DadTalk

The Nappy Debate: Re-usable or Disposable?

Your baby will need a nappy, but what sort of nappy!

Your baby will need a nappy from birth up to approximately 2.5-3 years old and potentially up to the age of 4 so you are looking at a HUGE pile of dirty disposable nappies to sit in the landfill for your child's nappy wearing life. Real nappies are a hassle aren't they? Before disposables were around, boiling Terry towelling nappies for hours was just part of the daily chores done by Mother at home. Dad was out earning the money and had no involvement whatsoever with the re-useable nappies. Thankfully things have changed, but it does mean Dads have a say in what to do!

Every week I collect my cans, cardboard and plastic and take out the recycling bin. On a daily basis I dispose of all compostable food waste for home use and the non-compostable waste is collected weekly. The washing is done at a lower temperature, it takes less time and I air dry the clothes. I switch lights off, use energy saving bulbs and switch off the TV every night, so why does the thought of using real nappies petrify me? Surely the house will smell, I'll constantly be washing, they cost a fortune, they leak, and the list goes on and on.

The benefits to the landfill sites are obvious, the benefits to your peace of mind are clear but your bank balance? Your time? Most importantly, your child?

Yes, there is a large initial outlay but some councils are offering a grant to help, plus it really depends how many children you plan to have - the more you have, the cheaper the 'per nappy' cost ends up! These nappies can be re-used time and time again. The cost of washing the nappies with increased electricity and water is going to be higher than your usual expense of washing without real nappies but that's to be expected, but taking all of this into consideration real nappies will actually save you approximately £500 over the period one child will use them! Real nappies do however require a little bit more effort. Real nappies are shaped with Velcro or popper fastenings, have flushable liners and waterproof covers so the magic folding technique and giant pins are a thing of the past. It does, however, require you to flush away the dirty liners, soak the nappies in a bucket, wash and dry them ready for re-use.

Nappy rash is a problem for disposable and re-usable nappy wearers; the answer is regular changing, airing and the application of treatment creams. More frequent changing is therefore more costly with disposables. There are however, no chemicals used in real nappies. There has been some research to suggest that he widespread use of disposable nappies has played a significant role in the falling fertility in Western European men. This is because disposables heat up the testicles above normal body temperature. This however has not been fully documented and there is no conclusive evidence to support these claims, maybe something to watch out for in the future.

Talking to Dads on the Dadtalk.co.uk forum, I received mixed reviews. Whilst some were prepared to put up with the extra washing, others would prefer to use the latest eco friendly disposable.

We do not save leftover foods because there will be more tomorrow. This concept of plenty from where it came from has driven us and our children to consume more. If we can empty litter for our pets or pick the mess after the Dog has done its business why can't we clean nappies?" (DadTalker) Is it time to start changing the way we think so our children become more eco-friendly and consider it the norm?

What was made particularly clear was if there were a suitable recycling facility the DadTalk Dads would be more than happy to collect the weekly used nappies and drop them off at the local collection point. Having looked into this, there is a recycling plant due to be built in Birmingham that will use the recycled waste for roofs and the methane gases would be sold to energy companies! Fantastic! A solution! Unfortunately the centre will only cater for 4% of Britain's nappy waste per year. At this stage there is no independent evidence to back up the claims and some studies from other countries claim that the effect on the environment is in actual fact worse. For further information about recycling disposable nappies please go to nappy-recycling

The choice is inevitably the individuals and it boils down to what matters to you. Decreasing your carbon footprint? Decreasing your waste? Increasing your workload? Reducing your child's risk of fertility problems? For more information check out www.goreal.org.uk to make your own mind up.

Personally, I think that the first person to develop a completely bio-degradable nappy similar to the home composting and food waste schemes we currently have along with bio-degradable and flushable wipes is a Billionaire in waiting.