By Harry Loney.
Have you considered using eco nappies or cloth nappies for your baby?
“Babies”, they say, “are nothing but meat mounds of poop and vomit”. They say this, and then they walk away with a smug walk to the pub, or cinema, or somewhere else you can’t go when you’re covered in poop or vomit. Wetherspoons tend to be okay with this, but most other places ask you to leave.
And to be fair, the main interaction you have in the first few weeks of a baby’s life is the cleaning of a variety of holes. But, as you stand with a pooey nappy in one hand whilst being wee’d on, have you ever thought about all the waste that having a baby brings? In particular, I’m talking about nappies. Your baby must go through at least seven or eight, probably a lot more, every day. You might be using Pampers or…well let’s be honest, it’s definitely Pampers, isn’t it?
The answer is surely yes, apart from a strong, brave but growing group amongst you. Those parents who have looked around and seen the bloody disgrace of a state we’re leaving this planet in. There are small changes to the way you take care of your baby that can have a huge positive effect on the environment.
Biodegradable eco-nappies won’t still be hanging around in tips for hundreds of years. So when your great great great grand-daughter comes along for an archaeological dig and finds she can clone her environment-killing ancestor from his korma-like poop and put him on trial in a weird dystopian Mad Max courtroom. Do you want your son or daughter to enter the Thunderdome? I mean, possibly, but that’s not the point.
And cloth nappies are another growing positive trend which really cuts down on the environmental impact of bringing up a baby. Perhaps you didn’t even realise these were still an option? They really aren’t as much hassle as you probably think they are.
Biodegradeable Eco-nappies
Should you use eco-nappies? Basically, yes. More complicatedly, also yes. You should certainly be using them instead of Pampers, that’s for sure.
These nappies will degrade very quickly. There are quite a few companies offering them – Bambo Nature, Naty, and Kit and Kin to name but a few. They should degrade partially or wholly in just a few months, leaving you with a nice clear conscience.
They cost a bit more than Pampers, but we’re not talking a fortune here. If you can afford to, using these types of nappies are better for everyone – including baby.
Cloth Nappies
You know this old joke, right? A man has a heart attack on a plane, and the flight attendant shouts “Is anyone here a doctor?!” and a woman stands up and shouts “I’m a vegan!”
Well people who use cloth nappies are much the same – they like telling people they use cloth nappies. A lot.
They call themselves clothers, and I know this sounds like I’m slagging them off, but I’m really not because I, dear reader, am a clother. We use them for our eldest, and now for our newborn youngest, and I am happy with this choice.
They are like the reuseable nappies your grandmum would have worn, but not as rubbish. Yes, they are made from cloth (mainly bamboo or cotton) but they really aren’t a faff at all. They come with velcro or press studs to attach around baby, and little inserts to soak up the wee. You have to change them every couple of hours, and then just chuck ‘em in the washing machine. You do have to scrape poo down the toilet, but I mean, at this stage, we’ve all done worse. They can be washed in your usual clothes wash, so no extra washing is required.
They are very environmentally friendly. After an initial outlay, they will start saving you money as you don’t need to keep buying nappies every week. If you are in Scotland, there is a voucher to try them in your Baby Box. Give it a go. You might like it.