In a world where the use of plastic straws is a social crime, why is nobody talking about disposable nappies?

Before we jump in and compare reusable nappies vs disposable, let’s calculate how many nappies an average baby gets through. Babies are typically in nappies for their first 2-3 years, where at first, they’ll go through an average of 12 nappies per day. As they get older this number will diminish to 4 – 6 per day. Therefore, if we take 8 nappies per day as a mean average, that equates to 2,920 nappies per year or 7300 nappies in 2.5 years!

Use these pros & cons to make an informed decision on reusable nappies vs disposable:

Disposables nappies

❌ Made of wood pulp (gallons of water used)
❌ Contain chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate as an absorbent (linked to toxic shock syndrome) and dying agents to make them white (causing skin irritations)
❌ Disposable wipes, packaging waste, and garbage bags used in nappy changing
❌ No widely available recycling options
❌ Sent to landfill where they take up to 500 years to degrade.

Biodegradable Disposables

✅ Non-chemical absorption method
✅ Better for the environment than ordinary nappies
✅ Decompose more quickly than ordinary disposable nappies
❌ Made from different materials like bamboo, fabrics and paper pulp
❌ Can be more expensive
❌ Notorious for blocking up toilets as people assume biodegradable means flushable

Washable cloth nappies

✅ 40% less harmful to the environment
✅ They can be used over and over
✅ 50% less household waste
✅ The most environmentally friendly are made of organic cotton and other unbleached natural fibres such as bamboo and hemp
✅ which are also more absorbent
✅ and help the skin to breathe naturally as they do not contain any chemicals or gels
❌ The biggest concern is the water usage, use of detergents, and energy for rinsing, washing and drying cloth nappies
❌ If made from synthetic microfleeces, microsuedes, or microfibers, when washing, tiny plastic strands are released into our waterways.

Use these 5  environmentally friendly tips to reduce the impact when washing reusable nappies:

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