When I found out I was having our little boy I was excited about the prospect of using reusable nappies instead of disposables. I've seen them being used in centres I've worked at and I was hopeful in doing my little bit for the environment. With all the media coverage at the moment around plastic and the damage it's doing (and this past month being plastic free July) I got motivated to try and go 100 percent reusable.
It's taken us a while to get there because like everything in motherhood- there's a learning curve. We started out by trying some of "The Nappy Ladies" recommendations when our baby was about 4 or 5 months old. I had three different types and every one of them seemed to leak on us. I got pretty disheartened and was about to give up when a friend of mine suggested I watch some Youtube tutorials. Great suggestion! Turns out I was putting two out of the three on wrong (the leg holes weren't done up tight enough) Bingo! I had discovered the source of my problems and suddenly I was having a lot more success. Since then I've been buying a few reusable nappies here and there when they have specials online or when I'm at the shops. We now have almost 20 now which is totally enough to be 90-100 percent reusable and that makes me super proud. I usually wash them every second day and then fold them with a liner already inside to save time.
I think it takes time to get your head around though and in those early days disposable totally have an important place. For us we just couldn't face the extra washing especially with a sick mum and a baby born in winter. 15 months on though and I feel proud that I've stuck with it. I've worked out a few little tips that I think can really help you if you are thinking of giving it a go. You can start out small like I did and just do one or two a day. One is better than none! even if you only use one reusable a day thats 7 nappies you are saving from landfill every week and about $3 you are putting back into your pocket each week (totally worth it I think!).
Washing them is actually pretty easy and they can be dried in the drier (even though line dried is preferred because sunshine kills bacteria). It pays to do a ‘pre wash’ cycle in your washing machine before you wash them like normal. Refer to the "Clean Cloth nappies down under page" to find out what temperature and washing powder is best for your nappy and washing machine. They have a chart that is really helpful.
So there you go. That's a little about our reusable nappy journey. I promise it's not half as difficult as it looks like it will be and just think about all that plastic you are saving from the landfill not to mention all the money you will save from not needing to buy nappies anymore.
If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.
It's a learning curve
It's taken us a while to get there because like everything in motherhood- there's a learning curve. We started out by trying some of "The Nappy Ladies" recommendations when our baby was about 4 or 5 months old. I had three different types and every one of them seemed to leak on us. I got pretty disheartened and was about to give up when a friend of mine suggested I watch some Youtube tutorials. Great suggestion! Turns out I was putting two out of the three on wrong (the leg holes weren't done up tight enough) Bingo! I had discovered the source of my problems and suddenly I was having a lot more success. Since then I've been buying a few reusable nappies here and there when they have specials online or when I'm at the shops. We now have almost 20 now which is totally enough to be 90-100 percent reusable and that makes me super proud. I usually wash them every second day and then fold them with a liner already inside to save time.
Disposables have a place
I think it takes time to get your head around though and in those early days disposable totally have an important place. For us we just couldn't face the extra washing especially with a sick mum and a baby born in winter. 15 months on though and I feel proud that I've stuck with it. I've worked out a few little tips that I think can really help you if you are thinking of giving it a go. You can start out small like I did and just do one or two a day. One is better than none! even if you only use one reusable a day thats 7 nappies you are saving from landfill every week and about $3 you are putting back into your pocket each week (totally worth it I think!).
1. My number one tip is use a liner!
This was one of my downfalls at the start. I couldn't figure out how to clean the nappies? Do I scrape? do I flush? What do I do?! We now use old face cloths that are really thin but you can buy special reusable liners that work great too. Unfortunately the flushable ones my boy ended up being allergic too and I've since found out that they aren't actually flushable at all - just sneakily marketed that they can be. The only thing you can flush down the toilet is toilet paper! The liner means you can just flush the poo off them and pop it into the washing machine. I usually wait to do a full wash every second night or so.2. Find out how to put them on properly. Youtube is great for this.
Even if you think it's on right, it still pays to check. Trust me on this one!3. Change them every 3-4 hours.
Disposables do last a bit longer but I think once you get the hang of them its not anymore inconvenient at all I promise!4. Choose cute patterns
If you enjoy them I think you'll be more likley to use them. Theres so many brands out there and designs but lets face it your baby can't really tell what ones they have on! I found that I used them more when I enjoyed the patterns and when the fit was right for our little one so try a few different ones.5. No, they don't give your baby a nappy rash.
This was a myth I believed when I started using them but I do think that's been busted now. They new microfibre reusable insert nappies are actually really absorbent and we haven't had anymore nappy rashes than we had with the disposables. I do think that back when I was a kid the nappies weren't as good and it definitely was a major nappy rash contributor (my mother in law backed this up). The new ones on the market are pretty fantastic though and I've found that even the cheaper ones have been are pretty absorbent.6. Washing them properly is important but so much easier than you think
Washing them is actually pretty easy and they can be dried in the drier (even though line dried is preferred because sunshine kills bacteria). It pays to do a ‘pre wash’ cycle in your washing machine before you wash them like normal. Refer to the "Clean Cloth nappies down under page" to find out what temperature and washing powder is best for your nappy and washing machine. They have a chart that is really helpful.
7. Ask for help.
There are a lot of different types of reusable and they all have their pros and cons so it pays to do some research and ask around about what kinds to try. There are also lots of awesome help groups and forums out there online. I'm apart of this one on Facebook and also read the advice from "The Nappy Lady" a lot when I started out.So there you go. That's a little about our reusable nappy journey. I promise it's not half as difficult as it looks like it will be and just think about all that plastic you are saving from the landfill not to mention all the money you will save from not needing to buy nappies anymore.
If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them.
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