Why should I use reusable nappies?
- The average cost of a leading brand nappy (Pampers) at a major supermarket (Tesco) is 20p per nappy. A baby can get through approximately 5000 nappies before they are potty trained giving a total cost of £1000 per child.
- 20 birth to potty nappies (Motherease Multifit) with 5 wraps each of 3 sizes (airflow wraps in M/L/XL) will cost you approximately £200 from our site. There will be extra cost for washing and drying which will vary depending on the methods/equipment you use but can be estimated at approximately £300 for a child’s use. This is a grand total of £500 for the first child, saving you £500.(www.nappyhappy.com & http://www.wen.org.uk/nappies/reports/Whyparents.pdf)
- If your nappies are used for subsequent children then the savings are astronomical!
No of Children |
Nappy Type |
Cost |
Possible Saving |
1 Child |
Disposables
Cloth Nappies |
£1000
£500 |
£500 |
2 Children |
Disposables
Cloth Nappies |
£2000
£800 |
£1200 |
3 Children |
Disposables
Cloth Nappies |
£3000
£1100 |
£1900 |
- 8 million disposable nappies are used each day in the UK totalling 3 billion each year and contributing 1 million tonnes of waste to landfill sites (http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=426)
- It is thought that babies in cloth nappies toilet train earlier than babies in disposables as they are more aware of their toileting
- It is believed that cloth nappies can aid healthy development of a baby’s hips
- They provide extra cushioning when learning to walk!
- How can you resist this? PICTURE OF CUTE FLUFFY BUM!
Will my baby get nappy rash?
There is no evidence to suggest that any type of nappy will increase the chance of nappy rash. There are a number of causes of nappy rash, including: friction or chaffing, irritation of the skin by stale urine or sometimes by fungal infections. (http://www.childhealth.co.uk/common_childhood_complaints/nappy_rash.php) The best way to avoid nappy rash is to change your baby regularly and especially when soiled as the combination of faeces and urine is thought to be a contributing factor. (http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/clinical_information/clinical_guidelines/downloads/Nappy_Rash.pdf) Disposable nappies give little protection against nappy rash (http://www.alspac.bris.ac.uk/abstracts/p29.shtml) and there is some thought that gel-core disposables can actually be more damaging to certain skin types because of their ability to absorb moisture – including the skins natural moisture. (http://www.bucksinfo.net/recycleforbuckinghamshire/assets/documents/fact-file-5-compostable-dispos/)
How many nappies/wraps do I need?
We would recommend about 20 nappies and 5 wraps for a new born baby and 15 nappies and 4 wraps for an older baby allowing you to wash every 2 to 3 days. However, this could vary from anywhere between 10 and 32 nappies depending on how often you want to wash and how old your baby is.
What size nappies/wraps will I need?
This will depend on the size of your baby and the type of nappy you choose. The sizes are usually related to the weight of your baby; however, each baby is different and what works for one 10lb baby may not work for another. The sizes and weight ranges for each of our nappies is clearly listed on the online shop, but please do feel free to contact us if you have any queries.
Do I need to use the same brand of wraps as nappies?
No. You can mix and match any of our nappies and wraps; however, on the highstreet this may not be so easy. Wraps that are designed for pre-folds, for example, will not necessarily fit over a shaped nappy.
My nappies are getting stained, is there anything I can do?
All of our nappies and wraps can be cool tumble dried or line dried.
Tumble drying your nappies is probably quicker, certainly during the winter months; however, it does reduce the life of the nappies as tumble drying can be very harsh on the fibres. You can still expect your nappies to last more than 1 child if not tumble dried too often.
Line drying your nappies can take a little longer if the weather is not great and does leave them a little stiffer than tumble dried nappies. However, the sun acts as a natural bleaching agent and will gently bleach out any stains left in the nappies after washing.
We find that a combination of the 2 works really well: line drying the nappies initially to bleach them and finishing them off in the tumble dryer with dryer balls (link to http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/solutions/washing!20332 ) to soften them up. This can prolong the life of your nappies and is a little cheaper on the electricity front!
What do I do with the liners when soiled?
Liners can be useful for collecting solid waste to be flushed away and also for wicking moisture away from baby’s bottom. There are 2 types of liners; paper liners and fabric liners.
Paper liners can be flushable and biodegradable and can help wick the moisture away from baby’s bottom and into the nappy. These liners are usually either thrown in the bin if just wet or flushed away if containing solid waste, although some of these liners can be washed and reused a few times if just wet.
Fleece liners are very good at wicking the moisture away and can be used to collect solid waste to be emptied into the toilet. The one downside is that they can retain oils from nappy creams and become almost waterproof (we found this happened more so with zinc and castor oil than with sudocrem).
Why do I need boosters?
You will probably not need to use boosters with young babies unless they are nearing the upper end of the weight range for the nappy and you find the nappies need to be changed more often. With an older baby a booster can increase the absorbency of the nappy for use overnight or if your toddler is a particularly heavy wetter.
How much will it cost to buy nappies?
20 Motherease One Size nappies £140.00
5 Motherease Rikki Wraps Sml £30.40
5 Motherease Rikki Wraps Med £30.40
5 Motherease Rikki Wraps Lrg £30.40
20 fleece liners £8.60
4 snap in boosters £6.60
200 paper liners £3.90
1 nappy bucket £4.75
1 nappy mesh £3.50
1 bottle of tea tree oil 30ml £5.85
TOTAL £264.40
