Why choose cloth nappies?

There are many reasons why people choose cloth nappies over disposables:

Cost

You could save yourself hundreds of pounds by choosing cloth nappies

Even more if you choose washable wipes

Once you have bought cloth nappies, you don't need to fork out each week for more nappies - and you'll never run out

See www.wen.org.uk for a more detailed cost breakdown

Environmental

Source: www.wen.org.uk

Relatively little is known about disposable nappies and how long they might take to fully decompose in landfill

The plastic content of disposables may even take up to 500 years to decompose fully meaning that the vast majority ever produced are still in the earth

Every day in the UK over 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away. This is a significant part of household waste and costs the British council taxpayer millions of pounds a year

Landfill space is running out!

Production of disposable nappies uses more energy, waste water and raw materials (including 1 cup of crude oil per nappy), and creates more solid waste

Save the trees

4˝ trees are destroyed to keep just one baby in disposable nappies for 30 months

Up to 7 million trees are forested to produce Britain's nappies each year

Health Matters

Cloth is cloth you know what you are putting next to your baby’s skin

Recent research has shown possible links between chemical TBT (tributyl-tin) found in disposable nappies and reduced immune and fertility systems (see the WEN briefing 'Nappies and the Environment', March 2004 - available at http://www.wen.org.uk/nappies/reports/nappy_briefing.pdf)

It has also been suggested that disposable nappies maintain a higher temperature in boys' testicles', which may result in reduced fertility later in life because the testicles aren't able to form properly (see the WEN briefing 'Nappies and the Environment', March 2004 - available at http://www.wen.org.uk/nappies/reports/nappy_briefing.pdf)

Which would you rather wear? Plastic or cotton pants?

Kinder to the skin

Cloth nappies are free from chemicals

Materials like fleece, silk and wool can help sensitive skin

Babies in cloth nappies are no more likely to get nappy rash!

So what's in a disposable nappy?

Topsheet	Porous polypropylene
Waistshield	Polypropylene
Pulp	Cellulose pulp
Superabsorber	Sodium polyacrylate granules
Tissue	Cellulose pulp
Leg elastics	Rubber
Fastening surface	Polypropylene coating: sprayed on
Tapes Polypropylene	Glue
Backsheet	Polyethylene

Source: www.nappystash.co.uk

Cushioned bottoms

Cloth nappies give better support for newborn hips and legs

Less chance of coccyx bone damage in tumbling toddlers because cloth nappies are more padded

See for example the Edinburgh Real Nappy Network - www.ernn.org.uk

Earlier potty training???

My little boy was trained at 2 years 3 months!

Babies wearing cloth nappies become more aware of their bodily functions sooner because they can feel that they are wet

Sanitary choice

Effectively kill germs by soaking or hot-washing your nappies

Tea tree or lavender oils are a natural way to sanitise nappies

The nappy bucket is less smelly than the nappy bin!

Human waste goes where it should go: down the toilet!

More than 100 viruses are excreted in human faeces

Dumping human waste is the dustbin is against World Health Organisation guidelines

Easy to use

Gone are the days of complicated folding and nappy pins

Shaped, sized nappies are available

Some nappies even have a built-in waterproof layer

You will never run out!

Go to washing tips to see how easy it is to care for your nappies

There is so much choice available!

Whether you and your wee one are into leopard prints, hot pink, fire engines or plain and simple white, there is something for everyone!