disposable nappies or cloth nappies?

[raamv]

And raamv i can tell you dont have any kids mate just from the amount of posts you put on this forum, you even post on topics which you dont have any knowlegde or experience of WHY?? is it some sort of addiction or what?

you are as ignorant as your accusation!!
No one talked about sensitive skin...even though babies with sensitive skin CAN use disposable nappies ..but with extra care..

[raamv]

My twins had disposable nappies only. We had nappy rash a lot, and I was changing them often. At some point they had their little butt so irritated it was bleeding and raw
My son with washable nappies never had a rash. If we use the disposable ones for the day (for example if we are out and about) I can be 100% sure he'll have a red butt by the end of the day...
As for poop in the machine you don't actually put nappies full of poo in the washing machine, you shake them on top of the toilet boil and if there's still some poo you use the little shower thingie next to the toilet to rinse it off...

Yes Some babies can be very sensitive!!
Zinc Salve can help in those cases..to get rid of nappy rash!! But nappy rash is mainly when the poop/pee has been left in the diaper for a long time..
Generally, for babies upto a year old, nappy change an hour is a good thing!! after which 6-10 times a day ...between 1-2 yrs old..
We used Easy-ups which was more comfortable than the traditional ones!!
We decided to use disposable nappies and stick by our decision even though on of my kid has very sensitive skin..
Decubal helps a lot..and Natusan Zinc salve is a boon!!
We will get rid of the diaper for my kid this summer ( Hopefully )

[RA]

Ok what about the health of the baby etc, with cloth nappies you know whats next to the babys skin, with disposable one you having got a clue...

I really don't agree that people wouldn't have a clue about what diapers are made of. In one sense yes, perhaps the average consumer wouldn't maybe think about it but I'd like to think that products sold primarily for children are pretty well monitored in the sense of it being a safe commodity, especially in Finland which is a 'safe-buff'-country in every sense.

Disposable diapers would have absorbent paddings and materials like wood cellulose, polyacylates and other synthetic materials like polyester and polyethene. Many disposable diapers are also fragrance free and take into account allergies etc. Cloth diapers may be made of several ranges of fabric from wool to cotton, to polyester even. And I wouldn't always call it safe just because it's a fabric... I'd like to throw the ball back in your court and ask: how would you know if said fabric used for cloth diaper hasn't been treated with some chemical or toxic compound?

Nappy rash sucks big time and definetly may be caused by fragrances etc in disposable nappies, but it can also be caused by detergents used when you use cloth nappies too. Our doc recommended we let baby (at that time, she's almost 4 now) be without a diaper for some time each day, and that helped.

I totally commend any one using cloth nappies because I think you're a wonder for doing all that laundry, as I said before I wouldn't do it. But I don't feel guilty at all for using disposable ones . It just riles me up a bit that a lot of the time those that make the choice to use cloth diapers use the ecological argument or statements like the one above, that aren't in my opinion really valid.

I think if the parents and baby are happy with the choice be it cloth or disposable, it really doesn't matter. Either way, you're going to have to handle poo and pee for a while

[Amandine.K]

Our main reason to use washable this time was purely economical. At the end of the day it is cheaper to use washable than disposable. Ecological, I dont think so as you need to wash them so all the dirty water produced doesn't help either.

As for nappy rash, even zinc cream didn't help. And some disposable nappies such as Pampers contain some kin of gel that absorbs the pee so that even if the nappy is full the baby doesn't feel soaked. And that gel is very rough on little ones' skin.

[Gigi]

We use cloth diapers for several reasons: ecological, economical and because it saves us time.

The time issue is probably clear from my previous message, taking our dustbins away takes time (yes I do live in the countryside and no reason to joke with that) and I am one of those few people who don't mind doing laundry.
Economical: this is our 1st child and for sure not our last (if nature will give us more), so in the long run we will save lots of money.
Ecological: Except for the Fuzzies (mostly 2nd hand), I have bought my diapers locally (made by a local shop, with ecofriendly materials, partly homemade) or I have made them myself + we have green energy (and yes I do know it is not real green energy... but all small bits help) + I wash them with nature friendly washingproducts + I have an eco-friendly washing program on my machine (don't ask me the specifics - could look it up if interested) + I only tumble dry them when they have to be quickly dried (otherwise I let them dry next too our woodstove) + the knowledge that it takes 100y for a disposble diaper to dissolve.... I do think that in my case my ecological footprint is smaller because I use cloth diapers.

BUT

think if the parents and baby are happy with the choice be it cloth or disposable, it really doesn't matter. Either way, you're going to have to handle poo and pee for a while

I agree that it is up too the parents and its their choice... Poo and pee will indeed always smell and we can't avoid it as a parent. But I also think that you should at least consider both option and decide yourself what is your option.

That is why I advice Sabrina to borrow a cloth diaper package with different kind of diapers from her local "kestovaippayhdistys" and try them out and see if she likes it or not.

About the babyrash... We had also only once a rash and it was also when we used disposable diapers...

Lots of greetings from the Finnish countryside...

GIGI, a mom who just loves her cloth diapers

[TERI]

I had the same question 2 years ago. I bought a sample-pack (2 nappies and the plastic cover or what ever it is) but I really didnt like the idea that the wet cloth is against the skin. The disposable diapers seem to be more comfortable (for me and the child). Luckily she hasnt had any rash. The only times I´ve noticed red butt is when she´s spent the day with the Granny, who doesn´t wash her properly when changing the diaper (or so it seems. I haven´t really put up an investigation).
And if you want to think green, there´s also ecological disposable diapers (Moltex).
Have a happy motherhood!

[oompah18]

Although I have used cloth on all my kids, my 2nd had terrible nappy rash & excema, especially first thing in the morning. So we used cloth in the day & Disposable at night on him, & it helped him, strange eh! But I resent paying for plastic nappies. Haven´t used a single one on 4th baby yet, but when hols come, can I really pack cloth nappies, wool covers, in the backpack (as we take our family cycling hol with 4 bikes & 2 trailers at the end of the summer). Probably not, so I WILL use moltex then...
I agree that she should use a trial pack of different types befor emaking a big purchase.
A

[sabrina_fi]

Thanks so so much for all the above Mun shared your valuebale knowledge and experience to me.

One of my friend persuade me like this: thinking about yourself, you feel uncomforable by using Sanitary napkins couple of days a month. Do you want your baby wear the similar material day and night for 3 years?

I deside to use the disposable nappies for the 1 month, and then switch to cloth nappies gradually (first in the day time, then also in the evening as the absorbant of the some models are excellent). My husband have bought bumGenius Cloth Nappy one size (5 pcs) in UK, and I would like to buy at least the same quantity of Fuzzi Bunz one size later, "one size" sounds easy to use -- for the baby from new born to around 3 years old.


Thanks.

[camomila]

Each diaper takes about 2 years to be disposed in nature...so if you are caring for the nature, use the reusable ones...

[Littlepants]

Each diaper takes about 2 years to be disposed in nature...so if you are caring for the nature, use the reusable ones...

Actually it is estimated it takes approximately 500 years for disposable nappies to decompose!!! Not only that, cloth nappies are better for baby's hip development, cooler, as they allow a certain amount of evaporation, which is cooling, and contain no harmful chemical Gels. If you choose the best fabrics, they are manufactured in an eco-friendly way. Bamboo and hemp are very eco-friendly cr0ps to produce, and also have anti-bacterial properties.
Recent research has proved that they are better for the environment overall than disposables, and that's not taking landfill into consideration. The manufacturing processes involved in producing disposable nappies use approximately the same amount of water which you will use to wash a washable nappy for the nappy life of one baby - approximately 300, allowing that you will probably wash your nappies once every 2-3 days, and most babies who are in washables train at around 2-2 1/2 years of age.

[panda_123]

A tip to disinfect your washing machine - pour in 1 cup of white vinegar while on final rinse and this will kill the bacteria from the nappies. And vinegar is quite cheap (atleast in Canada) and not a bleach
It also helps whiten the diapers also without the harsh chemicals of bleach.

[Littlepants]

Did you know that there is no VAT on nappies if you buy them from UK, and it's 22% when you buy in Finland? It makes all nappies much cheaper, and postage to Finland from UK is not that expensive for parcels weighing less than 2 kg. It's well worth investigating. eg, the gorgeous Tirsokas pockets, are 18€ in Finland, but only £13.80 (about 12.54€) in UK, and postage to Finland on one of these would be only £1.21.