Being Green

When it comes to being green as a parent, or at least trying to, it can be confusing. Are cloth nappies really better for the environment? Will using a reusable product really help the planet? What else can you do to make a difference?

Cloth nappies and the environment

People choose to use cloth nappies for many different reasons. The benefit to the environment, is one of these reasons that many parents decide that cloth is for them. There have been a number of reports though, that suggest that cloth nappies aren’t that much better for the environment. They say that there isn’t a huge benefit, once the power for washing and drying is taken into account. What these reports often don’t take into account though, is that disposable nappies still need to be disposed of. Filling up a landfill with a product that doesn’t break down, is a huge environmental problem. A nappy that can be reused time and time again has a much smaller impact on our resources and from that point of view is far better.

Environmental cloth nappies

As with most things, there are good ways and bad ways to use cloth nappies. If you are choosing to use them to cut down on waste and resource use, then it is important to keep a few things in mind:

• Try to always wash with a full load, this means less power per nappy to clean it.
• Choose laundry detergents that are manufactured to be gentle on the environment, less nasty chemicals going back into our water system.
• Line dry your nappies when possible; using the tumble dryer from time to time is fine, but it uses far more electricity.
• You don’t need to iron nappies. This was one of the things considered when comparing the impact of disposables and cloth nappies. I haven’t actually met anyone who irons nappies.
• When you child out grows the need for nappies, pass them to another child or family that needs them. Flat nappies are also great for cleaning and jobs around the house.

When you try to use your nappies in as green a way as possible, then they are actually FAR better for the environment than disposable nappies.

Being Green as a parent

It needn’t be hard to choose things that are better for the environment and good for your baby. Cloth nappies are a something that you can easily use that are the green choice. Making sure that we leave our children a healthy world needn’t be hard work. If you want to know more about the type of cloth nappies that might work for you and your family, then fill in our advice form. I will email you back with personalised advice about which cloth nappies might be right for your baby.

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