There’s pros and cons to everything you do as a parent and cloth nappies are no exception. With this in mind I decided to do my list of pros and cons for using reusable nappies.
Pro: Environmentally Friendly.
Definitely the most obvious pro, with disposable nappies taking anywhere between 200-500 years to biodegrade, you can see how reusable nappies are good for the environment. Even using just one reusable nappy a day prevents 365 disposables ending up on landfill, which sounds good to me.
Con: Extra Washing.
Yes, reusable nappies do require washing, and yes it is annoying. But it’s no more annoying than any other washing I do, and seeing as we’re a family of four the washing machine will be on either way. So it might as well be washing Sigi’s nappies and wipes.
Pro: Good For Sigi’s Skin.
As a mentioned in my last post, we’ve stopped using disposable wipes with Sigi as they react to her skin. She got a lot of nappy rash during her first month but once we switched to mostly to reusables and her skin has calmed right down.
Con: Leaking
Nappies leak, this is a fact, but when I first started using cloth nappies there were considerably more leaks than with disposables (to the point I was considering packing it in). However perseverance and a few YouTube videos later, I figured out the way to put them on without getting leaks. Now don’t get me wrong, there is still some leakage on occasion (especially just after she’s had a growth spurt) and it can be frustrating, I’m not going to lie. But at the end of the day that frustration to me is worth it.
Pro: Good at Containing Poop Explosions.
The flip side of leaking, is that cloth nappies are great for holding in poop explosions. I know its weird, but with disposables poop explosions ended up down her legs, up her back and across her stomach. With reusables, there might be a little bit on her thigh. Which means no more having to sacrifice any of Sigi’s clothing to the pooping god, which is a win in my book.
Con: Upfront Cost.
One thing that put me off was the upfront cost of cloth nappies and all the accessories. It’s cost me about £150-£200 for everything so far, and when you’re on SMP (statuary maternity pay) it’s a lot. And that’s with me using the most cost effective ways. This for me is definitely the biggest con for reusable nappies.
Pro: Long Term Cost Effective.
Yes, the upfront cost is alot, but in the long run cloth nappies are far cheaper in the long run, even if you’re still using disposables (as we are). We’ve gone from needing to buy two packs of nappies a week to buying one every five to six weeks. As well as spending far less disposable wipes as well, I’ve gone from buying a multiple 12 pack of wipes every three weeks to buying one every three months or so.
So, as you can see there definitely pros and cons to cloth nappies, but for me the pros most certainly outweigh the cons.
Jo xx
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