Real Nappies Page
Sedgefield Borough Council currently offers a 20% discount on real nappies purchased through a number of local agents, as part of their Cottontail Real Nappy promotion scheme. For more details please contact, Sedgefield Borough Councils, Waste Management Officer, Ruth Smith on Tel: 01388 816166 or e-mail rsmith@sedgefield.gov.uk
Interview with a Real Nappy User
Waste Management Officer, Ruth Smith interviewed real nappy user Jane Pennick, about why she had decided to use real nappies and how she had found it. Jane currently has two children using real nappies.
Question One: How long have you used real nappies?
Answer: I have used them since April 2005. I started out buying a few at a time and built up a collection over a few months.
Question Two: Why did you decide to use real nappies?
Answer: I had recently given up work to become a full-time mum, and it was something I had been thinking about for a while. There were three main reasons that made me decide to change to cloth nappies. I was spending over £10 a week on disposables, which simply ended up being thrown away. I was concerned about the environmental impacts this might have and did some research. I found out that the average baby uses over 4500 nappies from birth to potty training. I was also concerned about the chemical which is used in disposable nappies. I am very careful about the food my baby eats and the experiences he has and I also wanted control over the chemicals his skin is exposed to.
Question Three: Has using real nappies been easier or harder than you expected?
Answer: It was a million times easier than I thought it was going to be. It only takes 5 or 10 minutes a day. Once the nappy has been used it simply goes in the special nappy bin and I do a wash every couple of days; the solids are flushed straight down the toilet.
Question Four: Have you found real nappies more expensive than disposables?
Answer: Not at all, one of the reasons I changed was because they are cheaper. The cost of buying new ones all in one go can be off-putting, but it's easy to buy second-hand nappies on the Internet and they keep their resale value very well.
Question Five: Have you had any problems with nappy rash or leaking?
Answer: No, I have no problems with nappy rash or leaking. My little boy had nappy rash once while he was using disposables, but none since then. It's a myth real nappies cause nappy rash.
Question Six: What type of real nappy do you use?
At night I use 'stuffies'. A stuffy is a shaped nappy, often made from towelling with a fleece lining. A removable pad goes between the towelling and the fleece lining. The fleece lining draws any moisture away from the baby's skin. I use wool wraps over the top as these, which work incredibly well.
During the day Jane uses towelling nappies on her baby. Over these she puts breathable wraps. She explains that none of her nappies need pins as they all work on poppers or Velcro. There are also a huge range of brands and styles of available for all occasions.
Question Seven: Do you have any advice for someone who is currently pregnant and interested in using real nappies?
I would not recommend using one type of nappy only, or purchasing one of the big all-in-one packs. Local nappy agent Moira Neish has a range of different nappies and is always happy to let new mothers see them. There are also a number of Web-based companies, which will loan you packs containing a range of different nappies. These can be borrowed for up to two weeks. This gives you a chance to try different ones and work out what works best for you and your baby.
Jane particularly recommended the following websites which she said had been incredibly useful to her:-