Reduce, re use, recycle.. your nappies!
Reduce, re use, recycle.. your nappies!
It’s no secret that I love a good swim nappy! Our gorgeous swim nappies are the most amazing, sustainable solution to water play and will see your child right through to toilet training. Not only are they printed with the most gorgeous designs, but they are also made from high quality durable fabric which make them the perfect addition to your sustainable home.
But what about switching to re useable for day and night? Have you taken the plunge, or are you still considering the move? With Indie we used disposable; I was very uneducated on reusable....but it might not be as much work as first thought.
In just one year, you could save over Two THOUSAND nappies from landfill
For me, that incentive is worth the switch alone. And I will be making the switch for my next bubba. I would love to leave my children the legacy of my efforts to reduce my footprint on this earth. Did you know that disposable nappies take up to 450 years to break down in landfill?
Now imagine that impact when you consider the thousands of nappies used for just one baby from birth to toilet training! That is a lot of plastic in landfill.
Of course, re useable nappies are not an “all or nothing” commitment
Every single time you reach for re useable, you’re making an impact. Whether that be once a week, once a day or full time; you are making the difference.
There are no rules. The switch to re useable should be whatever suits you and your family! Many families prefer to use cloth part time. No matter how often you use a re useable nappy, you are still making a positive change for the environment.
Maybe you would like to start with enough nappies for one or two days while you get your groove, or perhaps you’d like to dive on in full time! The choice is completely up to you.
What about all that washing?
Gone are the days of Grandma boiling the copper to sanitise the nappies! Gone too are the days of soaking buckets of nappies in the laundry. Thanks to modern technology, we can easily and effectively wash our nappies in the washing machine following a short time in an airy basket – yes, it really is that easy! (more on that shortly).
Reusable isn’t for my family, but I still want to help make an impact
If you have weighed up your options and decided this just isn’t for you, then that is absolutely ok! If you would still like to make an impact on your carbon footprint, here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Consider compostable nappies
- Face washers make excellent wipe substitutes, you can even take them with you in your nappy bag
- Reusable swim nappies (be sure to look for these on our website, especially coming into Summer!)
I’m in!.. Now what?
Get shopping! You can buy new or second-hand reusable nappies, the choice is entirely yours and both are effective solutions. Try Facebook marketplace, or check out some of the incredible Australian designs available online; we are really spoiled for choice.
As for the cleaning routine, the absolute best place to look is the guru’s at www.cleanclothnappies.com And to get you started, I’ve included a brief breakdown below:
- Choose a detergent (see the Clean cloth nappies website for the detergent index)
- Remove soiling
- Store in an airy basket
- First wash to remove the bulk of the soiling
- Long wash to get the nappies clean
- Dry
Change happens with just one person. You might be a drop in the ocean, in the perspective of how many humans are on our planet; but your drop becomes a ripple, then a wave. Each time you make a sustainable choice, no matter how often; makes a bigger impact than you’ll ever know.
A big thank you to the Clean Cloth Nappies team, for the permission to use their washing routine information!