First of all we are not against the use of disposable nappies and wipes in fact we still use them but are slowly progressing into using cloth full time. I use disposable wipes when out and about with Blake just for the ease of it and also only recently started to use cloth nappies when out and about and overnight. For us we chose to use cloth nappies for a number of reasons which I will share with you below.
Cloth nappies can be quiet confusing when your a newbie to the whole thing. There are different types, brands, ways they need washing etc. I was lucky in the sense that Stuart's Sister in law has used cloth on our nephews so she was able to explain things to us in a way that we would understand. We also use reusable swim nappies when we take Blake swimming.
I also did an awful lot of research into it whilst I was pregnant but also I still try to gain more
information and get advice from online sources such as The Nappy Lady.
There are many reasons that we have chosen to use cloth nappies and wipes and our main reason is:
Financial
Although cloth nappies can be expensive to buy upfront in my eyes they are a real investment. Think of it this way on average you will change your child six times a day this can sometimes be more or less depending on your baby.
With disposables the price goes up with each bigger size you need to get and also depending on the brand that you use.It is estimated that on average you can save £700 from newborn to potty training by using cloth nappies. Of course if you add wipes into the mix and change to cloth you will be saving even more £'s.
Reliability
Once we started using cloth nappies more on Blake and knew more on what works for us we have found them to be more reliable. This is due to having less leaks and poo explosions as every thing is contained in the cloth nappy and this is due to cloth nappies being a more snugger fit.
We have only recently stopped using disposables when out and about and at night as we found that he was starting to leak a lot more often from them and we often found him in the morning in a wet sleep suit and vest.
When it comes to cloth wipes and there reliability we like them as they are just as quick and easy to use as disposables but I find they clean babies bum better as they don't tend to smear poo around and pick it up much better.
Comfort
Disposable nappies have dyes,perfumes and absorbency chemicals in them but real nappies do not. When it comes to cloth nappies I have found that when using them Blake is less prone to nappy rash so therefore we hardly have to use nappy rash creams unless he is teething.
Again comfort is key with cloth wipes as you know what your putting on your babies skin by
making up your own wipes solution.
Environment
Not a reason I really thought of too much initially but by using cloth nappies and wipes they are better for the environment. Of course there is the land filled issue but there is also the environmental cost when it comes to production.
So they are our reasons for using cloth nappies and wipes.
Do you use cloth nappies and wipes?