Credit crunch? Bite back with real nappies

With many families feeling the pinch of the credit crunch, the Trust is encouraging parents with babies to bite back by using real nappies.

“Real nappies make economic as well as environmental sense, making them a real choice for these trying times,” says Gary Lamont, the Trust’s Real Nappy Network.

A series of events during Real Nappy Week – which runs from Monday 27th April to Sunday 3rd May – will highlight the benefits of using real nappies.

“It costs about £300 to kit out a child in real nappies for his or her nappy-wearing life-time, whereas with disposables, parents can pay around £1,000 per child,” says Gary.

“What’s more, real nappies can be used again on a second or third child or passed on to family or friends, so the life of a real nappy is almost limitless, making the initial outlay of £300 go a long way. With a disposable nappy, its one use and then into the bin, giving each one a life-span of only a few hours. It’s such a waste of resources.”

“There is an on-going debate between skeptics and fans of real nappies about whether or not washable nappies are better for the environment than disposables,” says Gary.

“A recent report published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs concludes that what matters is how the real nappies are used and washed.”

“Washing the nappies in a fuller load at no more than 60°C, line drying outdoors and reusing nappies on a second child is what makes a difference. And if used and washed this way, the report says that the global warming impact of real nappies could be 40% lower than that of disposables,” says Gary.

“This is welcome news because it dispels the myth that real nappies are more costly in terms of energy and water usage.”

David Miles, the Trust’s energy officer and father of three says: “We have always used real nappies on our children and are looking forward to using them again on our new baby Lily, who was born a few weeks ago."

"These nappies are the same ones that we bought for our first daughter Jessica, now 4, and which are still being used by our son Daniel who is 2.”

“We haven’t had to replace them, so in terms of cost we’ve only had to pay the initial outlay and for the disposable liners.”

“Although we use real nappies and our family is increasing in size, we haven’t noticed an increase in our energy bills. We tend to dry the nappies inside on a rack or on a radiator, or if the weather is good, outside on the line. We do more washing now anyway, so adding a few nappies to the load doesn’t make that much more of a difference.”

Top tips to reduce the environmental and economic impact of real nappies:

• Wash nappies at no higher than 60°C

• Wash fuller loads

• Line dry nappies outside whenever possible, or on a rack in a warm room

• Tumble dry as little as possible

• When replacing appliances, choose the highest energy efficient rating

• Reuse nappies on other children and pass them on to family and friends

For more information on events taking place during Real Nappy Week, contact Gary Lamont on (01380) 725670 ext 236. For more information on real nappies, where to buy them, how to wash them, etc, click here.