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GP Anna Jordan is using real nappies on her baby, Ernest.
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Happy with our nappies
Helen Tither24/ 4/2008
NAPPIES - it's a dirty word. Not only for harassed new parents struggling to cope with a mountain of the smelly things but also for the environment as around 8.5m disposable nappies are thrown away every day, clogging up landfill sites for years to come and giving off all kinds of nasty toxic gases over the many years they take to decompose.
No wonder, then, that they have become the latest target in the green war against waste. New mums are being encouraged to extend eco chic to their newborn babies' wardrobes too, replacing disposable nappies with washable cotton ones.
Better for the environment, as they won't be clogging up those local tips, and thought to be better for baby who will only have natural cotton next to their skin, `real nappies' are fashionable among some environmentally-aware parents. And there is an extra drive from Manchester city council this week to recruit more converts as part of Real Nappy Week.
Anna Jordan, 35, a GP from Chorlton has used real nappies on both her children, Myrtle, aged two, and nine-month-old Ernest. And, while they might have a rather old-fashioned image, she reckons they're the perfect modern alternative.
Landfill
"I always try and do my bit for the environment and when I found out how much landfill space disposable nappies take I wanted to try and do something to minimise that," she explains. "I've found them really user friendly and lots of my friends are going down the same route.
"From an environmental point of view, the important thing is there is no waste at all with these as you just wash them and use them again. Also I think they might be better for baby as neither of mine have ever suffered from nappy rash.
"I know people have this image of real nappies being hard to use, with big safety pins like they used years ago. But the new ones are much more sophisticated and easy to use with poppers to keep them in place."
Of course, apart from the origami-style fastening of old-fashioned nappies, there is another factor that puts many young parents off ditching the disposables - all that messy washing.
Which is why Anna and her GP husband Niall, 35, were among the first to join up to a trendy new alternative - the nappy laundry service. Currently offered as a free one-month trial through Manchester city council, it delivers a weekly supply of clean cotton nappies to the house, takes away a bag full of dirty ones and washes them to NHS guidelines - and all for just £8.
Precious time
For Anna, it's the best of both worlds, saving precious time as well as the environment.
"Hands up to those dedicated mums who wash all their own nappies," she laughs. "But I think a lot of busy mums want a quick and easy alternative. I signed up to this laundry scheme on a free trial with my first child, Myrtle, and liked it so much I carried on with Ernest."
Run by Ellesmere Port company Cotton Tails, the north west-wide service was the brainchild of business couple Frank and Jenny Baker who were moved to do something about the nappy waste mountain after looking after their grandchildren.
"We started eight years ago after looking after our daughter's three children - you should have seen the state of our bin from all those disposable nappies," says Frank.
"So we bought a load of cotton nappies and a van and started it from there.
"Now we have 200 families using us at any one time and wash up to 10,000 nappies a week.
Research shows babies potty train about six months earlier because they feel wet in real nappies."
Fiona Maddocks, waste minimisation officer at Manchester city council, says real nappies are the logical choice for green-minded parents who are already reducing waste and recycling in other areas of the home, hence the council's free trial.
"The fact we are throwing away 3.5bn nappies every year is quite a scary statistic," she says. "We've had really good feedback from the parents who have tried it so far, with about half carrying on using real nappies after the trial has ended. One day landfill space is going to run out so by using real nappies with your children now you are helping secure their future."
To find out more about the free nappy trial call 0161 954 900. For more information on reusable nappies visit
realnappycampaign.com
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24/04/2008 at 19:50