Top 10 Reasons to Choose Cloth Nappies

Happy Cloth Nappy Week for 2019!

We are very excited to be joining the Australian Nappy Association‘s inaugural Cloth Nappy Week – a week of education, inspiration and fun. We’d love you to join us too, and if you’re already using cloth, to share your photos on social media and spread the word about how easy (and gorgeous!) cloth nappies are.

If you’re not yet using cloth nappies and maybe need a little convincing, here are our top 10 reasons to make a start.

1. LANDFILL REDUCTION

Using cloth nappies reduces landfill by 20 x 240L garbage bins over a child’s time in nappies.

According to 2009 figures from IbisWorld, 5.6 million single-use nappies are thrown out in Australia every day. 

That’s over 2 billion a year. 

We have to ask ourselves: where do all these nappies go? Where does all the human waste from these nappies go? Sure, maybe some poo is flushed before the nappies are bundled up and tossed away, but much of it wouldn’t be, and that’s a LOT of untreated waste hanging around in landfills, leaching into the soil.

In addition to the untreated waste, disposable nappies also contain superabsorbent gel, paper pulp, plastics and adhesives, none of which are separated prior to disposal, which makes for a soggy, smelly, toxic little bundle of garbage that will remain in the ground for decades to come.

2. SAVE MONEY

Families who choose cloth nappies and reusable wipes save between $1000 and $1500 during a child’s first 3 years.

3. BABY LOVE

Made from soft, breathable fabrics, cloth nappies are a gentle option for your child’s first years.

Cloth nappies allow for better air circulation and can be boosted to provide the absorbency your child needs.

Check out this video from Darlings Downunder to see just how breathable modern cloth nappies really are.

4. BEAUTY FACTOR: 10/10

They say a picture is worth a thousands words…

5. NEVER RUN OUT

When you use cloth nappies, you never run out! Washable cloth nappies are just that: washable. Which means you never have to do a midnight dash to the supermarket for nappies. If you struggle to keep on top of your current washing, just pop your nappies on at night when you go to bed, throw them on the line straight after breakfast, and they’ll be ready to go again by the afternoon. It’s kind of like magic!

6. KEEP ON GIVING

When you’re finished with your cloth nappies, you can pass them on to a family in need. And if your boosters are past being useful for nappies, they can graduate to the rag bucket for another few years of use around the home, before making their way to the compost.

7. PASS IT ON

When using cloth nappies with a new baby, older children come to understand the importance of reusing, of being self-sufficient where possible and of how our choices affect the family budget, the baby and the environment.

8. SIMPLICITY AND SUNSHINE

I don’t believe in using a whole lot of different, dedicated products if one product will do a variety of tasks. Cloth nappies fall firmly in to this category. Apart from the fact that one nappy can be used hundreds of times as a nappy, a flat cloth nappy can also be used as a spew rag, toilet training aid, seat cover, sun shade and mattress protector! 

I have heard it said that disposables help to simplify life, because you just throw them out when you’re done. While this may be true, it doesn’t take into account the numerous resources used to manufacture, distribute and dispose of 2000 nappies per child for each year they are in nappies. This process is far from simple. 

Reusable nappies help me to keep my motherhood journey in focus by choosing an option that reminds me to keep things simple. I can simplify the journey without compromising on performance. I can have access to the best for my baby, without spending more than I need to. I have nappies on tap. 

It’s just a matter of an extra load of washing every second day. No household chore could be simpler or more enjoyable than standing beneath a clothesline in the warm sunshine methodically pegging away!

HINT: If switching to full time cloth nappying feels overwhelming and far from simple, start with just one nappy a day. Give it a quick hand rinse in the laundry tub after use and pop it in the wash with a load of towels or clothes. More on that HERE.

9. PRACTICALITY

One of the things I’ve discovered on this parenting journey is that the things that are simple are usually also practical. 

Cloth nappies are a totally customisable nappying option for your baby. Different nappy brands can be mixed and matched, you can add absorbency or remove it, you can pass them on to other children, they can be washed anywhere there is a fresh water supply.

Cloth nappies = practical perfection for time-pressed parents.

HINT: If budget restraints are preventing you from adding a few extra much-needed nappies to your stash, try one of our no-sew emergency nappy options. 

10. PADDING

Compared with disposables, cloth nappies provide more padding for your little one when they’re learning to walk.

In addition, the wider position of baby’s hips in a reusable nappy can actually be good for developing hips.

According to the book Care of the Newborn by Ten Teachers, disposable nappies could be contributing to higher incidents of congenital hip dysplasia in some cultures: “…in modern Western society, putting infants for long periods in baby and car seats as well as the use of very slim disposable nappies which do not abduct the hips as widely, could also affect hip development.”

In days gone by, double cloth nappies were used to facilitate the correct forming of bones in babies with congenital hip dysplasia.