Each day in the UK alone, eight million disposable nappies are sent to landfill.
Each disposable nappy can take up to 500 years to degrade.
In a world where climate change and environmental issues are paramount, I wanted to make sure that I was aware of what sort of impact having a baby would have on our planet.
When I was pregnant with Odin (and in the thick of pregnancy insomnia!) I took to researching different ways that I could decrease the waste that comes with having a little one and stumbled across an updated, easy, affordable (not to mention really cute!) way of doing so. Enter stage left, the good old fashioned reusable nappy!
I know what you're thinking, "Jess, why would I use an old fashioned nappy for my baby, when there are perfectly good, convenient, disposable options available?" I hear you. I had those thoughts initially too because frankly, I knew no better! Even when I had come round to the idea of cloth nappies, I found that when I told people, it felt like people wanted it to fail. Not for me to fail, but for the nappies to fail me.
I want the opportunity to fight the corner for reusable nappies and in case like I was, you are reading this in the midst of pregnancy/newborn sleep deprivation, many hours invested in research and still really none the wiser, try and clear up some myths and nip the bad press in the bud...
"They're more expensive than disposables."
Yes, the cost can really rack up quickly if you kit yourself out with high end, brand new nappies and accessories, BUT, there are hundreds of second hand options available that are super affordable, or cheaper options such as, prefold nappies or terry cloths. They can be stripped and washed thoroughly and will work wonders for your little one! (And save you a small fortune in the process) In fact, reusables actually work out cheaper than disposables over the time your little one is wearing nappies - they can be used from newborn all the way to potty training!
"They create more laundry."
Of course, inevitably, they need washing and drying. They can be washed with the rest of your laundry (use non-bio and leave out the softener) and dried on an airer, washing line, or a lot of brands can be put in the tumble dryer on cool. Honestly Mama, kids create so much laundry anyway, you won't even notice the nappies chucked in! It's so easy!
"They're old fashioned and cleaning them sounds disgusting."
Okay guys, let's get this out of the way. Poo is no fun, regardless what vessel it's travelling in! Blow outs happen in disposables and reusables, and every single time it's a gross mess. How does something so gross come out of something so adorable? Who knows. Newborn poo is pretty easily dealt with as they're diet is solely milk, and as for the type of poo's we are more accustomed to as adults, there are nappy liners to prevent stinks, stains and messy clean ups.
You can absolutely still use old fashioned terry cloth nappies, but I chose to use the more modern 'all in ones' (AIO) or 'pocket nappies' for convenience (you do you!). They are essentially the same as a disposable, just better for baby's bum, better for the environment, better for my budget and honestly, they are so stinking cute to look at.
"They'll just leak and you'll end up using a disposable anyway."
All nappies leak at some point and 9 times out of 10, it's user error rather than the nappy itself! Either it hasn't been changed quickly enough or the fit wasn't quite right when it was put on. Reusable nappies don't leak any more than any other nappy in my experience. As a first time parent, I had no preconceived loyalty to disposables and I found them to be just as tricky as a reusable to start with! Practice makes perfect Mama and we are all still learning every day. Give yourself some grace and if you have a leak, so what? Add it to the never ending laundry pile that comes with having babies! ♡
I hope this helps if you're, like me, scouring the internet feeling quite overwhelmed and lost down a deep rabbit hole of nappies! My best tips? Go for it, it's easy. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and ask for advice if you want it. There are some wonderful groups online who work exclusively offering advice on reusables. I promise you won't regret it and our planet will be really grateful.
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I found this website and the gurus running it to be really useful -
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