disposables then. Modern cloth nappies make it easier to use cloth when out, however I find them too expensive so am just using terry flats

Tidge

I'm a grandmother ... with lots of 'hands on' with two grandchildren. I used cloth nappies for my children - disposable were irritant producing for babies and not nearly as 'clever' as today's production line. Wouldn't even consider cloth now unless my child developed some freaky reaction to the disposable. Cleaner, safer for germ spreading and much much of a muchness for ecology! Also one heck of a lot more comfortable for babies and toddlers can transition from nappy to trainer to pants with their own 'help' in doing so.

Wendy67

With my 19 & 18 yr old children i used cloth as expensive disposables just werent an option. I've since had 2 more children (7 yrs and 6 mths) and didnt even consider cloth nappies as an option. Disposables have reduced in price, my financial situation isn't as dire and in this day and age where the days seem shorter but the chores longer, i just dont have the time to deal with cloth nappies. Disposables are more absorbent, comfy for bubs and nappy rash occurs far less. If the local council provided a recycling service I'd participate religiously, but am not prepared to pay more for the eco nappies as they're of poorer quality than Huggies.

emmagrundy

As a parent of our future generation, I am concerned with the problem of disposable nappies but I wonder what is better - land fill or using our ever reducing water supply to wash cloth nappies. So I continue to use disposables for their convenience and hygiene within my home (although they are not so hygienic once they become landfill).

Trudib

As we have our own sewerage system on our property (similar to a biocycle), we were advised not to use cloth nappies. For us, we would have to rinse the nappies out in the hose. We would then have to soak them in buckets that would have to be emptied out on the grass or gardens. We would then have to rinse the nappies again using the hose (to remove any antibacterial detergent) before putting them in the washing machine. Not only would this be extremely time consuming, but we would also be wasting a lot of water and putting unnecessary detergents into the soil.

As such, we use disposable nappies. During the day however, I try to give my little boy as much time in underpants as possible. I find this greatly reduces the number of nappies we use. He also loves the freedom. We don't have too many accidents as I have pretty much worked out his routine and most of the time, he tells me when he needs to do a poo (which is great for a 16 month old).

i find that disposable nappies already seem so costly. I think that perhaps the large companies manufacturing nappies should try and make their nappies more environmentally friendly, after all they are making a fortune from them.

Modnoc

I didn't realise that they take that long to break down, however I am not sure if this would change my view about using disposable nappies. I had a friend who lost a grandchild in a bucket soaking nappies and I didn't want buckets in and around the laundry with various stages of dirty nappies soaking. Quite frankly who has time to wash everyday especially with the focus on water and power useage? Give me an affordable disposable nappy that is as good as Huggies and I would try it!
I think the government has a responsibility to participate in research to recycle all common household items including nappies and then introduce regulations that ensure recycled materials are being used and that items can be recycled more effectively.

lizzied

We use cloth nappies and have since birth. We dry pail, wash every second day and use a combination of terry toweling squares and modern cloth nappies that are pre-folded. I think that the idea of recycling nappies would put off lots of people because we're conditioned not to have anything to do with our bodies and bodily fluids - hence the popularity of disposibles!

Sars

It does concern me but I feel less guitly now that we are short on water to wash cloth ones anyway. I definitely don't try to change a disposal as soon as it's a bit wet but rather make sure its properley used and I would recycle them for sure if it was an option.

I'd be happy to pay and I think the responsibility lies with both parties. The govt would have to set up the system and the parents have to make the effort to use it.

MellissaD

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm unsure how this will affect our ability to wash cloth nappies.

ral

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar...

I use sposies when going out for a day, but not if I'm just popping down to the shops. I use cloth every chance I get. I am washing a load every couple of days (so the washing machine has a full load) and I use the baby bath water to soak and wash the nappies. I also wash all the baby clothes and bed linen with the soaked nappies to ensure that the washing machine has a full load. Then the water is filtered though the grey water system and onto the vege patch. I haven't really paid attention to what soap powders are better for the garden. I use home brand nappy soaker and a standard wash powder through my machine. I think that the plants are thankful to receive any water so haven't complained yet.

We are on trickle town water and 95% of our water is rain water.

michegirl

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar...

I live in rural SA and do not have access to piped water - the only water I can use, falls from the sky. I use disposable nappies but not because of water restrictions, thats why we have rain water tanks. I use disposables due to convenience and thats all. I have 3 kids under 3, run a farm, and am studying for my degree. I do not have time to do extra washing! I would however love to recycle the nappies my kids go through.

I think if the government could pay for the recycling, but I would be happy to pay 10-50cents extra per nappy to pay for the extra costs, picking up costs etc. I would hate to be a worker in that recycling factory though!!

hipp_ette

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar...

I'm not sure people consider how disposeables are made.Not only does the manufacturing process require water,but chemicals,electricity (also a water user) and the environmental damage caused by transporting them to the retail outlets. When you consider the total impact,it makes cloth seem a more responsible option,if a little more work for the carer.

Kylie

We use mainly cloth nappies, but disposables at night and when travelling. The main reason for this was cost - we have found an excellent cloth brand in the shape of a disposable and use polar...

We live 15kms north of Toowoomba and are also nearing level 6 water restrictions. Our area does not have sewerage so we use bio-cycle - all water used in our house drains down to a tank which is then filtered out onto the lawn via a 'sprinkler'. The tank has to reach a certain level before the sprinkler will go off. Everytime I do the washing it goes off at least once so I am extremely conscious of how much water one load uses. I have never been a fan of using a cloth nappy for anything other than a spew rag on young babies as I'd rather play with my baby than spend time scrubbing, washing, hanging and folding. I know we need to do something about disposable nappies but we also need water to drink.

Kylie

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

Anyone else have the same issue as MellissaD?

mandal

We don't use disposable nappies at all - I just couldn't stand the thought of them all going into landfill. We use cloth for day, night, and going out. I do a wash every 3 days as that's how long it takes to get a full load of nappies. We go through about 6-8 a day. Getting them ready for washing takes about 30 minutes (scrubbing the worst stains out and rinsing using baby bath water), the wash cycle is about 50 minutes and hanging them out and folding them after takes another 20 minutes or so. Apart from saving money and waste, our first daughter was toilet trained by her 2nd birthday because she could feel when she was wet and learned quickly how to avoid that.

Marnster

When our baby came along, we considered the environment in making a choice about nappies. At the time, there was a nappy recycling service in our area - Myplanet. It cost $7 per week to enable recycling of nappies. Since then, the service has been discontinued, but we don't want to go out now and spend lots on buying nappies etc. I'd love to see the service resume.

I think it is a joint responsibility of the government and parents. The government should enable solutions.

bayosmum

Just to add something after reading someone's comment about recycling but not paying.

Why can't the government supply discounts, or a rebate, for parents to use a nappy cleaning service. A service using recycled water would probably use far less water than people washing their own at home or the amount of water that it costs to actually make disposable ones (of which I hear is quite a bit)

That way, parents can use cloth, someone else can clean them and it is all discounted, which may cost less than the weekly cost of disposables. It's only for the first 2 years of a child's life and since the government is encouraging us to go forth and procreate, then shouldn't they be responsible for helping to clean up the 'mess' created from this :)

bayosmum

I use both cloth and disposables. There is so many different 'studies' on which one is better, more economical, more ecological etc. I think it is neck and neck. The first 6 weeks I used disposables - many dirty nappies combined with caesar pain and mastitis = nil care factor when it comes to washing cloth ones. Now - my son is 5 months old - I use cloth through the day and disposables when going out, going away and at night. However, having said that, I am using disposables at the moment as he is having a growth spirt, BF every hour and has many, many dirty nappies through the day. Call me lazy but it's just a bit easier.

If you could recycle disposables I think the guilt factor some people have would go away, even though there doesn't need to be a guilt factor involved. But I still think I would still use cloth. I believe they are more comfortable, except for when they have wet them. You are more likely to change them rather than them sitting in a 3 x wet disposable and therefore maybe less chance of nappy rash. I found that disposables give off a weird smell if left on too long (yes, guilty of that)

I use the baby bath water to wash his cloth nappies. I soak them with a touch of nappy san and then empty that bucket into the machine without adding anything extra. I also line dry so the sun can do it's sterilising job. I don't have a dryer so I have no choice.
It takes 2 minutes to get them ready to wash, 60 seconds to get them out of the machine and a couple of minutes outside in the fresh air to hang them. Not all that time consuming or inconvenient. I have 12 towelling, 12 flannalette and 6 pre-made cloth nappies so I don't run out and only have to do a couple of washes a week, not every day as some suspect. Best to do as many as possible in one hit to save on energy and water.

Your last question? No, I don't think it is the responsibility of the government to recycle nappies; not yet anyway. They have more pressing environmental issues to address.

Alicia

I was prepared for both cloth and disposables when my baby came along. I would change to cloth nappies if my babiy needed me too, eg reaction to the disposable, but due to time ristraints of working part-time rom home, with my husband away, there is onyl so many hours in the day. I think the government needs to step up in regard to the recycling of the nappies, or offer an incentive to buy recycleable nappies. No doubt they would be more expensive, making it harder for families on a low income as are we. I would recycle our napies if I could.

nomi

I love disposable nappies because they are super absorbent, better for my baby and don't require hours in the laundry which I just don't have time for. At the end of the day I do look at the large bag of nappies that goes in the bin but selfishly I don't give a second thought to the environment. I worry more about the cost of them and the money I throw away each time I use a new disposable nappy.
I would gladly recycle them if I could but i wouldn't pay for it. I think that considering the continuing amount of new parents in any country the government should accept responsibility for providing recycling options for nappies

leat79

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

We use disposables all the time, but where possible we try and use biodegradable disposables. Our reasoning was: Australia has a HUGE water crisis at present that will not subside for some time. Even that one extra load of washing could be eliminated by not using cloth nappies. In terms of landfill, while disposable nappies make up 3-4% of landfill waste, more than half of landfill waste is food. We combat this by having a compost bin, so are reducing our landfill contribution in that way. In the end, I believe it is an individual choice, but one that would certainly be made easier if more nappy companies promoted a more biodegradable, eco-friendly disposable.
If I could recycle disposable nappies, I would. In an instant!

Rachael

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

I would happily put the nappies out with the recycling for the council to collect. I work 40 hours per week - it may seem selfish, but I don't want to spend another hour per day washing the nappies.

khamie

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

I like recycling things.I think its a better way to have a free recycling of nappy services in every area.
Is there anyone who uses cloth nappy for their babies never tried disposable nappies ever?

a_princess14

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

My thoughts on recyling nappies are that it should be a free service that the government provides (more money to the councils) the government hands out thousands of dollars to have a child if they are so worried for the environment then there should be a free service to recycle the nappies that ourt children use... cloth nappies aren't always the best option.

Shellknits

If we had a way here to recycle disposables, then we definitely would. I am about to start using more cloth; however, we will soon be on Level 6 water restrictions in our neck of the woods and I'm...

I have children ranging from 15-1. I prefer to use cloth nappies during the day and a disposable at night. Disposable nappies have become cheaper over the years. Markedly when the GST came in,there was a big price change at that time. Maybe a tax(recycling fee) could be added to the cost of the purchase price. Though I guess that won't work unless all councils provide a recycling service. Where we live we can't even recycle glass or other basics. I cringe every time I put stuff in the bin.
Another issue these days is that most baby clothes aren't designed to accomodate a cloth nappy and pilcher. My baby is mostly wearing hand me downs and home made clothes. But she would be anyway.
I find there is no significant time involved in washing nappies. I wash them the same way someone else mentioned. Soak them in a bucket of water with soaker, when I have enough for a load, tip it all into the machine. And set it on the rinse and spin cycle only (not the full wash cycle). No detergant is required and definately no softener(this will in fact make them less absorbant). Then out on the line or in bad weather, the airer. I'm proud to have fluffy white nappies flapping on the line!
With my second child, I even had to hand wash nappies for three months when the washing machine broke down. I couldn't afford to use the laundromat (I actually hand washed everything!) or disposables.
When buying disposables, I buy the eco brands, though I still feel guilty.
Cloth nappies last and last. I'm still using some 15 year old ones, they are getting thin and some have finally gone in the rag bag.
When I was having my last baby, I found it hard to find any decent pilchers (not plastic). It turned into an obsession. I finally found some in Big W. And as it turned out , I had plenty in boxes from the previous bubs.

Shellknits

I love disposable nappies because they are super absorbent, better for my baby and don't require hours in the laundry which I just don't have time for. At the end of the day I do look at the large...

A couple of questions for you - are you working? If so, how many hours are you working a week? If recycling was free (i.e. the council picked them up in the same way we recycle paper) would you recyle then?

annielou

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, I don't use chemicals to clean them (bicarb soda does as good a job as napisan as long as the nappies are rinsed well - I used a squirty hose attached to the toilet to do this) and I recycle my nappy water on the garden as much as I can. I do use disposables when I go out sometimes but I hate throwing them away so I'm working on ways to use cloth even when out. Mainly its 'peer pressure' that stops me (and I'm worrying about that less and less). We do live in a throwaway society and I often come across the attitude of 'why would you bother doing the less convenient option when there is an easier way' - but I don't mind the time the nappy care takes and I feel much better about my impact on the environment. I understand that for women with less time it would be an issue. I guess in my case its part of my overall philosophy of life and childcare that means I make sure I have enough time for stuff like this.

annielou

I love disposable nappies because they are super absorbent, better for my baby and don't require hours in the laundry which I just don't have time for. At the end of the day I do look at the large...

Sorry its taken me so long to reply (I can't believe its been 5 months...) I normally wash them once every one or two days, I just pop a bucket full in the washing machine and put it on a rinse cycle - so that takes a couple of minutes. I would also fill a new bucket with water and bicarb so that's another couple of minutes, and then hanging on the line and getting them off would be, say, 5 minutes each. It took longer when the kids were newborn and did a lot more wees and poos, but even then it was probably no more than half an hour

annielou

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, I don't use chemicals to clean them (bicarb soda does as good a job as napisan as long as the nappies are rinsed well - I used a squirty hose attached to...

Thanks for this. Can you just give me an idea of how long the process of washing them is taking you?

Tasha

Unfortunately today is a throw away society. I use disposables after weighing up costs and convienience. I have often thought what is the processof a nappy breaking down and how long it takes. The Eco friendly disposables are far to expensive. If they were more affordable I would happily use them.

Kath

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, I don't use chemicals to clean them (bicarb soda does as good a job as napisan as long as the nappies are rinsed well - I used a squirty hose attached to...

I've worked out by trying various brands of nappies that on average I pay approximately 26 cents per nappy if I buy in bulk or when they are on special. I had always thought I would use cloth nappies because I do believe they are far better for my children's skin etc but I found the money I was saving on disposables was being eaten up by an increase in my water bill and purchasing washing powder. Also, my son tended to wee through the nappy (even with the liner!!) so I gave up. I would definitely pay more for a recycled nappy especially one that I could buy in bulk etc (I now have twins and purchasing the small packs isn't financially beneficial).

Ez

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, I don't use chemicals to clean them (bicarb soda does as good a job as napisan as long as the nappies are rinsed well - I used a squirty hose attached to...

We are paying around 25-30 cents each for nappies- buying in bulk, I have tried many brands of nappies and have found one brad to be far ahead of the rest, my intention was to use cloth nappies and this worked for one week, disposables were the better option, if i could get the same quality in recycled nappies i would pay about 5-10cents extra. In this day and age life is go go go, gone are the days where we spend hours and hours soaking and stain removing nappies. Disposables not only are quick and easy the are also better for my boys little bot, no nappie rash with the super absorbant technology. The government should pay for the recycling of nappies, let's face it if they set this service up sooner than later its going to cost a lot less than in a couple of years when it gets totally out of hand

Tasha

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, I don't use chemicals to clean them (bicarb soda does as good a job as napisan as long as the nappies are rinsed well - I used a squirty hose attached to...

When I can I try to get the big bulk boxes on special whenthey are around $35.00 for aprox 128 nappies. The eco nappies do not come in bulk where I shop and only come in 40 nappy size for around $20.00. We also travel a far bit to visit relatives. They live in a small town in north west queensland. Normal nappies there are $60.00 a box!!!. So for us it works out 0.27 cents a nappy - when you compare that to cloth (Soaker, washing powder, softner, electricity, and labour) Disposables are a better option, and I have more time to spend with my baby and husband. I would recycle the nappies if the coucil offered a free service - or a low fee service.

Tasha

Unfortunately today is a throw away society. I use disposables after weighing up costs and convienience. I have often thought what is the processof a nappy breaking down and how long it takes. The...

How much are you paying for disposables now? And how much would you pay for recycled ones?

Michelle

I thought long and hard about this before our baby came along, since with the drought and water restrictions, cloth nappies aren't much better than disposables in the immediate sense. In the end, long term cost savings won me over to cloth, though I do use disposables at night.

Having said that, if there were a way to significantly reduce the environmental impact of disposals, I would be happy to use them full time, even at a greater cost.

As for who should be responsible... it's always very easy to say that 'somebody' should do something (which usually means 'not me'), but I do soee a cooperative role in recycling nappies. If the government invested in some sort of infrastructure, it would be up to the parents to access and utilise it. It would really depend on how the recycling worked.

halle

Unfortunately today is a throw away society. I use disposables after weighing up costs and convienience. I have often thought what is the processof a nappy breaking down and how long it takes. The...

Would like to have time to use cloth nappies. Disposables are much easier and apparently cause the same amount of harm to the environment as washing cloth ones.

halle

I thought long and hard about this before our baby came along, since with the drought and water restrictions, cloth nappies aren't much better than disposables in the immediate sense. In the end,...

I am very impessed with the number of you that use cloth nappies and in many cases recycled water. Can you let me know - roughly how many cloth nappies do you get through in one day per child? How long does it take you to wash them? What product(s) are you using to wash them?

Sim-one

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get super expensive too.

I use cloth nappies as much as possible, with disposables at night only. This way when I wash my cloth nappies, I also use the grey water for watering gardens, thus recycling that water as well!

I'd love it if there was an avenue to recycle nappies, although at 50c each and the number that a baby can go through a day (anything upwards of 10) that can make for an expensive day!

Megan

I thought long and hard about this before our baby came along, since with the drought and water restrictions, cloth nappies aren't much better than disposables in the immediate sense. In the end,...

I have 2 in cloth nappies - a 2yr 5 month old and she uses approximately 5 nappies a day and a 6 week old and he uses approximately 7-8 a day. We do, however use 1 disposable a day for our daughter (2yr old) overnight, otherwise we have to wash sheets and pjs each morning as the cloths just aren't absorbent enough. I wash a load about once every 3 days, however if I had enough space to soak the nappies longer (I only have 3 nappy buckets) I would go longer. We use only half the recommended doseage of napisan (or similar) to soak the nappies and then decant the soaking solution and the nappies into the machine and add approximately half the recommended amount of cold power (or similar) to wash them - thus saving on water used in the machine. We then also recycle all the washing machine water into the garden.

The best recommendation I have for using cloth nappies is the type of nappy cover you use - I use MOTHEREASE covers and I find that even if the nappy is soaked through, with these covers, the childs clothes remain dry (99% of the time) .... cheers

angelskies

I thought long and hard about this before our baby came along, since with the drought and water restrictions, cloth nappies aren't much better than disposables in the immediate sense. In the end,...

we use soap nuts to wash our nappies, they are completely natural contain no chemicals which means the grey water can be used on the veggie patch/garden without any issues! How many you need depends completely on how often you want to wash and the age of the child, plus whether you are using flats, fitteds or all in ones also impacts on the number needed due to drying times.

Doesn't take any longer to wash them I have found due to the fact most brands of sposies leaked for us so we are actually washing less now, we do one load every 2nd day and thats all thats needed!!

Sim-one

I thought long and hard about this before our baby came along, since with the drought and water restrictions, cloth nappies aren't much better than disposables in the immediate sense. In the end,...

Depending on the day, (is my daughter constantly waking up, what time did I pop her in cloth in the morning etc) I can go through 10-15 cloth nappies. I do one load of washing per day to wash them and am currently using Amolin as my washing liquid after we had to switch from another brand becuase it caused her very bad skin irritation.
Usually takes me about 30 minutes a load (15-20 minutes wash, then few minutes to hang, then once dry, few minutes to fold) but while they are in the machine, I can get dinner cooking in so it's no worries at all!
And I think I'm the only person in the street with camelias and azaleas flowering with the water that I'm re-using.

Sim-one

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get...

I am very impessed with the number of you that use cloth nappies and in many cases recycled water. Can you let me know - roughly how many cloth nappies do you get through in one day per child? How long does it take you to wash them? What product(s) are you using to wash them?

etch

Sometimes the time factor places restrictions on choosing cloth nappies. I am a full-time student, who works and have two little children, both still in nappies. However, I have heard that nappy services work out almost as cheap as disposables, but don't really have the time to research this. If any one knows anything about this claim I would love to find out more.

Cynthaz

There's a super easy answer to this one. We use cloth nappies. They use less water to manufacture and can be reused many times (saving lots of money). Way better than disposables (even recyclable ones).

answeety

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get...

For my 6months old son, we use approximately 6 or so cloth nappies, but we do use disposable at night.When he soil the nappies, we clean the remainder by throwing away the liners and washing the excess with water and old toothbrush. then soak with baby detergent the whole day,(changing solution a few time during the day). At night before i go to sleep, change a new batch of solution. Next morning, rinse clean and dry....

GR8kidsX3

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get...

I have three children and I have used cloth nappies on all three. I had two large nappy buckets, two packs (24) cloth nappies, nappie liners (I found the homebrand ones were the best), 2 snappies and about 6 pairs of pilchers. I would soak the nappies during the day (dispose of the liner and contents in the toilet and give a quick rinse off) and at the middle to end of the second day I would put them in the washing machine along with all my other baby singlets, whites etc and do a hot wash using lux flakes. They came out absolutely beautiful and soft and never stained.
We were actually very lucky with our first child that we put her in cloth nappies as she had a bladder condition and it would not have picked up except for the fact that i had noticed her urine was starting to become difficult to remove from her nappy. If I had her in disposables the urine would have been pulled into the absorbent layer and I would not have been none the wiser to her condition and she would bhave become very ill.
I didn't find using or washing the nappies an inconvenience even though i was working full time and my child carer was more than happy to use the cloth nappies.

Jano

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get...

We started using cloth nappies as soon as we got home from the hospital but found by the time my daughter was 12 weeks, they were too restrictive on her legs, and that they just didn't hold the giant poos in. We ended up not only washing nappies but clothes and bed clothes.
We didn't have a problem with the washing, we would fill a bucket each day, then transfer to a bigger soaking bucket at the end of the day, then when the bigger bucket was full we would rinse that bucket on the "Nappy rinse" cycle in the washing machine.
I would happily go back to cloths if I could find a fold which was tight enough around the legs to keep everything in. We tried plenty of different fold but none seemed to work. Any hints?

Anonymous

I'm concerned not only with the recycling aspect of nappies but also the cost! I think there is far too much landfill these days to have to contribute with nappies but Eco-friendly ones can get...

About 11 per day its certainly a lot cheaper, a lot more environmentally friendly, and allows the skin to breath a lot better than when you have a plastic coating over their bottom like with disposables, Cloth with Fluffy's pants over the top are much better
than disposable. You can also control what sort of chemicals your baby is exposed to, who know just what chemicals are in the plastic that disposables are made of and most plastic or nylons are made up of deadly chemicals particulary when heated
your baby's body temp is around 36c how dangerous could these be for baby on the long term. Central Coast Mum.

Anonymous

There's a super easy answer to this one. We use cloth nappies. They use less water to manufacture and can be reused many times (saving lots of money). Way better than disposables (even recyclable...

I am very impessed with the number of you that use cloth nappies and in many cases recycled water. Can you let me know - roughly how many cloth nappies do you get through in one day per child? How long does it take you to wash them? What product(s) are you using to wash them?