August 1st, 2008

Cloth Bottomed Babies

Cloth Bottomed Babies

Article courtesy of Linda Sones, of Sones UK

All the clothes that I sell in the shop are designed with cloth bottomed babies in mind to give plenty of room for the slight additional bulk. This set me thinking about the pro’s and cons of using cloth nappies. When my children were tiny there was really not a choice but now there is a vast range of disposables and cloth nappies to choose from.

First of all a good place to start might be some facts and figures produced by local councils.

• Every year we need a forest the size of Wales to provide all the paper we use in Britain.
• 1 tonne of recycled paper saves 17 trees from being cut down.
• 7 Million Trees are cut down each year just to make disposable nappies.
• If you use disposable nappies your child will use an average of 5,000 from birth until potty trained.

Not so many years ago a cloth nappy was simply a square of toweling which was fastened onto baby using two lethal looking large safety pins. Now the range available is astonishing you can have a one piece nappy, a shaped two piece, prefolded, terry, a flat nappy used with a stuffable style cover, waterproof covers, liners, booster pads and swim nappies. The large pins have been replaced by snappi nappi clips and nippi nippas and I am sure there are many more. Modern cloth nappies then fit really snuggly. It is argued that children wearing cloth nappies become potty trained more quickly because the child is able to detect some wetness. This awareness encourages the child to use a potty.

Some of reasons for using disposables might be convenience, not having the bother of washing or perhaps your child goes to day nursery. It is also suggested by manufacturers that disposables prevent nappy rash. I would argue that there is no reason for a child in a cloth nappy to have a higher incidence of nappy rash. A child’s skin is very sensitive and nappies need to be changed frequently to avoid prolonged contact with wee and poo which are the cause of nappy rash. Avoid using biological washing powders apart from the fact that they are not eco-friendly they can cause rashes. Or perhaps you might consider a nappy laundry service which may not be as expensive as you would think.

Many childcare providers will be happy to accommodate children in cloth nappies providing you have chosen an easy and reliable type, and provide a sealable bag for storage of dirty nappies. If all this still sounds like a lot of extra work, perhaps a compromise would be helpful just consider; using only one cloth nappy per day will save 365 disposable nappies being thrown away. So from little oak trees etc. etc.

Just two more factors to consider:

• In the next 10 years about 800 million people will be added to the global population.
• As the population consumption and wealth increases so does the amount of waste we produce.
• We have used more goods and services since 1950 than in the rest of human history.

Well I hope this gives you some food for thought and you may even decide to swap to cloth nappies.Information obtained from;

The Complete Cloth Nappy Guide.

Colchester Borough Council

Posted in Real Nappies
By Laura

April 29th, 2008

Fitted or Pocket Nappies- That is the Question…

Fitted or Pocket Nappies?

I often get asked by mums wishing to make the switch to cloth about which is the best nappy to use- and they are often torn between the Fitted or the Pocket nappies. The answer is a simple one, both!

Each function supremely well in their specific areas-

 

Fitted or shaped nappies, particularly those made from bamboo have fantastic absorbency, thus making them great fro night-time use, or if your baby will be wearing it for a longer period. I always recommend parents have at least a couple of bamboo’s in their stash.

The down side of this superior absorbency is that they take much longer to dry than other types of nappy- without using a tumble drier you are looking at about 2-3 days drying time. Not always practical.

The solution to this problem is the pocket, or stuffable nappy. These nappies are literally stuffed with absorbent inserts, so when it comes to drying, these inserts are seperate from the nappy and will dry very quickly- particularly the micro-fibre inserts. Making the pocket nappy a great choice for regular use. The pocket is also a favourite with child-minders and nurseries, as if they are pre-stuffed, they are as simple to put on as a ’sposie- and much cuter! For a fairly light-wetter, a pocket nappy will work for night-time use, however a heavy wetter is going to need a boosted shaped nappy.

So really, neither nappy type is ‘better’ than the other- they both excel in different areas. Which is why a nappy stash with a combination of various types is the better option, and more fun too!

Posted in Real Nappies
By Laura