Wiping bottoms

We have been very happily using cloth nappies since Lucy was born. Sooj has been begging me for weeks to write some notes on the blog about cloth nappies, ready for Sustainable House Day!

Firstly, I would like to point out that despite what some people will tell you, cloth nappies are a greener option than disposables, even biodegradable disposables . There was a study performed by the UK Environmental Protection Agency several years ago, which compared the environmental impact of cloth vs disposable nappies. In this study, cloth and disposables came out fairly even (though it seemed to disregard the environmental impact of thousands of nappies per baby entering landfill destined to survive for thousands of years). An updated version of the study was peformed and the results released in 2008. This study considered the methods of washing and drying cloth nappies, and found that cloth nappy use consumed less energy in the production and cleaning of the nappies compared to the energy used to manufacture the number of disposable nappies used in the same time frame, when nappies were washed in warm rather than hot water, and line-dried rather than tumble drying (the original study had involved hot water washes and tumble drying). However, the cloth nappy option is even greener if you are using renewable energy (eg, solar power or purchasing accredited Green power from your energy supplier) to power your washing machine, collecting some or all of your own water and using cloth nappies made of sustainable materials (rather than, for example, ordinary cotton which uses vast amounts of water and pesticides to grow). In our case, living in a sustainable home powered by the sun, collecting all it's own water which is recycled for use in the orchard, there was no question that cloth nappies (of any type) would have far less environmental impact than disposables.

Cloth nappy use has changed considerably since I was a baby thirty something years ago. Gone are the days of soaking in bleach, washing in hot water, folding and nappy pins! There is a fabulous and extensive selection of fitted cloth nappies available that make life much easier. Not only are they easier to put on your baby, they also tend to be far more absorbant than terry squares so they don't need to be changed quite as often. Having said that, I have half a dozen organic cotton terry squares (from Nature's Child) to use as a back-up, and they have still been no problem to use.

In addition to using cloth nappies, we use cloth wipes rather than disposable wipes (this includes for bottoms, faces and any other wiping of the body that's needed)! Below are 2 organic cotton wipes from Nature's Child - the larger one on the left is for bottoms; the right one is more of a face wipe as it is ultra soft. I also have some old face washers which I use, and they work fine as well. (The small, white round object in the photo is a biodegradable disposable wipe that is about the size of a coin; it opens out into a cloth with the addition of water. I used them mainly in the first week, at the hospital, then for the first few weeks on outings, but I've hardly used them since. They are an excellent disposable wipe option though.) Of course the other ingredient is plain old water! A much gentler option for baby's skin. I simply keep a dish of clean, fresh water near the change table. There are numerous natural or organic nappy ointments and creams available too. The bottom wipes get washed with the nappies so it's really no extra effort to use them; the face wipes are washed with Lucy's clothes (again, no extra effort).

Below is a cloth nappy user's best friend! It's called a Little Squirt and it's basically a small, high pressure hose that easily attaches to the toilet cistern tap (DIY installation) and is used to hose off poo, directly into the toilet. An Australian product I couldn't live without!

In the following posts I will talk about the different types of cloth nappies I have used, and provide more information about cleaning and general use of cloth nappies.