environmental issues - cloth or disposables??

[Nai]

Just a thought. If you are worried about the environmental impact of the creation of the item then would you be open to second hand cloth/MCN's? That way you are not having any environmental impact as the item is already here and has already been manufactured.

[Snacks]

Realistically, we're part-time too, as we use sposies for overnight and she wears them two days/week at childcare. So I for one am not going to blow the cloth trumpet too loudly as I'm not a die-hard clothie. But I do believe every little bit helps, and for me, seeing the reduction in waste by using the cloth is really rewarding. But that's just the way it sits with me
I don't think sposie-users should feel bad either - as I said, regardless of what you use, there is an impact by having an extra member in your household - we all have to deal with it one way or another.
Some nappy style-suggestions: You asked previously about all-in-ones - not sure if anyone answered, but these are nappies which don't require a cover - they're like a fitted nappy with the cover built on. Sometimes they'll need extra boosting. I have two AIO's and they are lovely, but take a long time to dry. Same with the bamboo fitted nappies.
My personal favourite type of nappy is a pocket. I find them really easy, although they do take a little extra effort because you need to stuff them. I love that they are quick drying and relatively cheap (depending on the brand, of course), but they're not as good for leaks as a separate nappy with cover.

[boomba]

i struggled with this too! We started off in diposiables, i wanted to use cloth from the begining but it was so overwhelming new baby and all to even think about it! We are full time cloth even overnight now which is great! Its taken me a while to get ds into a night nappy i love!
We used a environmentally friendly disposable called bamboo nature. i will send you the link with the info!
Good luck woht your descion! x

[DisGirl]

I'm a recent part-time cloth convert and I love them! I actually have my third delivery waiting at home for me right now and I can't wait to have them washed and ready to use later this week.

For me, the decision was made because of a few things:

- Ben had a terrible nappy rash for a week when we were using sposies. It got so awful that his poor bottom was bleeding. Nothing worked for the poor little man until we got cortisone cream for him. During that time I HATED using disposable wipes and nappies on him. It just felt wrong.

- The amount of rubbish in our bin each week was ridiculous. We used to only put our bin out once every two or three weeks, but we were finding with the sposies it was going out nearly full every week.

- I hated the idea of throwing 50c or so away each nappy change. We now use the Aldi nappies when we use sposies so it's not as expensive as that, but I just hate the feeling of use once and throw away.

- I am about to become a SAHM again which means I will have more time for laundry. ATM I am out of the house for at least 12 hours a day which makes keeping on top of just regular laundry hard.

- Bub #2 is going to arrive early next year and buying two lots of nappies was not a pleasant thought financially!

Anyway, they were the factors that helped me decide to at least TRY MCN. I have totally fallen in love with the first nappy I tried, the Bamboo Baby Beehind with PUL cover. They fit Ben really well, he doesn't mind wearing them and they're even helping him with his colours I'm using cloth on weekends right now, but when I'm home - like I will be for the rest of this week - I will be using them too. For the time being we're still using sposies at night, I tried a cloth with booster one night and Ben was up during the night so I decided to wait until I finish work before trying another night nappy with him.

I don't find cloth to be too much extra work either. I flush/rinse poo off into the loo, dry pail, and then wash in cold water. We have a mini indoor hills hoist which is really handy because I can put the nappies out at night if I need to and either leave them there during the day or move them out into the sunlight the next morning. We don't use liners and don't have a single mark on our nappies so far. My DH has been wonderful with them and has no problem rinsing them and/or putting them on the line. So far I've had nothing but good experiences with it all Oh and my MIL, SIL, mum and sis all think they are the funkiest nappies

That's my experience, I hope that helps you with your decision making

[runnermum]

I really appreciate the time and effort people have put into this thread to tell me their experiences. Thank you very, very much.

I am very keen to buy a couple of AIOs and a couple of pocket nappies and go for it during the day time.......I will take it from there and hope my hubby will too !!

[Visitor7]

Good luck. Do you know what brand mcn you are going to start with? Make sure you buy something that is reputable. You don't want to get something cheap and nasty, as it won't do the job and it'll turn you off using cloth.

[Sammiejane]

Hi Runnermum,
Im back again... I will always back cloth, DD has been in cloth full time from day one and has never had a sposie on, so i am biased (but DSS was in them and i hated them on him)... but thats not what i am doing back in here adding a few more cents to the debate.

I was reading an old issue of My Child (Autumn 04) Anyway there is an article in there that is called 'the nappy revolution'
There is a bit in there that i think will be of interest to you, seeing as you are leaning towards the sposies but are conscious of the environment

Sinead Roberts, co-founder of Eco Direct begain importing Moltex Eco Nappies two years ago. She says 'The nappies contain no fragrance or lotions, and aren't unnecessarily bleached, so they wont aggrivate fragile skin.' The outer later is made of biofilm, wich is 100 percent degradable, and they are chlorine free'.
I tried Moltex on Henry overninght and there were no leaks. They are silky smooth and reliable in terms of absorbancy and containment.
Roberts adds Moldex Eco Nappies are also compostable 'You can put your wet nappies into a worm farm and they will break down within eight to 10 weeks, providing lovely fertiliser.' They are available in four different sizes from Eco Direct

If i ever went to sposies i would find these and have a worm farm - it makes sense, rather than contributing to landfill

Hope this helps/is useful

[krysalyss]

Just a note that Moltex like Bambos are only about 80% biodegradable as a total nappy. Its hard to get around all the marketing to get this info. I used bambos and quality wise they are great. On MCNs now.

[Junglemum]

Is a bambo the same is a bumbo nature? Bumbo nature are apparetly 10% more bidegradable than Moltex. But as krysalyss says neither are totally biodegradable.

Safties disposables are apparently 100% biodegradable....... although i have read they almost impossible to buy atm. maybe it was a marketing scam?!

[krysalyss]

Is a bambo the same is a bumbo nature? Bumbo nature

I think the bumbo must be a typo. I originally thought they were bamboo till I looked closer. When I looked into it I was told both were about 80%. Would be happy if bambo were more though as that is what we used. lol.
We tried safeties but firstly they are really expensive, secondly the sizing is very small - annoying if you bought them online, and secondly they are made of cotton which is very water intensive so probably arent really that EF. That is just my 2 cents though.