Since it’s ‘Real Nappy Week 2019’ I thought I’d better write a post about our nappies!

Reusables nappies, real nappies, cloth nappies…whatever they’re called, I love them! Call me an eco warrior if you like but I’d encourage anyone to try reusables on their baby. They’re not as horrible and stinky as lots of people think. Infact, they come in such nice patterns that they’re really quite cute.

I chose to use reusables while I was expecting E. I liked the idea of doing our bit to save the planet, save money in the long run and minimise the plastic and chemicals that would be coming into contact with his bottom. And now that we have twins, it seems like a no brainer as our wheelie bin would be packed full of double the disposables for three weeks!

Reusable nappies have come a long way since terry squares that we had when we were babies. Having said that, I do know someone who swears by them for their absorption and affordability so they are definitely still an option. The washable nappies we use are ‘all in ones’ which are shaped like disposables and don’t need to be soaked in water before washing. I chuck them straight into a net bag in a sealable bucket to store and then transfer the net bag into the washing machine every other day.

Everyone asks “but what about the poos?” This can seem like a horrible prospect but most of the time you don’t need to come into contact with any poo. Anyway, who hasn’t occasionally got a bit of poo on their hands while changing a nappy? And who wouldn’t think twice about picking up their pet dog poo? Newborn milky poos can go straight in the washing machine but more solid poos should be flushed down the loo. A flick in the loo, a quick rinse in the machine, a 40 degree wash and then hang up to dry or tumble dry…it’s as easy as that!

There are some downsides I suppose- they cost more at first so can seem more expensive, they do need changed more frequently than disposables, they are bulkier than disposables so you often need to upsize clothes early, if you don’t wash them properly then they can start to smell…

But, the stats are enough to negate all those for me. I saw these ones this week;

– Across the world 6000 tonnes of disposables nappies are put in landfill every day.

– A disposable nappy takes 500 years to decompose.

– Using only one reusable a day can save over 900 nappies going to landfill.

And there are many more shockers if you have a look on Google.

We use Totsbots and I love that they’re made in Scotland. Makes them seem even more eco friendly if they haven’t had to travel hundreds of miles to get to our house!

I have to admit though, we don’t use reusables all the time. I did get fed up with overnight leaks so use ‘eco disposables’ overnight and if we go away anywhere we tend not to lug the bucket etc with us. We have done in the past but we are a bit more tight for packing space in the car these days with all three children so again, opt for Naty or Bambo nature ‘eco disposables’ instead. It makes me feel a bit guilty but I also feel like we’re probably doing ok with full time, daytime reusables for two!