Why are Cloth Nappies Better?

Better for the Environment

There is a huge debate going on at the moment as to whether cloth nappies are really better for the environment or not.  Before you make up your mind, take the following into account:

If you re-use your grey water from your washing machine and use eco-friendly washing powders you greatly reduce your impact on the environment.

What most people do not take into account is the fact that manufacturing disposables also creates waste before they land up on the shop shelves.  Huge factories making components and assembling nappies create hundreds of thousands of tons of waste and pollution.

Many people mistake the word disposable for bio-degradable, when in fact it is estimated that the plastic and other inorganic components take 500-1000 years to break down.

There are approximately 216,000 babies born every day in the world.  Just think how much waste is created if each child creates over 2 tonnes on waste just by wearing disposables?

Disposable nappies use 3.5 times more energy, 8 times more non-renewable raw materials, 90 times more renewable materials than washable nappies. It takes as much energy to produce one throwaway nappy as it does to wash a cloth nappy 200 times.

Better for Baby

No harsh chemicals against your babies skin.  Its worth having a look into what goes into a disposable – http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php Scary stuff!

Babies feel when they are wet.  This is a more natural way of potty training as they are more in touch with there bodily functions.  This helps them to potty train earlier than with disposables.

Lots of babies have allergies towards the chemicals in disposables which leads to nappy rashes.  Doctors often prescribe cortisone and other harsh creams for these rashes leading to further problems.

Better for your pocket

Cloth nappies are much cheaper than there disposable counterparts.  Saving you thousands over the 2+ years it takes to potty train your child.

Hears a calculation showing how much disposable nappies cost:

Sizes

Small – R3.02 each*

Medium – R2.50 each*

Large – R3.15 each*

Extra Large – R4.22 each*

*Cost on average – Sept ’09 from Pick ‘n Pay – http://www.pickandpay.co.za

How many changes needed?

0-3 months 10-12 times a day

3-6 months 8-10 times a day

6-12 months 6-8 times a day

12 months+ 5-6 times a day

How much does this cost?

1-3 months = (3 x 30 days) x (R3.02 x 10 changes a day) = R2718

3-6 months = (3 x 30 days) x (R2.50 x 8 changes a day) = R1800

6-12 months = (6 x 30 days) x (R3.15 x 6 changes a day) =R2268

1-2 years = (365 days) x (R3.15 x 5 changes a day) = R5748

Total for first two years = R12,534.00

And many children only potty train at 3 years old and wear night time nappies at age 4!