New parents have a lot to think about, and no doubt nappy changing is quite a big part of the day! This week is Reusable Nappy Week, aimed at raising awareness of reusable nappies and highlighting some of the benefits. To learn more about experiences from local parents who used reusable nappies, we spoke to Jess, mother of three, Vicky, a Green Party Cllr in Buntingford and mum of three who used reusables with two, and Kirsty, mum of two and a Green Party Cllr in Ware.
So, let’s dive in!
What made you decide to use reusables?
Jess: “The main reasons was to have fewer nappies in landfill, and also I thought it would be cheaper.”
Vicky: “I mainly switched to reusables due to the environment. I knew I was just chucking out a piles of wee and plastic everyday and I wanted to stop this. Plus, I heard that if a child feels a bit wet and uncomfortable rather than it all being “locked away” it will be quicker to potty train them as they are keen to get out of using wet nappies”
Kirsty: “A combination of climate change anxiety and a determination to be able to say to my son that I did everything I could to save the planet! He had quite sensitive skin, so cloth nappies were much better for him too. Reusable nappies led me down a rabbit hole that eventually led to me opening a refill shop in Ware.”
How did you manage washing/drying? And how did you actually wash them? Wasn’t it a bit gross?
Jess: “With my first child, I hand rinse them then put in machine. When baby number two arrived, my neighbour, who was a long-term cloth user, just said to throw them all in as is. I found this was much easier- just a hot, long wash with a pre-rinse. I stored mine in a dry nappy bucket. I don’t have a dryer to put them into, so having to find time to hang then was annoying in the wet months, but was just “another” load of washing to keep up with so did our best”
Vicky: “You have a paper lining, so you just chuck that down the loo and flush it away, then I just washed them in a machine on a hot wash. It is a bit gross, but I didn’t think it was any worse than wrapping up pooey nappies and putting them in a plastic bag.”
Kirsty: “I found the key was being a bit regimented with a laundry routine. Drying was harder because we lived in a first floor flat when we started using reusables. A good dehumidifier helped, and in terms of dealing with dirty nappies we had a bidet hose installed on the toilet and a bucket for keeping them in until they went in the wash. It was much easier with my first as I had a proper maternity leave and had more time to keep on top of laundry. A house move, renovation works, running my own business and generally having hands full with two made it much more challenging for my second child to be in cloth full time”
How about when you were out and about? Did you end up carrying around soggy nappies?
Jess: “We never had this issue. Sometimes we used disposables as a gap filler while nappies were drying or behind on washing.”
Vicky: “No – I have to admit, I used disposables when out and about, as I didn’t really fancy walking around with dirty nappies in my handbag!”
Kirsty: “We had a wet bag that kept them contained in the nappy backpack until we got home.”
And, how about cost? How did the price of reusables compare with disposables?
Jess: “Reusables felt expensive at the start, as it’s an initial outlay to buy a good set. However, the research I read said it worked out the same overall over the course of 2.5/3 years, and especially as they could be used with multiple children.”
Vicky: “Although it’s an initial cost, for me it worked out cheaper overall. I think I had 10 in total, and I got ones with poppers so they could be made bigger as the children grew. Using them across both children I think definitely worked out cheaper, and I never had the panic of running out.”
Kirsty: “It doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as you can avoid falling into the trap of buying all the pretty patterned designer nappies….the cost of disposables is eye watering for something you literally chuck in the bin. The cost per wear of even the more expensive reusables is low, and they can last through more than one child. Herts Aware had a free reusable nappy scheme at the time too. Also, I never had the panic that we had unexpectedly run out of nappies and the shops were closed!”
Did your children ever get sore skin or rashes with reusables?
Jess: “No, sometimes when they were ill or had a particular sore bottom we would briefly switch to disposables, but we had good bamboo, wicking liners.“
Vicky: “Nope, this was never an issue.”
Kirsty: “The opposite! We only had issues with disposables causing rashes.“
What about explosive nappies?
Jess: “With my reusables, I never had a poonami issue – the double gusset caught everything. I wasn’t so lucky with disposables, which had lots of spillages at times!”
Vicky: “We never really had this problem – I’m not sure why, but I think we were lucky.”
Kirsty: “I never a problem, when fitted properly reusables are almost bomb proof. We didn’t have much of a problem with leaks at all as they were much more absorbent than disposables.“
Lastly, were there any other advantages, other than reducing landfill and working out a bit cheaper overall?
Jess: “I liked that it meant fewer chemicals on their bottoms. And an unexpected bonus- during COVID we never had to panic about supply when the shops were being bought out. They did leak a bit as the kids got bigger, so you need to be prepared to change their nappies a bit more often. But doesn’t need to be all or nothing- a mixed approach works well. And every time using a washable nappy it’s one less to landfill.”
Vicky: “I think it’s true about them helping to potty train. One of my daughters was potty trained within about 3 days, the other it took a couple of weeks. Not sure what’s average, but it seemed quick to me!”
Kirsty: “they are cute! But they also help with potty training because disposables don’t allow children to truly feel what wet is. Reusables do, which means they can quickly learn to recognise when they’ve done a wee, and in turn, when they need to go to the loo!”
If you are interested in trying reusables, Herts Reusable Nappies is a great source for information, as well as giving you an opportunity to try before committing. You can find their website here.