NB: Nappies
During a pre-birth conversation about money and where we could make economies, dad's ex-wife mentioned to us that one of my cousins had tried reusable nappies with their baby, and she got them to tell me the name of the brand. I researched them on the internet, discovered that cloth nappies are nothing like the terry towelling squares we had when I was a baby, and decided that we should give them a try. Matt was all on board, so we ordered 15 BumGenius nappies in various colours and a set of little reusable flannel wipes.
Our parents thought we were making a bad decision, as like us they didn't realise that cloth nappies had changed. I showed them the website, which seemed to persuade them that it might be okay.
The stash of 15 BumGenius nappies has increased to 18, plus 6 TotsBots Stretchies (for overnight), and half a dozen TotsBots Easyfits. Once River's little legs had chubbed up (when she weighed around 9lb) the nappies fit her really well. Before that they tended to leak a little, but it wasn't a huge problem. Since then they've been mostly great.
They barely smell, even when she's done a poo. There are no harsh chemicals next to her skin. We aren't contributing to the landfill, or wasting plastics and paper on disposable items. She's only had one day with a very slight nappy rash. They don't leak, so we don't have to change her entire outfit if she's done a poo (this seems to be a common problem with disposable nappies). We've never run out of nappies. And we don't have stinky nappies sitting in the bin for days.
In terms of cost, I estimate that they'll have cost us £350 (including electricity and wear and tear on the washing machine) by the time River is fully potty-trained. Disposable nappies would cost nearer to £1000. No contest! And the cloth nappies could've been even cheaper if I'd thought to buy secondhand...
The reusable wipes have been similarly wonderful. We tend to make up a solution of chamomile tea, lavender oil and a squirt of Dr Bronner's Baby Mild soap, then soak the wipes in that before use. They're equally effective with just water, but I prefer the smell of the lavender, and chamomile is supposed to be very good for the skin. Again, very cheap. An initial outlay of £30 and we haven't had to buy any more wipes at all. We did have a box of disposable wipes that someone gave us, which we used at first. So bad! It took 6 or 7 wipes to clean up a poo, because they just smeared it all over the place. I hated using something impregnated with so many chemicals. And you had to put them in a plastic bag before you could throw them away. So wasteful. With the reusable wipes, you only need 2 to clean up a poo, and they go in the wash with the nappies.
I don't really understand why people choose to use the disposable nappies and wipes, really. Why choose something that's more hassle and expense? (Similarly baffled by people choosing formula over breastmilk.)
Anyway, lesson learnt here is simply that I was right all along. Reusable nappies are GREAT!
