Better for the Planet

Even after taking into account the materials and energy used to make them, the energy, water and detergent required to wash them, and their final, inevitable end-of-life in landfill, reusable nappies are still by far the better option when it comes to environmental sustainability as well as financial savings.

Reusable cloth nappies halve the ecological footprint of disposable nappies. Every child in disposable nappies will add a minimum of 7,000 disposable nappies to our landfills - that’s about 1 tonne of rubbish, which take up to 500 years to decompose. Over 30 billion disposable nappies are sent to landfill around the world, consuming approximately 150,000 tons of plastic and 1.2 million tons of tree pulp every year.

Not to mention, every time a soiled disposable nappy is added to landfill, with it goes the raw faecal matter. Viruses found in the faeces can pose a threat to our water supplies and wildlife by seeping through cracks that develop in old landfills.

Disposable nappies use up a lot of non-renewable resources.  

If you want to learn more about the environmental impact of cloth and disposable nappies, visit our blog here: PART 1, PART 2 and PART 3

Better for our Health

We all want a chemical free lifestyle for our babies.  However, with disposable nappies, there is the question of what is hidden in some disposable nappies, including the various chemicals used to make the disposable nappies and fragrances that can irritate sensitive baby skin.

The most serious concern is the toxic chemicals, such as Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases.  Dioxin is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves.

Other chemicals include Sodium Polyacrylate used to absorb moisture in disposables and is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.  “Polypropylene and other synthetics and chemicals are the primary raw materials for manufacturing nonwoven fabrics, which are used in disposable diapers” - Kimberly Clark. 

This is not even including all the fragrances added to the nappies and the potential effects these have, including hormonal effects.

You can read more about the Health benefits of cloth in our blog on What's Really in your nappies?

Better for our Wallet

On average, parents spend $4,000 on disposable nappies per child (approx. 3 years old toilet training stage). We worked out that using Real Nappies you will spend $910 (including laundering expenses) for your first child, and since our nappies can be reused, it costs even less for your second or third child. In fact, Real Nappies cloth nappies have a warranty for at least two children!

Where’s that math coming from?

 Read the details on our page Cost of Cloth Nappies vs Disposables.

 

Better on our Time

• Saving you time changing outfits from leaky nappies.

Most cloth nappy designs were born out of other’s frustrations. Real Nappies is no different and were designed to answer those frustrations. That’s why Real Nappies were designed with leakproof, snug fastenings, and built in gussets.

• No more dashes to the supermarket.

You have them all on hand, all the time.

• Extra laundry takes less time than the supermarket trips.

Home laundering is not as difficult as you think. Most parents are putting the machine on most days anyway, so what’s the extra it takes to also clean a few dirty nappies? It takes less time to put a load of cloth nappies in the washing machine and dry than it does to shop for disposables, load them into the car, unload them at home and take out the extra rubbish each week.

• Earlier potty training potential!

We all wait for the day when we don’t have to change another dirty nappy (whether disposable or cloth). The advantage of using cloth nappies is that the child actually feels when he or she is wet and wants to get out of his or her nappies sooner. Now many children go from disposable nappies to disposable pull-ups and are 4 or 5 years old before they are starting to potty train - this has an even bigger economic and environmental factor.

 

Every parent is different and everyone has their own reasons, but whatever your reason, you will find Real Nappies as easy to use as disposables, but without all the rubbish.

With our gorgeous soft and colourful covers, our gentle snuggly cotton inserts and our optional liners, cloth nappies have never been so easy. For busy, discerning parents looking for beautifully crafted nappies that last the distance (and have a warranty for 2 babies), look no further.

BROWSE REAL NAPPIES NOW

References:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/1287722.stm

http://www.australianscience.com.au/environmental-science/disposable-nappies-are-they-stinking-up-our-planet/

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/

https://csimarket.com/stocks/suppliers_glance.php?code=KMB

http://www.mothering.com/community/a/the-joy-of-cloth-diapers