How practical are real nappies?
Modern real nappies are really practical and offer parents a real choice. Most real nappies consist of a soft, absorbent nappy, liners and waterproof, breathable covers (also called wraps). New designs fit snugly and nappy pins have been replaced with Velcro fastenings, poppers and plastic grips for quick and easy fastening.
Real nappies are available in over 30 different types and patterns. Made of lightweight, fluffy materials, usually cotton or wool, real nappies wash and dry easily. It's your choice; using real nappies is not an all or nothing option.
You could perhaps use disposables when travelling or when it's impractical to use the real nappies. If you don't want to wash your nappies at home, then a nappy laundry service can do it for you.
What do I need to get started?
All you need is nappies, liners and wraps.
The nappy itself is the absorbent part and you will need around 25-30 of these. The inner liner catches solids and helps keep moisture away from your baby’s skin; these can be made from paper so that they can be flushed down the toilet if soiled or washed and reused if just wet; alternatively a reusable, flat cotton washable pad is available.
The outer wrap or cover is the fun part with a funky range of cool styles and bright colours; these are made in a range of materials for example wool, fleece or waterproof PVC. The wrap sizes alter as your baby grows. Initially you will need at least 3 wraps that can be washed at home at 40-60oC.
What is the cost?
An initial outlay to equip you with a number of nappies is necessary; but this is a one off payment and means you are not constantly paying for single use disposables on a weekly basis.
From birth to potty each baby typically gets through between 4,000 and 6,000 nappies. Basic real nappies cost less than £2 each, with more sophisticated products costing around £3 -£10 each.
Disposables cost on average 12.2p each (including in-store offers). Approximate cost of purchasing and home laundering real nappies for 2.5 years ranges from £185 to about £352 depending mainly on nappy type. The minimum cost of using disposables for 2.5 years is £463.11 but could cost as much as £732.
You can achieve further savings by using the same real nappies for your second child.
Home washing can cost as little as £1 per week.
Laundry services range on average from £6-11 per week
What is the environmental impact?
The key is to reduce the rubbish in your bin, significantly reducing rubbish going to landfill by simply making the real nappy choice.
Disposable nappies make up about 2.6% of the average household rubbish in a year. (Source: Enviros Consulting Ltd and University of Birmingham with Risk and Policy Analysts Ltd, Open University and Maggie Thurgood, (March 2004), ‘Review of Environmental and Health Effects of Waste Management: Municipal Solid Waste and Similar Wastes.’)
This is equivalent to the weight of nearly 70,000 double-decker buses. (Source: Waste Watch calculation) If lined up from front to end, the buses would stretch from London to Edinburgh. (Source: Waste Watch calculation)
Using real nappies reduces the amount of waste sent for incineration and also the amount of energy and non-renewable resources used to produce disposables