Modern cloth nappies

5,500 that’s the number of nappies a parent will typically change from birth to toilet training.

There's a choice, disposable nappies, or Cloth Nappies. This blog is all about Modern Cloth Nappies (MCNs). They are super cute and look like a slightly bulkier version of a disposable with the difference being you throw them in the washing machine instead of the rubbish bin.

There is no folding and no soaking. The nappy is often one piece, or two pieces that easily snap together. Seriously your washing machine does the hard work and there is no soaking or bleaching required. Choices of fabrics have improved a lot in recent decades since the age of the terry towling flats. MCNs perform as well, if not better than a disposable nappy.

Here's why we used cloth nappies.

Over 2 billion disposable nappies go into landfill sites in Australia each year. Or put another way every child wearing disposable nappies will contribute 1-2 tonnes of nappy waste to landfill. That’s nappies, nappy bags, packaging, wipes - and a whole lot of poo! Every single discarded nappy is still out there, rotting in a municipal landfill.

MCNs are either adjustable and can be used from birth to toilet training or they are ‘sized’ for example newborn through to toddler size. Depending on the brand and type of nappy liners either snap into the shell or are placed into a pocket that opens at the back of the nappy. This means you can customise the absorbency of the nappy as needed.

What about laundry I hear you ask?

Well it’s as simple as dry pailing the nappies, until you have a large enough pile to wash. We rinsed our nappies and then placed them in with our normal laundry.

The financial benefits

Back to the 5,500 nappy changes. The total cost of disposables and wipes over the 5,500 nappies over two and half years estimated to be somewhere around AUD $3,000 (give or take preferred brands and age of toilet training). Here’s an rough average or typical spend on MCN’s:

• Nappies - $400 (around 15 to 20 new nappies)
• Cloth wipes $30 (most parents using cloth nappies choose not to use disposable wipes)
• Dedicated night nappies $90 (optional)

To which you can add an estimated upper limit of $200 laundry over the life of the nappies (assumed to be two and half years).

TOTAL COST  around $630

While our primary motivation for using cloth nappies was environment we know that we have benefited financially from using cloth nappies most of the time. We weren't fanatical about cloth nappies, and we've certainly valued the convenience of disposable nappies at various points in time - especially when travelling.

Some of our families suggestions and ideas we'd love to share:

• If you want to reduce the amount of nappy waste and help look after the planet MCNs are the way to go. They are easy to use - super cute, and very easy on the wallet. What’s not to like?!
• Find a family who uses MCNs and talk to them before you decide one way or the other - we are always happy to chat about MCNs and dispel a few myths.
• Check if you Council, or anyone local has a cloth nappy library - there is a bewildering number of types and brands of cloth nappies these days.
• Consider starting small, give it a go. There are lots of great trial packs (for example three nappies) to see if you like them. Even part time cloth nappies will reduce your amount of waste, and save you money.
• Consider buying MCNs second hand - there are some great forums for this and there can be some real bargains to be had.

Questions

If cloth nappies were ok on your bottom (and your parents, and you grandparents before them) what's so wrong about them now? MCNs and modern washing machines make this a much easier choice than ever before!