Onelife: The natural choice for nappies

Hi everyone,

Anybody out there using eco friendly biodegradable nappies, nappy sacks & wipes etc?

I would like to know if they are they as good as conventional nappies?

I'm ttc at the moment but I've been scanning around for eco friendly baby stuff as my husband & I are quite big into recycling and want to do our part in reducing landfill etc (if we ever get preggars that is!!).

We're going to build a wormery and I understand that the Naturebotts nappies can be "recycled" in the wormery, but I'm concerned that although they are better for the environment and babys skin (no nasty chemicals,)they might not be as "reliable" as conventional nappies (leakage etc).

Anyone got first hand experience?

Kia
Posted: 29/08/2006 15:39

Hi there, congrats on the baby!

I used Moltex Eco disposables on my son for the first couple of weeks before switching to cloth nappies and had no real complaints. I've never used non-eco nappies though, so have no idea how they compare. If Ginny sees this thread she should be able to help you because she's definitely got expereince of both.

hth

Posted: 29/08/2006 16:08

Hi Kia,
i have just bought a reusable nappy. I have always used disposables but just thought i would give it a go. They come with great designs on but cost about £12 each, plus you need either washable or dispoble liners (bio-degradable)They last for about 2 wees and he hasnt had a poo in one yet. The only thing is that he commandos across the floor and the velcro gets stuck on the carpet then the nappy eventually comes off, and i find one naked cheek exposed baby loving the new freedom he has just been given and thinks its highly amusing and keeps doing it.
Posted: 01/09/2006 23:30

Hi Julia

Sorry for not responding sooner, I've been on holiday to ireland for a week.

Thanks for the info! Are you going to stick with the re-usable or go back to the disposables then?

Sounds like you've got a cheeky and active handful - but at least he's cute with it!! lol

K
Posted: 11/09/2006 13:30

hi Kia,
I will use the re-usable but i wont buy anymore, i will carry on with the disposables.
Posted: 11/09/2006 21:02

I used some re-usables with my first son (almost 8 yrs ago) but his childminder didn't like them so we had to go back to disposibles :(

This time around we intend to only use re-usables & I've been buying up sample ones on Ebay etc.

I'd not think that biodegradables would break down very easily in a wormery - wormeries (in my experience - I've been an organic gardener for years!) can only break down a small amount of chopped up kitchen waste. Far better would be a compost heap which you layer with a mixture of grass cuttings, kitchen waste (no fish nor meat or you'll get rats & mice in there!) and preferably veggie animal waste (guinea pigs, rabbits etc).

Do let us know how you get on!

Sam x
Posted: 19/09/2006 12:57

Hi Sam,

The Naturebotts eco nappies say they break down in a wormery and even give a link on how to build one big enough - but I must admit I wondered how on earth they could break down the amount of nappies one would use in a day. I think some would still have to be thrown out!

Thanks for your input, I think I may still build a wormery for kitchen waste etc and try out the re-usable nappies, they are getting a thumbs up it seems.

K
Posted: 20/09/2006 11:09

Thanks for the info on this. I'm pregnant with my first child and plan to use a combination of reusables (I too have bought loads on ebay!) and eco-friendly disposables. As I have an allotment I may well try the wormery/compost options...will let you know if this is successful (post-birth of course, I'm due on Boxing Day! :))


Posted: 20/09/2006 15:57

Congrats Julie and I'll look forward to your future input :)

K
Posted: 21/09/2006 11:30

I am now on my third child and with the older two i always used disposable nappies didn't know any different. Then my son came along and i started with disposables when he was smaller, then folded terries and in between used the 70% biodegradable disposables. I have now found the perfect nappy (or so i think) it is a stuffable reuasable one. A layer of microfleece next to babys bottom and a waterproof layer outside. In between is anything you like to stuff it with can be microfibre booster pads, terry nappy (which i use, no more folding terries) or even a old towel. You can adjust the amount you put it so say more at night compared with daytime. Because they are a two part nappy they dry in next to no time, washed last night back on this morning. No leaks so far, a lot less nappy rash than his two sisters and helping the planet to boot.
Posted: 15/11/2006 13:14

Hi Kia.

I like you am thinking of using an eco friendly option for my nappies.
I have a catalogue I got in the post from a company called beaming baby they have a wide range of eco friendly bio-degradable nappies and cloths nappies too along with many other organic toiletries and products.

Now I have too much choice about what to pick.

For your info the website is www.beamingbaby.co.uk


Posted: 17/11/2006 12:37

I think most natural fibre nappies can be composted like , cotton , bamboo etc. Even wool covers that you use overnight over nappies. I find washable nappies to be very effective and easy to use.Love em. I am sure other manufacturers do bamboo nappies too. Tots bots , nappy nation , bebeco ... The article forgot to mention that bamboo has natural antibacterial action for up to 200 washes.
Kim
Posted: 12/03/2007 19:32