Why Use Cloth Nappies?

This is a really good question!
Did you know that in the first 6 weeks, newborns will go through a staggering 500+ nappies! That's a whole lot of nappies and a whole lot of poo. There are lots of reasons people choose to use cloth, these are the three most common:

 

CLOTH NAPPIES HAVE LESS OF AN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Cloth nappies are better for the environment. In fact the UK study that controversially had both cloth and disposables rated as pretty much the same carbon footprint has been revised, and now proves what clothies knew all along that cloth nappies are most definitely better for the environment and have up to 40% less impact than single use nappies. 

The other big factor is with cloth nappies you can choose your environmental impact based on how you wash them, something you can't do with disposables. 

If every baby in NZ had just one cloth nappy change every day, it would prevent over 1 million disposable nappies from heading to the landfill every week! And with each disposable nappy weighing on average 200 grams each, those 1 million nappies equates to about 200,000kg of rubbish. 

We all want the best for our children, and what better thing to do for them than to let them inherit our beautiful country in the best possible state. Disposable nappies will be hanging around for hundreds of years and well beyond our children or grandchildren’s lifetimes, so congrats on taking the first step into looking at the alternatives! 

 

REUSABLE CLOTH NAPPIES CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

Depending on the system you choose cloth nappies can save you upwards of $1500 per child (there are many styles and varying prices depending on cloth nappy system, so this amount will vary depending what you choose to use). 

So over 2-3yrs of nappying that’s a nice 'wage' for washing them! And of course, the savings grow when you use the nappies on subsequent babies.
You might also be wondering whether the cost of washing negates any cost savings in buying cloth nappies over disposables. Here’s a breakdown of wash costs based on data from a real family’s wash routine:

 

CLOTH NAPPIES ARE BETTER FOR BABY

There are chemicals used in disposable nappies that have been long banned in women’s hygiene products because of their known cancer link yet these chemicals are still used in the gel found in disposables. It is also suggested that the increased temperature of a baby boy’s genitals when wearing a disposable can cause future fertility issues and lastly a lot of parents leave disposables on the baby far too long. Just because a nappy can absorb 6 hours of wee doesn't mean it should! Nappy rash has become common place since the introduction of disposable nappies and that's because the bacteria from urine is sitting up against a baby’s genitals and irritating the skin. No matter what nappy system you use you MUST change your baby’s nappy regularly.

Our modern cloth nappies are made from beautifully soft and natural fabrics, and we often hear from parents that when given the choice, their baby will choose a cloth nappy over a disposable – great proof that the cosy, soft materials of a cloth nappy are far more comfortable to wear than the plastic, chemical filled alternative.

For nappies that are better for the environment, will save you money and are better for your baby shop our cloth nappy collections.