When you think of cloth nappies, do you have visions of big white squares soaking in buckets with a concoction of chemicals? A time consuming washing and folding process? Fortunately times have changed and modern cloth nappies are nothing like the nappies we wore when we were babies. Here’s ten reasons why we love cloth nappies:
- Cloth nappies are kind on your baby’s skin
You’re in control of the chemicals that come into contact with your baby’s skin when using cloth nappies. Disposables are apparently relatively safe but they do still contain chemicals (and more studies are needed to confirm the long term affects of these chemicals), so why expose your child’s delicate skin to these if you don’t have to?
- Cloth nappies are kind on the environment
A baby will go through around 5,000-6,000 nappy changes between birth and 2.5 years which equates to around one tonne of rubbish in the landfill (and pretty filthy rubbish at that!). Cloth nappies do of course need water and energy to get them clean but it takes huge amounts of water and energy to manufacture disposables.
- Cloth nappies are better for your finances
The exact savings will depend on a few factors (choice of nappies, frequency of changes, whether you use cloth part time or full time) but it’s possible to save around $2,000-3,000 per child. If you use good quality cloth nappies there’s no reason why they can’t be used for two or more children, making the savings even greater!
- Cloth nappies are reliable
Modern cloth nappies are just as reliable, if not more reliable, than disposable nappies. A good fitting cloth nappy won’t leak and will be bombproof, so your baby won’t end up covered from head to toe by those poo explosions that newborns are famous for!
- Cloth nappies are convenient and easy to use
Modern cloth nappies are similar in shape to disposable nappies and fasten using snaps or Velcro – easy! Sure, there’s a bit of prep needed after washing to get them assembled, but just a few minutes a day is all it should take.
- Cloth nappies never run out
Unless of course you forget to wash and dry them in time! But if you’ve got cloth nappies in the house, you’ll never need to worry about making a last minute dash to the supermarket to restock or running out of nappies at bed time.
- Cloth nappies are more comfortable
Modern cloth nappies are made of fabrics that are much softer against delicate skin than a disposable nappy made of plastic. And if your little one is learning to walk, they act as an extra layer of padding to cushion all those falls!
- Cloth nappies help with toilet training
Cloth nappies allow a child to understand what it feels like to be wet, which speeds up the process of learning to use the toilet. On average, a child who has been in cloth nappies toilet trains earlier than one who has worn disposables.
- Cloth nappies are cute
Modern cloth nappies are available in so many gorgeous fabrics, colours and prints, that there’s no arguing that they’re much better looking than disposables!
- Cloth nappies can be addictive
As strange as it may sound, cloth nappies really do have a certain something about them – once you get started using them, you’re likely to become a passionate supporter and never look back. And when they have so many positive impacts on us and our environment, it’s not a bad obsession to have!
