Green baby care
One of the biggest expenses and biggest waste creater with newborn babies is nappies (or diapers). Here we look at the benefits of reusable nappies, so you can make the right decision for you, your child and the environment.
Re-usable nappy facts
There's Less landfill
Washing your child’s nappies and using them again is a much greener practice than sending nappies to landfill. Each time you reuse you’re cutting down on the staggering eight million nappies that are thrown away every day. The plastic in disposable nappies can take hundreds of years to decompose.
They're cheaper
Any parent will know that nappies are an expensive business. Using home laundered nappies on the other hand can save £500 on the cost of keeping a baby in nappies, according to calculations by the Women’s Environmental Network. This saving takes into account the energy and water used during washing the nappies in a washing machine, and even the depreciation in value of the washing machine itself over that time. They suggest that keeping a baby in reusable nappies will cost around £50 in material – around the same as it costs for just seven weeks’ worth of disposable nappies.
Green nappy tips
There are plenty of other ways to think green when it comes to nappies. Of course it’s not possible to actively reduce the number of nappies your baby needs, but there are a few pointers that can curb your carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption:
- Use organically sourced nappies.
- Avoid using a tumble dryer; dry nappies outdoors instead.
- Wash soiled nappies at 60 degrees, and wet nappies at a lower temperature where possible.
- Only wash a full load, otherwise switch to a ‘half load’ cycle on your washing machine.
- Invest in an energy efficient washing machine.
