One of the essentials for new-born babies to the time they are potty trained is the nappy!  On average a baby can get through approximately eight thousand nappies by the time they are potty trained, that is a lot of nappies! When you consider that most of the nappies used are disposable that becomes a lot of waste!

If fact the statistics show that in the UK alone nearly 3 billion disposable nappies are sold every year and for the USA that increased to nearly 27 billion!  Whilst nappies are vital to the development and hygiene of our babies that disheartening fact is that many of these nappies are made with non-biodegradable or recyclable materials, meaning they will end up in landfill, where it is estimated that a single-use nappy will take approximately 500 years to decompose in a landfill.

The majority of single-use nappies are made from a variety of plastic-based materials, mostly petroleum-based making these both non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. They can also have a staggering environmental carbon footprint all the way from first production to landfill.

We therefore encourage all parents of young babies and toddlers therefore to embrace the idea of using plastic free cloth nappies as these eco-friendly reusable nappies are not as damaging to the environment as the single use disposable ones.

Here are some of the many the benefits of reusable cloth nappies:

• They are economical. The cost of using plastic free cloth nappies for a child from birth up to 2 and a half years old (30 months) on average works out about 30% of the cost of disposable nappies.
• These plastic free cloth nappies are more breathable, as they are made with organic natural bamboo and cotton which are both very breathable fabrics, where the petroleum-based plastic elements of the disposable ones are not resulting in the skin temperature around the baby’s genitals being much higher when using disposable nappies.
• Eco-friendly reusable nappies are better for the environment both in their production and in their waste handling.

Plastic free cloth nappies are easy to use and with the correct set up can be very simple to flush away dirty waste and wash the reusable elements. If you are concerned with adding soiled nappies in to your normal wash then use a natural nappy cleanser as well. Whilst plastic free cloth nappies may take a bit of getting used to, it can be a very positive experience for you your baby and the environment.

So, look at switching from disposable single use nappies to eco-friendly reusable nappies.

Click here for some great options!