I was committed before my son was even born that his impact on the planet would be as low as possible while it was my responsibility. Second hand clothes, buggy, toys and anything else that could be re-used. A major impact is of course the plumbing, on one’s nose but mostly on the environment and wallet. Nappies, wipes, plastic bags you name it, piles of the stuff and so we were determined to use real – reusable, cloth – nappies and not use single-use baby wipes. We decided on cotton pleat and a bowl of water for wiping, which we compost, and a cotton rag for drying.
When little Flynn was up to 6 months it was pretty easy, Jo breast fed so all the poo was liquid and didn’t smell much, a sort of almond, nutty twang. Nappies went straight in a nappy bucket and then put all together into the washing machine, yes the drying and putting nappies back together again was a bit of a faff, but what’s 300 episodes of Game of Thrones for if not re-constructing nappies? Once on solids, poo goes a lot further but with good biodegradable liners, it is still mostly easy and if we use the odd disposable at night or on long journeys we don’t beat ourselves up about it.
The crux of it is, if we are to sort out the almighty wasteful and unsustainable mess we are in as a species, the least we can do is use these magnificent, funky, easy-to-use alternative to disposable plastic nappies if we have a child. It may be a bit more effort than throw-away disposables but it is essential and reusable nappies are an avenue for a conscious parent that we should all be undertaking.
Guest Blog Post for Real Nappy Week 2019
Clive, dad of Flynn
