Friday 20 April 2012

Doing my bit for the landfills

My handsome little Jonah is now 7 and a half weeks old, so I guess it is about time that I get to blogging about these amazing cloth nappies. I started using them when he was about 5 weeks old, because let’s face it, newborns make really messy and really frequent nappy messes, and they are teeny tiny. 
What is great about these nappies is that they are saving space in the landfills. They can be washed and re-used for Jonah, and then used for my next little one in a couple of years. These nappies are not only good for the environment, but they also make financial sense. They cost between R99- R109 each, depending on the pattern or colour. They are also one size fits all, which means that you won’t need to buy different sized nappies. One size fits all from 3kg – 15kg. (this means I will probably end up potty training Jonah early on, because he is a big boy!)
 
These nappies have a ‘pocket’ that needs to be stuffed with an microfiber insert, to absorb all the liquid that little ones produce. Each nappy you buy comes with one insert, but you can also buy additional ones if you think you will need to have extra absorption. I find that Jonah is fine with one insert, even though he is quite a heavy wetter.

When you wash them, you simply take out the insert, give it a rinse and a wring, then pop it into a dry nappy bucket, until laundry time. Similarly, the poopy nappies just need to be rinsed, so that any solids come off them, then also pop them into the dry nappy bucket. No Steri nappy needed- which is great! When I do the nappy wash, I simply wash out the nappy bucket to get rid of that ammonia smell.
I had worried that these nappies would leak more, but they last really well. The legs are elasticised, which prevents leaks, and the nappies have enough material to keep any messes from coming up the back.
Washing is another thing I had worried about, as my washing machine is only hooked up to the cold water, but I simply use an extra rinse cycle if I feel like the nappies need it, and they come out smelling fresh and clean. They dry really quickly, which is great, because winter is coming. I find that the inserts and nappies sometimes retain stains, but after drying the inserts out in the sunshine, and drying the nappies inside out, in the sunshine , they return to their bright white again.
 
I use the Snugglybum nappies almost exclusively at home (if they are clean), but I only got brave enough to start using the Snugglybum nappies when I went out, after talking to Sarah Harley, the owner of Snugglybum nappies. She assured me that as long as I took a waterproof nappy bag (to keep the dirty nappy in once I took it off), I would be fine using them when I went out. It is true, it is as easy as using a disposable nappy! I also find that Jonah’s bum stays clear when I use the cloth nappies, whereas the disposables give him bum rash.
But I think these nappies talk for themselves. Check out how cute they are!

I am just in love with these nappies!! I can’t wait for summer, so that Jonah can wear them as pants. They are not bulky, so they fit under Jonah’s clothing just as well as a disposable.