Eight Reasons Why I Use Cloth Nappies

I often get asked why I use cloth nappies, as a busy mama I generally have lots going on so would it not just be easier to use single use nappies? Much more convenient and quick? Well the answer to that is that there are pros and cons to any type of nappy but here are four reasons why I use cloth nappies (then four more bonus reasons that you might not expect). 

1. Environment

We are all becoming more and more aware of the effect we are having on our world. Acts like taking your own bag to the supermarket are beginning to become more normal and even encouraged. My hope is that one day cloth nappies will again be seen as normal. Single use nappies can take anywhere between 250 and 500 years to break down. As a mama of six, I can't even imagine how many nappies that would be just from my family alone. 

2. Money

Although the initial expense can feel high, if you buy all the cloth nappies you will need in one go. However, you don't have to go all out and buy an expensive kit. There are nappy libraries you can borrow from, an amazing array of preloved cloth nappy pages online or you can just start by buying one reusable nappy and if or when you can afford it buy another and build up your collection slowly.

For me personally though, that one of payment up front was easier than trying to find the money each week. When your in the shops and trying to decide if you can afford to buy everything it's nice to know I don't need to add nappies each week to my list. 

3. Easy 

We are so lucky that with the advancement of things such as quality and variety of materials and washing facilities, cloth nappies are now so easy to use. Long gone are the days of big nappy pins and boil washing on our stoves. Modern cloth nappies are as simple as an extra load of washing (and what parent does not get enough practice with that when they have a baby in the house!)

4. Prints

Absolutely not as important as the environment or money but still really valid and a completely lovely reason to use cloth nappies is the amazing array of prints. There is a print to suit almost absolutely any theme, planning a jungle nursery...there's a nappy for that. Totally into tractors...there's a nappy for that. Having a Halloween, Christmas or Easter baby...there's a nappy for that too! 

 

5. Small Businesses

When buying cloth nappies, normally you are supporting small to medium businesses, often mama run or businesses that are helping to support their own local community. When you buy from me your not paying for a second home or an extravagant holiday but paying for us to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads.

 6. Change Maker 

There is no denying that this generation has had a huge impact on our world, we became used to convenience of single use, fast fashion and consumerism but we have the ability to change our impact! When future generations look back at us they will see that we were the generation that seen what effect we were having and took steps to make it better, to change our path and learnt to look after our world again. 

7. Ripple Effect 

This is something I love, the idea that each and everyone of us is able to change the world by just doing something which is normal to us. I used cloth nappies on my baby and then when my sister had a baby she used cloth nappies with my niece because she had seen how easy it was. When my sisters friend was pregnant she then got advice from my sister and started using cloth nappies on her baby. Now that friend is spreading the cloth nappy love through a blog.

8. Community 

When I started using cloth nappies I knew absolutely no one else that also used them. This in itself didn't faze me but it made me sad that they were so niche. Since then, I have found the most lovely community of friends, both online and in real life, who are passionate about cloth, helpful and supportive and I can see that using cloth nappies is slowly becoming more mainstream. Which is fantastic!

Whatever your reason for using cloth nappies I am always happy to help in anyway I can. Whether you are completely new or a total cloth nappy pro, if you use cloth full time or part time you are welcome here in my little space of the internet. Finally, I would absolutely love to hear your reasons for using cloth nappies in the comments, are they the same as mine or different?

1 comment

  • We’re first time parents and little one is due in September. For us, the main reasons for using cloth nappies are very similar to yours – great for the environment, hopefully will save lots of money in the long run (especially if we decide to have more children) and the prints are so gorgeous! My mother in law is horrified by the thought of us using cloth but I reckon she’ll change her mind once she sees some of the designs.

    Ali W

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