LATEST FROM THE REAL NAPPIES FOR LONDON BLOG
Do babies really need nappies?
Have you heard of Natural Infant Hygiene otherwise known as EC, short for Elimination Communication? London mum, Rachel Richardson prefers the former term as it puts the emphasis on working with your baby's natural instinct to be clean and dry. For some people...
Money Saving Tips
Perhaps you are strapped for cash or maybe you just enjoy repairing and making things. If your bum genius need repairing there's help on that. I've come across people making their own nappies from old 100% cotton T-shirts. There are also people who hand knit nappy...
WANTED: Nearly New Real Nappies
Do you have nappies your child no longer wears that could be used by someone else? It is European Week for Waste Reduction and we are calling on people to put real nappies in good condition back into service.Please visit the Real Nappies for London Exchange page to...
We’re not anti- disposables, we are simply pro-choice
What I’ve discovered during my years of campaigning around alternatives to disposable nappies is that there are a lot of influential people out there; MPs, councillors, health professionals, journalists who used disposables on their babies. Some now think reusables...
Is it safe to wash nappies at low temperatures?
There was a piece about the health risks that may arise from washing clothes and bedding at low temperatures in the Daily Mail. It received lots of comments and is very interesting so do take a look.At RNfL we are keen to hear about your experience of washing nappies...
Partnerships to prevent as much nappy waste as we can
Last week Real Nappies for London attended an inspiring partnership roundtable discussion at St Thomas’ Hospital where Sustainability Managers from London Hospitals shared ideas with Local Authority Sustainability managers. On the ‘Waste’ table the need to find an...
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing
You know real nappy users have a secret. They like to keep it quiet but I’m going to share it with you. Most real nappy users also use disposables some of the time. In fact many real nappy users use a disposable at night. Typically around 6 months when babies are...
Weekly bin collections back again – hurrah!
That should boost the economy. Good old Eric Pickles finding £250 million. This is urgent. We’ve got to get the nation shopping again and how can they shop with confidence and energy when they’ve got no way of throwing away rubbish once a week? I'm pleased to see a...
Improving indoor air quality reduces risks to your baby’s health
When you use real nappies you tend to become very sensitive to the smell of washing. There are a few rules about washing nappies – eg never use fabric softener, it stops them absorbing – but to a large extent you need to work out what works best with your washing...
The truth about detergents
One of the benefits of washing nappies, (especially in London with our wickedly hard water) is that you tend to learn a lot about detergent - and washing machines. Before I got involved with real nappies I knew nothing about detergent. I’d never actually looked at the...
Remember the waste hierarchy? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
People can argue all they like about the relative environmental impacts of disposable vs washable nappies and they sure do www.guardian.co.uk but one thing is for certain; disposable nappies create a lot more waste. At Real Nappies for London we know it’s at least one...
Another problem with disposables
That comment about the water cycle in Leo Hickman's nappy debate is very thought provoking. So there's loads of water basically trapped in disposable nappies in landfills all over the World. Is that true? Isn't that a major issue?
The true cost of disposables
Nocturnal Enuresis – ever heard of that? Well, I hadn’t until yesterday – although I probably should have. In my role as London’s real nappy ambassador an email popped into my inbox from ERIC – the charity for childhood incontinence. By the end of the morning I had...
Soap nuts
Has anyone used soap nuts for washing nappies? I bought some at UK Aware and I've been using them for clothes and I love them but my babies are out of nappies now. Please let us know.
That this house notes …
Yesterday Zac Goldsmith MP signed Austin Mitchell MP's disposable nappy Early Day Motion 1169 that says:That this House notes that approximately four per cent. of all waste to landfill is disposable nappies, which equates to three billion nappies weighing 690,000...
Is this current interest in thrift and frugality just a fashion?
A response to a reduced household income? Nostalgia? Or is it touching a deeper anxiety about us losing our self-reliance and becoming more and more dependent on so-called 'convenience' products? For example, I only recently found out about detergent...
Do we need an eco NCT?
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) does an amazing job bringing expectant parents together and fostering new friendships. It reaches us at a crucial stage of our lives. The birth of a new child makes most of us look at our lives in a new way. We...
Would you pay for real nappy advice?
At Real Nappies for London we don't just want you to buy real nappies and we don't just want you to use them: we want you to LOVE real nappies and the whole experience of changing your baby through to potty training. That's why we want you to...
What’s your top tip for real nappy users?
My top tip is to smother your baby's bottom with sweet almond oil. It makes the skin lovely and soft and is so much better than mineral oil. The latter stops the skin breathing, whereas vegetable oils - olive oil is good too - feed and strengthen...
Is the up-front cost putting you off?
At Real Nappies for London we have always been a source of impartial information. However we’ve been concerned for some time now that the upfront cost of starting to use real nappies has risen and may be putting some people off trying them. If you...