Should I use modern cloth nappies?

Why use modern cloth nappies?  You may have seen Modern Cloth Nappies around a little more in the last few years as they are becoming more popular.  If you’re not sure what the appeal is with them and why so many parents just want to shout from the roof tops about their love of cloth.  I have put together a list of top reasons why more families are choosing to use more modern cloth nappies over disposable nappies:

• Environmental benefits of modern cloth nappies

The average baby will have approx. 5840 nappy changes in 2 years, that’s with an average of 8 changes per day/night.  Doing all of those changes with disposable nappies creates a large amount of waste which takes hundreds of years to breakdown and is damaging for our environment.  The more modern cloth nappies a family uses each day will help bring that number down significantly.

So what about the impact that the extra washing, drying and detergents to clean modern cloth nappies will have?  Is it the same as using disposables?  NO, it’s no where near the amount of waste created or water used to make the 5840 disposable nappies that sit in landfill.

Modern cloth nappies don’t require soaking, bleach or special detergents.  They only require a 30 minute wash cycle on their own then a long wash which can be done with the rest of the family washing.  Advancements in modern technology mean that washing machines are very water & energy efficient these days, most families only see a small increase in their water & electricity bills when using modern cloth nappies.  Some of the increase in these utilities comes from having a parent home more often and the general increase in washing having a new baby creates.

• Financial benefits of modern cloth nappies

Having a baby can be expensive, but using modern cloth nappies can save families thousands of dollars.  The average family will spend around $2300 on disposable nappies over 2 years with the highest use occurring in the first 3 months.  30 modern cloth nappies only cost $360 (less with our cloth nappy packages).  This will give the average family a saving of $1940 over 2 years.  For many families the financial savings is the biggest reason why they use modern cloth nappies.

• Modern cloth nappies or disposable – why not both?

Personally I think this is the most important thing to remember about cloth nappies,  you don’t have to use them all the time.  Many families use modern cloth nappies just during the day and a disposable at night.  Some families only use 3-4 modern cloth nappies a day and then disposable the rest of the time. It can be hard adjusting to life with a newborn, so don’t feel the pressure of having to do modern cloth nappies all the time, do what works best for you and your family.

By using just 1 modern cloth nappy a day you can make a difference over the 2-3 years your child is in nappies.  By switching to just 1 modern cloth nappy a day, will save 1095 disposable nappies from landfill in 3 years!  That is a few less wheelie bins full of disposables heading to landfill, which is something to be pretty proud of.

• Choose from 100’s of modern cloth nappy designs

I never thought I would actually have fun with nappies, but you can really fit out your babies draws with so many incredible styles.  There are so many different patterns and colours to choose from,  making changing nappies all day and matching outfits a lot more fun. It can be so annoying when your little monster does a poo right after a change, but with modern cloth nappies you get to pick another pattern to match their outfit, making change time a little more enjoyable.

Summer can get warm, and often we let our little monster run around in just a nappy and a shirt, with modern cloth nappies, its not just a puffy white nappy you’ll see, instead a beautiful patter or design will be running around the backyard.

If you’re still not sure about switching to modern cloth nappies, we have plenty of resources to help you learn more about the process.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, start small with just 1-2 modern cloth nappies and see how you feel. If you’re still unsure or have questions, please contact us, we love to help and can even give help with fitting modern cloth nappies onto your little monster.

If you see someone or know someone using a modern cloth nappy ask them why they use modern cloth nappies?  There are so many reasons why each families uses modern cloth nappies and most parents love to talk about and show off their collections.