''Why should I go 'reusable'?''

Why should I use cloth nappies?
Breast feed, bottle feed? Home birth, water birth, hospital birth? What colour to decorate the baby room… cots, cribs, moses baskets? What's a muslin square again?!
Without a doubt there are many, many options open to you as a parent to be, with so many retailers telling you what to buy, and so many magazines reporting what you should do, shouldn't do and couldn't do, I have to admit, I was overwhelmed. Midwifes tell you not to listen to mother, because though she's trying to help, what she knows is probably 20 years out of date, how very true that was in my case!
The very last choice is which disposable nappy to use - and most parents then only believe there are two.

What about Cloth Nappies?
Once I discovered I was pregnant, I, like every new parent-to-be, declared I was going to do everything right, and give my child the best head start in life - this was while I sat filling my face with takeaway pizza! A few weeks of internet research, and I had decided that baby signing, and massage was definitely the way to go.
Then I happened on a report about cloth nappies.
I had considered using cloth, but immediately discarded the idea, thinking of all that extra washing, those safety pins, folding, boiling, soaking. I was going to be a mum, didn't I have enough to do?
"Save hundreds of pounds," headlined one website, another proclaimed the health benefits, "No boiling," declared another site… no terry squares… no safety pins… If this was true, why not use cloth?
I can say now from experience, by using cloth you are not just doing your bit to reduce landfill in the UK, you are helping your child's development by protecting their hips and spines, and you are probably going to save yourself at the very least £500, if not more. Especially if you have baby number two…

Aren't they inconvenient?
The amount of time I saved from putting the bin out in cold winter nights will always be remembered!
Modern nappies can go in the washing machine, at 40 degrees and you can wash them with your usual wash powder, so there is not more hassle than your usual laundry.
After getting sound advice from one of the nappy websites, I bought my cloth nappies and tucked them away for the big day. So it wasn't me that was fighting with my newborn while changing all the bedding at 2am because the disposable nappy I had bought had allowed poo to leak everywhere, I was getting a good amount of sleep, while envious others struggled to stay awake at baby groups.
Cloth nappies deal with explosive baby poo, disposables struggle!

And health benefits?
When I took my daughter for her hip scan at six weeks, the consultant noted her cloth nappy and commented on how medical studies have related the increase of hip problems with the increased use of disposable nappies.
Cloth nappies are better for your baby's health!
Plus, my daughter turned two and was already potty trained. Disposable nappies don't allow children to realise they are wet. So the public carry on buying them usually until a child is at least three… and throwing money straight in the bin.
Cloth nappies can help children potty train earlier!

There are a great many other reasons I can give to use cloth the adorable bottoms wriggling about as your baby learns to crawl, the snazzy, fashionable designs that turn heads - toddlers do love to be the centre of attention.
Disposables are convenient, but they are not cheap. Disposables are easy to use, but so are cloth now. Disposables probably take hundreds of years to decompose instead their little nappy sacks. Disposables are clinically proven to reduce nappy rash? No. This is a big myth. Parents are clinically proven to reduce nappy rash! It is the bacteria against baby's bottom that causes nappy rash, the longer any nappy stays on the more likely the rash will get worse.
If you don't want to wash cloth nappies, use a laundry service, most will pick up and deliver to your door.
If your not sure which cloth nappy to use, get advice, or ask your midwife. There is bound to be an active Nappy Network in the area that will advise you, pressure free. Find out if there is a 'library' service, where you can loan nappies in the comfort of your own home. Ask the local council if there is a subsidy available to help with the cost of purchasing nappies. Many do offer financial incentives now.
But most important of all… Take a few hours to make an informed decision about what nappy you use, be it disposable or cloth, because it is YOUR choice to make.

For more information, visit www.nappynature.com.