Reusable cloth nappies have come a long way in recent years so much that they mirror disposable nappies with elasticated waists and Velcro or popper fastenings.
Reusable cloth nappies have come a long way in recent years so much that they mirror disposable nappies with elasticated waists and Velcro or popper fastenings. Going back thirty years my mother used to handwash numerous terry cloths and used oversized waterproof knicker type covers. She cringes at the thought of them. Baby wipes weren't even a thing, she used old bed sheets cut into stripes and plain old water.
Fast forward those years and here I am keeping up with the tradition with my own stockpile of cloth nappies but lots of things have changed. I'm an active cloth nappy enthusiast. I love nothing more than finding the latest cute print or hanging them proudly out on my washing line when the sun comes out to play.
Here are my 10 reasons you should consider using cloth nappies:
- As above, modern cloth nappies mirror disposable adorned in cute prints. They have elasticated waists and legs, velcro and popper fastenings and they stay neat and secure at all times. And whilst they are bulky than the average sposies they don't droop like your average nappy. Let's not forget how comfortable they are. If you had to choose between a cloth nappy or disposable what would you pick?
- I can guarantee you when using cloth there are fewer poonamis. I'm clothing two years this month and I've yet to have an explosion. Poop tends to stick to the cloth or nappy liner making it harder for it to leak out. Winning.
- It's widely known throughout the cloth nappy community that babies in reusable nappies tend to get fewer nappy rashes. Also as cloth nappy fibres are very delicate it's recommended to use chemical-free creams. By using cloth friendly nappy rash creams you are avoiding using chemicals on your baby's beautiful butt.
- The prints are to die for. You can find patterns to suit all tastes or keep it plain and simple with basic colours if you prefer. I have a mix of Christmas elves to unicorns and monochrome prints.
- Looking after the environment can be a huge factor for many families using cloth. From birth to potty you will use thousands of nappies, an estimated 8,000 if you change your child's nappy eight times a day. Each of those nappies goes to landfills and they can take anything from 500 years to decompose. Disposable nappies take up 4% of waste currently being added to landfill.
- You'll save a fortune on your bins. My black bin only goes out once a month and we are a family of six. I've my cloth nappies to thank for that. I had three in nappies at one point and I don't even want to calculate how many nappies I could have potentially been throwing in the bin to rot.
- Children who use cloth nappies tend to train quicker. And I say this from experience as my second youngest, a full-time cloth nappy wearer, self-trained at 20 months old. I don't know myself the past month although I'm gutted I have to destash my ever-growing supply.
- Many clothians, yep there is cloth nappy slang, report there are fewer smells from cloth nappies whether they are wet or soiled than using cloth nappies. I've no scientific answer to why but I'd imagine the chemicals in sposies play a huge factor.
- Cloth nappies hold their value. Believe it or not, cloth can be resold once they are well looked after. I currently have 50+ nappies and will be destashing in the next couple of weeks. The average cloth nappy costs just over twenty quid and I'll easily get a tenner back on each one.
- Let’s not forget about the cost of keeping one child in nappies for up to three years. On average it can set you back a thousand euro over the course of three years whereas a full birth to potty pack of cloth nappies will cost you roughly €350. It will save you in the long run by making the switch.
Kellie Kearney is a Dublin mammy of 4 kids aged 2, 3, 5 and 9. Described as a self-confessed procrastinator and picker-upper of things, Kellie would never turn down a coffee, loves to travel and shares her every day true to life moments on Instagram.
