Help- I'm officially a cloth nappy user!!

People can be so silly. I'll just ask why does it bother THEM so much if I'm the one using it, not them. Someone gave me such a cool quote the other day. I just don't know who original said it:

"Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

My reason is firstly to make potty training easier. Secondly, it works out cheaper in the long run than disposables.

I'm no scientist and my baby's not reacting to the chemicals in the disposables so I can't blame that. I also can't say I'm honestly doing it for the environment. If I was, I would have to stop eating red meat and driving my car.... It is however a bonus that I am helping the environment. I use material shopping bags also because I don't see the point in paying for plastic ones Maybe I'm just stingy I've recently become a stay at home mom and am counting my cents

On the other hand, it feels that with cloth nappies, I am "closer" to my baby. I don't know how to explain it. Probably because of the "effort" you put into them (washing, cleaning) its another way I am "caring" for my baby.

That's just how I feel about it. And of course they look so funky! I can't wait for summer to have him in a funky looking cloth diaper and a cool t-shirt

Don't worry about what other people think. Do it for yourself. It's just you and your baby that matters.

Hi ladies

It seems you are all being faced with negativity with regards to using cloth. Rebecca Dixon from Bam+Boo put this informational together and I have taken an extract from it for you to read so that you have some answers for when people give you negative comments. Esspecially take care to see that you will have to wash 1 a nappy 200 times before it reaches the cost of making just 1 disposable.

Why cloth nappies really are better Better for the Environment
There is a huge debate going on at the moment as to whether cloth nappies are really better for the environment or not.

Before you make up your mind, take the following into account:
If you reuse your grey water from your washing machine and use eco-friendly washing powders you greatly reduce your impact on the environment.

What most people do not take into account is the fact that manufacturing disposables also creates waste before they land up on the shop shelves. Huge factories making components and assembling nappies create hundreds of thousands of tons of waste and pollution.

Many people mistake the word disposable for bio-degradable, when in fact it is estimated that the plastic and other in-organic components take 500-1000 years to break down.

There are approximately 216,000 babies born every day in the world. Just think how much waste is created if each child creates over 2 tonnes on waste just by wearing disposables?
Disposable nappies use 3.5 times more energy, 8 times more non-renewable raw materials, 90 times more renewable materials than washable nappies. It takes as much energy to produce one throw away nappy as it does to wash a cloth nappy 200 times.

Better for Baby
No harsh chemicals against your babies skin. Its worth having a look into what goes into a disposable – www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php Scary stuff!
Babies feel when they are wet. This is a more natural way of potty training as they are more in touch with their bodily functions. This helps them to potty train earlier than with disposables.

Lots of babies have allergies towards the chemicals in disposables which leads to nappy rashes. Doctors often prescribe cortisone and other harsh creams for these rashes leading to further problems.
Better for your pocket

Cloth nappies are much cheaper than there disposable counter parts. Saving you thousands over the 2+ years it takes to potty train your child.

Sarah, i almost forgot about the snappy! i got 3 on my shower so ja, can use that too hey. im sure it will work.
I just dont like the way it 'pulls' everything together. but will give it a try again!
Thanks for the tip!

gerne wrote:

Sarah it has happened to me too. Someone said to me I'm using double the amount of money with water and soap, which I know is not true.
Luckily I do have friends that is amazed by my decision, and seems they are going the same route wit their next kids.
And seems I've got orders already - not that I know if I am up to making so many nappies.


So today I cut my unborns nappies, they are so tiny against my LB of 20 months,
'. BUT I'm not using velcro again, it works so nice but after just 2/3 months they don't want to stick anymore . Ill go and get the poppers 'gun' thingy and rather work with that from now on.

I was thinking about the velcro issue myself, I hate sewing the stuff lol so was considering just using a 'Snappi' to hold everything together. Wonder if it will work? I didn't get around to any sewing this weekend. I was just so tired. My feet look like vetkoek School breaks up on Wed so maybe next week I will have some time

Sarah it has happened to me too. Someone said to me I'm using double the amount of money with water and soap, which I know is not true.
Luckily I do have friends that is amazed by my decision, and seems they are going the same route wit their next kids.
And seems I've got orders already - not that I know if I am up to making so many nappies.


So today I cut my unborns nappies, they are so tiny against my LB of 20 months,
'. BUT I'm not using velcro again, it works so nice but after just 2/3 months they don't want to stick anymore . Ill go and get the poppers 'gun' thingy and rather work with that from now on.

@ Sarah, you will always get comments from people, but I actually once got mad and said to someone who was telling me about how disposables werent that more expensive than cotton "then you go buy disposable clothes and see how cost effective it really is"
Washing is only a mission if you are washing by hand and I always laught when the people that have full time maids make that comment - Huh?? You dont do the work anyway???

Re the cherub tree, both boosters go in the pocket, the microfibre one on top of the hemp:)

I got asked today if I've been buying nappies every month and when I said no, I was using cloth, I got all sorts of negative comments, strange looks and sighs and shakes of the head about how silly, how difficult it will be etc. It really irritated me. Tried to ignore it coz I know that I would have either said something I regret or burst into tears I wish people would just let mommies make their own decisions. I know washing nappies will take more time than throwing them away, but not that much more than washing babies clothes and we don't throw those away do we? And the other silly reason was that I will have to carry dirty nappies around with me if I am out...ummm, hello, anyone ever heard of liners? The ones your THROW away or flush when you change the nappy? Or how about a quick rinse in the bathroom? And there are ALWAYS rubbish bins at shops and if you do not have access to a rubbish bin then even a disposable mommy will have to carry a smelly nappy with them...doesn't make sense.

Oh well, rant over, I am very excited to be using cloth...