Questions & Answers
Questions in brief
Answers
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.
There is a growing range of funky products available, making real nappies the coolest choice.
- There are 3 main types of real nappies:
- 'flat nappies', such as the traditional Terry square, need to be folded to make a pad, then secured with a plastic fastening and covered with a wrap.
- there are also prefolds which are flat squares of cotton. These are used by most laundry services; prices start at a very reasonable £2 each.
- the shaped nappy is designed to fit your baby snugly and some sizes go from birth to potty. They require an outer wrap and prices start from around £7.50 each.
- 'all-in-ones' include a cotton liner and a waterproof cover with fastenings, starting from around £10 each. - Contact your nearest real nappy sales agent and make a date to learn about what is on offer. Contact the Real Nappy Helpline 0845 850 0606.
- See if there is the chance to borrow some nappies from your local council or retailer to try out first to help you make the choice.
- For extra convenience, shop for real nappies online. Sites such as Ebay offer a real choice of brands or alternatively visit the Women’s Environmental Network for great deals on second-hand real nappies.
Initially for good advice and variety try your local real nappy agent as speaking to a parent with first hand experience is really helpful.
- Call the Real Nappy Helpline on 0845 850 0606 or visit The Nappy Finder for details of your local agent.
- Well known supermarkets and retailers now stock various real nappy brands: Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Boots.
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.
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.
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.
Top Ten Tips to reduce the environmental impact of real nappies
- Wash nappies at 60oC and wraps at 40oC to 60oC - do not boil wash
- Use A-rated appliances to reduce energy and water consumption
- Minimise tumble drying - line dry or use an airer
- Don't use fabric conditioner - it is unnecessary and it reduces absorbency
- Use eco-friendly washing powders
- Try potty training early around two years of age
- Use real nappies for more than one child
- Buy second hand nappies where possible
- Use organic (non-bleached) products
- Don't iron nappies
Real nappies don't need to be sluiced, boiled, scrubbed, soaked or machine washed at 95oC.
- Simply place them in a separate laundry container and washed at 60oC along with other whites.
- Biodegradable nappy liners can be flushed down the loo with any solid waste. Washable liners can go in the wash with your nappies.
- Modern home washing machines wash so well that real nappies do not have to be sterilised.
- ‘Collect and Wash’ laundry services are available.
- Most real nappies can be line or tumble dried or simply placed on an airer in a warm room to dry.
Local nappy laundries offer weekly services that collect used nappies and provide a fresh supply, laundered to the highest standards, for the next seven days.
- Laundry services offer convenience to parents.
- The laundry service will provide you with a special bin, in which to store soiled nappies.
- Bins are collected from your home on a regular basis, usually weekly, and washing of real nappies is carried out by the experts.
- Services vary depending on the local provider; some options are upgrades in size of nappies and flexibility in collection terms such as part or full time.
- Prices range on average from £6-11 per week.
- Find your nearest local nappy laundry by contacting the Real Nappy Helpline 0845 850 0606.
Your baby is no more or less likely to get nappy rash from real nappies than from disposables.
- Frequency of nappy changing is the important factor to avoid nappy rash.
It's important to select the right size for your baby's shape to avoid leakages and there is a wide choice of products available.
- You can also use booster pads to increase absorbency if needed.
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