Hey there Mumma!
Thinking about modern cloth nappies? How much can you save? How good are cloth nappies for our environment? Are they safe for my baby?
Read on for our top 5 reasons to use modern cloth nappies.
Cost of disposable VS modern cloth nappies
An average family can go through over 5,500 disposable nappies in the first 2.5 years per child (and we are not even touching on night nappies, specialty or training nappies here).
Disposable nappies can generally cost anywhere between $0.50 - $0.80 per nappy. If we took the conservative cost per nappy of $0.50, you're looking at a cost of $3,025 per child.
There is an initial outlay for modern cloth nappies - let's consider the need for 15-30 cloth nappies at $20 each; you would need to spend a total of $300 - $600 to be in cloth full time with your nappies seeing your bubs from birth through to potty-training.
How many nappies do you need? Newborns need more frequent changing so you will need about 20-25 cloth nappies if you were to do cloth nappies full time. Whereas older babies will need around 15-20 depending on their individual needs and your washing routine.
Subsequently these costs and savings multiply with the more children you have. Cloth Nappies can be reused, passed down to the next child, shared with siblings or passed across to other mums once your own cloth nappy journey has come to an end.
Our Environmental impact
Can you believe that the first ever disposable nappy ever made is still in landfill today?
Australians go through 5.6 million nappies every day. This means that 2 billion nappies are being sent to landfill each year. With an estimated time to break down of 500 years - you can begin to understand why this is a huge problem.
A full Life Cycle Analysis was done in 2010 by the University of Queensland which favoured the use of reusable nappies.
Some key takeaways are;
- It takes approximately 40 litres of water to make just one disposable nappy. This alone is a huge strain on our resources.
- It takes as much energy to produce one disposable as it does to wash a cloth nappy 200 times.
- It takes twice the amount of water to produce one disposable nappy than is used to wash one modern cloth nappy for a year.
- It takes a full cup of crude oil to make the plastic for each disposable nappy made.
- Disposable nappies account for approximately one third of household rubbish in a family with a child under two, this has a huge impact on the costs of waste removal and landfill management, costs which are passed on to us through our local council rates.
Some councils offer rebates for cloth nappies & reusable sanitary items (I have listed at the end of this blog) which gives some lucky residents a great opportunity to make the switch.
Babies Skin Sensitivities
Disposable nappies are made with a surprisingly scary amount of chemicals which not only has its own environmental impact, but is also going directly against our baby's skin. This can lead to irritation especially when used on sensitive skin.
Cloth nappies are breathable and allow air to pass freely in and out of the nappy, whereas disposables are not as permeable and can be 2-4 degrees hotter inside. This can make already irritated skin more uncomfortable and sore.
The beauty of using cloth nappies is in the wide range of linings and inserts available. Many cloth nappies and inserts are made from skin-friendly, natural, non irritating and stay dry materials. This allows you to find what works best for you and your babies skin.
Control of absorbency & fit
You are in control of absorbency and have the ability to boost your modern cloth nappies with extra or combined inserts to meet your babies requirements. You can change the level of absorbency for different times of the day (or night time) and change your requirements as your baby grows.
Having control over your fit is also a win - modern cloth nappies are adjustable in height, width and leg size and come with plenty of sizing snaps to ensure you get the best fit for your little one every time.
Super Cute prints
While disposables can come with cute prints, they have nothing compared to the amazing range of colours and prints that you find with modern cloth nappies.
These councils provide rebates in Australia:
- City of Casey (VIC)
- Wyndham City Council (VIC)
- Cardinia Shire (VIC)
- Mornington Peninsula Shire (VIC)
- City of Wodonga (VIC)
- Shires of Indigo (VIC)
- City of Parramatta (NSW)
- Council of Federation (NSW)
- Greater Hume Shire Council (NSW)
- Shire of Towong (NSW)
- Albury City Council (NSW)
- Brisbane City Council (QLD)
- Logan City Council (QLD)
- Livingston Council (QLD)
- City of Holdfast Bay (SA)
- Shire of Augusta Margaret River (WA)
- City of Cockburn (WA)
- City of Melville (WA)