Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 82 total)
  • Reusable Nappies – appologies not the most interesting topic
  • mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    And actually I’m not criticising you for making the decision to use disposables. I’m criticising you for glorifying ignorance and macho posturing.

    Taken out of context, it may sound like ‘macho posturing’ but read in context it is clearly not. I am merely stating the rather obvious fact that with twins we will have our hands full as it is and to add extra stress and hassle of having to wash all those nappies seems a daft thing to do when there is a perfectly good alternative as has been discussed above.

    rightplacerighttime
    Free Member

    I did read it in context, and that’s what I thought.

    Obviously you can choose to do what you want, but stop trying to belittle the efforts of others to do something, however small, for the environment. Disposables are not a “perfectly good alternative” they are a major problem.

    I totally understand your reasons for not wanting to take on reusables (congratulations BTW) but there is no need to either be offhand about environmental concerns, or to pretend (to yourself) that what you are choosing to do has no impact.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    I was not belittling anyone’s efforts…

    Don’t get me wrong – I am impressed by people that feel they can cope (r have proved that they can) with re-usable nappies and hats off to them. I just think it would be too much trouble in our circumstances.

    Also, just so you know and don’t think I am some kind of eco-monster, I actually discussed the subject some time ago with my wife as I had considered the impact, but she felt it would be too much trouble *in our circumstances* and I had to agree with her. So blame her for the decision not me. 😉

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    Cooroo
    Free Member

    I am very impressed by the levels of knowledge displayed! I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole baby thing, planned to change to re-usables once I’d got over the initial shock, but never did. Mea culpa. But disposables are wonderfully effective and easy to use! Mastiles, I think you have every excuse. Now you can all flame me.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    I might just let them roam free and drag them backwards across the carpet to wipe clean as necessary.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    They will do that themselves and you will get the blame

    rightplacerighttime
    Free Member

    Now you’re disembling.

    Don’t get me wrong – I am impressed by people that feel they can cope (r have proved that they can) with re-usable nappies and hats off to them. I just think it would be too much trouble in our circumstances.

    That was what you said in a post after you said this

    I say stuff the implications, we are doing disposable.

    And after I’d already had a go at you for saying it.

    And more to the point you said that in the first place, apropos of nothing, when the original question was

    Anybody used any and can report back on what i think are the critical areas – washing, drying, life span, fit & ease of use.

    NOT

    “Anybody care to tell me that they can’t be arsed with these?”

    Anyway, I’m now point-scoring, for which I apologise. Good luck with the twins – you’ll need it. I’m off to do something useful.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    Anybody used any and can report back on what i think are the critical areas – washing, drying, life span, fit & ease of use.

    Washing … put in a washer wash can use eco balls as above have + a sanitiser or Tee tree just like washing anything really.

    Drying …fleecy /microfibre ones DRY so much faster than anything thick/padded. All in ones take longer to dry than those that seperate but are more faff to deal with. Waterproof outers dy near instantly after a fast spin.
    Life span- we have used some for 4 years and still usable though probaly not sellabale. Some did wear out but mainly the thick cotton type of which very few are still available iirc.
    Fit – very variable some will fit your child some wont + personal choice. Is this not the same with disposables anyone?
    Ease of Use- I have never used a disposable so cant comment relative to them but very easy once to put on once you get the hang of them not rocket science and can be explained in about 20 seconds.
    More work than disposable I assume as you have to put in nappy bin and then wash later etc. EIther system requires you to carry a bag when out.
    Have used them camping, abroad etc

    bigdawg
    Free Member

    weve been using bambino mios for 16 months now. I dont get the theyre to fiddly to use argument – they work the same as a disposable.

    Number 2 on the way and will be using them all again for him/her…

    It might be a big initial outlay but weve literally saved £100s of pounds because of them and your rubbish doesnt consist of 2/3 used nappies any more…

    DrJ
    Full Member

    Number 2 on the way

    Exactly 🙂

    They’re “fiddly” in the sense that you have to deal a liner and then cope with the shitty wet nappy, instead of just chucking it out

    DrJ
    Full Member

    Obviously you can choose to do what you want, but stop trying to belittle the efforts of others to do something, however small, for the environment.

    Seems like it’s you that’s doing the belittle’ing, when you say:

    Why is it that some people are not only happy to ignore important issues

    What makes you think he ignored the issues? Maybe he considered the arguments carefully and then came to a different conclusion from you?

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    I bought 15 Kushies reusables for £1 each off the Sainsbury’s reduced shelf just before my boy was born, so saved the best part of £150. They were great, but when he started going to nursery he had to be in disposables so they just ended up not being used much. In the loft now in case there’s another one.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    What makes you think he ignored the issues? Maybe he considered the arguments carefully and then came to a different conclusion from you?

    Precicely – I gave up trying to explain when he suggested I had only said that I had considered re-usable after he flamed me…

    And after I’d already had a go at you for saying it.

    But as he wasn’t there in the Kirkstall Road Mothercare when my wife and I were looking at the nappy options I don’t think he actually knows my circumstances or thought processes as well as he thinks.

    😉

    My – this is all getting a bit petty now isn’t it?

    yossarian
    Free Member

    don’t let it get to you mastiles_fanylion. In my experience some people get very bent up about the nappies/landfill/carbon footprint thing.

    The bottom line (boomboom) is that having kids increases your carbon footprint, using cotton ones might increase it a bit less but it depends on your circumstances. Think about some of the other things that have an effect on the environment wrt kids. Are you going to buy premade baby food or mix up your own fruit and veg sourced from local suppliers? Are you going to buy brand new clothes for them or get second hand stuff from family and friends/boot fairs etc?

    If you are in for twins then i reckon there’s nothing wrong in getting them birthed, home and getting aclimatized before even thinking about this stuff.

    best of luck by the way 😉

    bigsurfer
    Free Member

    Thanks 4 all the advice very usefull. Apparently it wasn’t such a borring subject after all. Thanks again. Cheers ben.

    aracer
    Free Member

    The bottom line (boomboom) is that having kids increases your carbon footprint

    Not at all – it’s their carbon footprint, not mine!

    Think about some of the other things that have an effect on the environment wrt kids. Are you going to buy premade baby food or mix up your own fruit and veg sourced from local suppliers? Are you going to buy brand new clothes for them or get second hand stuff from family and friends/boot fairs etc?

    Lots of the more environmentally friendly stuff for us (though they get some new clothes). Not sure we thought too much about the environment though – what’s good for that is also good for the wallet!

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Yes we have a mix of new (got to have some nice new things) and plenty of hand-me-downs (clothes, Moses basket, sterilisers etc). Thing is, with two, we need extra of lots of things (ie we needed to buy one new Moses basket) so it is a bit mix n match really.

    And will definitely be preparing fresh food as much as we can – been looking at some funky ‘ice cube tray’ style food portion things 🙂

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    [Quote]don’t let it get to you mastiles_fanylion. In my experience some people get very bent up about the nappies/landfill/carbon footprint thing.

    [/quote]
    I am sorry is there a reason NOT to be worried about carbon footprints? Have you got some secret knowledge about the subject that the vast majority of scientists are missing? Is there a reason to not try and reduce it?
    We all need to make small steps if we want to reverse/stop the situation. Each step will make our life a little more akward but not as much as say rising temperatures, rising sea levels, dessertification(surely a bushism) and the other associated issues.
    Not really sure what other isssue is as crucial unless you have another planet to live on.
    Whilst we continue like this we , and our children, will inevitably have to face the consequences at some point in the not to distant future.

    gavinski
    Free Member

    arrived a bit late here, but a couple of points:

    most of the systems are at least partially compatible, we looked at buying a ‘complete set’ at the start but i’m glad we didn’t as we’ve been able to get a variety of nappies in small quantities dirt cheap – ebay, tkmaxx, second hand etc. terry squares are great, as they dry really quickly and can be folded lots of ways, but explaining that to your mother in law is a paid in the butt, so we’ve got a few all in one types and similar for babysitters.

    ebay have a ban on second hand nappies – I think they had a few complaints about people selling obviously soiled nappies – but it’s usually obvious from a listing that they’ve actually been used – no one seems to have a problem with it, if you are worried you could always bleach nappies yourself.

    shocker -dirty nappies smell of wee! we are lucky in that we have a small utility space, but if you are tight for space, you might want to source a really good sealable box. We just use a 50 litre stackable storage box – works fine, but it does smell, especially in the summer.

    Our daughter uses reusables at nursery – they have no problem with it, at it would be considered normal under care commission guidelines.

    yossarian
    Free Member

    ‘ am sorry is there a reason NOT to be worried about carbon footprints? Have you got some secret knowledge about the subject that the vast majority of scientists are missing? Is there a reason to not try and reduce it?’

    no, i was attempting to make the point that some get very excited about single issues, in this case one that is open to debate on its genuine value.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Yes – this continues to puzzle me too. The potential of increase in carbon footprint of disposable versus re-usable remains very unclear and all arguments/calculations for re-usable seem to concentrate on some quite unachievable rates (ie, how often can anyone genuinely be able to dry outdoors especially considering how quickly nappies require turning around). Then how do you dry indoors? In a tumble dryer (obvious increase in carbon footprint) or on radiators – which will mean the heating being turned on/up to keep the house at ‘uncovered radiators’ heating levels (covered radiators are MUCH less efficient). Or you could leave them to dry naturally indoors – but I doubt they would dry quickly enough unless you could afford to wait two days (that’s how long it takes for clothes to dry naturally in our house) Then there is the consideration on health if there is constantly damp air due to indoor drying – which isn’t ideal with babies around. And then there is the space issue – I know we would struggle for the space to dry mountains of nappies in our house when there will be twins around!

    yossarian
    Free Member

    I think the main problem with the surveys carrie is twofold;

    firstly most surveys have been instigated by people with a vested interest in the outcome which casts a lot of doubt on the findings. Secondly as you say everybodies circumstances and houses are different.

    acjim
    Free Member

    personally i’m more concerned with landfill and waste – our allocation of bins is full without the extra load of disposables.

    mastiles_fanylion; if you’re mainly concerned with space and washing/drying why not have a go with the laundry service?

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    why not have a go with the laundry service

    But then don’t the ‘statistics’ suggest the carbon footprint is greater than disposables (due to the van driving around collecting/dropping off).

    Of course it would solve the landfill issue though.

    aracer
    Free Member

    personally i’m more concerned with landfill and waste – our allocation of bins is full without the extra load of disposables.

    Is a very good point – our rubbish output is significantly and noticeably up since the arrival of #2, who’s currently still in disposables (#1 is still using the reusables, and we haven’t really got enough for both – particularly given the huge number #2 gets through right now).

    We do usually leave them to dry naturally indoors – nappies generally dry quicker than clothes, and you only actually need a couple dry quickly (can put them on a radiator).

    acjim
    Free Member

    tbh I’m not bothered enough to find the stats (loads of figures spouted, not much in the way of proof)

    It’s a good thing in my view as:

    1) far less waste
    2) subverts the horrendous tv advertising for disposables
    3) feels more energy efficient (no proof other than that I’m afraid!)

    yossarian
    Free Member

    personally i’m more concerned with landfill and waste – our allocation of bins is full without the extra load of disposables.

    see now i find that very interesting because our friends who are filling up wheelie bins with disposables have gone mental on reducing packaging waste in all other areas because they have no choice. As a result they reckon they’ve cut down on over half of their waste packaging which shows what can be done.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    MF….Thanks for telling me it has been impossible to not use a tumble dryer ( I don’t own one BTW)to dry the nappies that you have never even tried. Remember I did it with two kids in nappies you are choosing not to for the reasons you have expressed. That is fine it is your choice to do this but it is not beyond you to use reusable you are choosing not to.

    The survey was done by DEFR I am not sure what you think the governments vested interest is in this issue and given it is not exactly overboard in its praise of reusable nappies (and the first report said they were worse) I am not sure what you think their agenda is tbh.

    It is clearly true that if you use them inappropriately high wash, tumble drier etc you could/would be increasing your carbon footprint but I doubt most users are doing this.

    Again we must all alter our behaviour to have an any chance of reducing the carbon output 8 million nappies to landfill every day BTW.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    can put them on a radiator

    But (assuming it is on) that is then increasing your carbon footprint. Not looked into the statistics but covered radiators are really inefficient so you will also end up whacking it up higher than normal to keep the house at the required temperature.

    And as a newborn can get through 8 to 12 nappies a day, and we are having two, that is some 16 dry nappies needed on any given day! And I can’t imagine how bad it would be for a baby if you put a still damp nappy on them…

    Also, as I pointed out before, a permanently damp house will not be good for the health of the baby either.

    I am not trying to knock re-usable nappies, I am just being practical about our particular needs.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Did I say it would be impossible not to use a tumble drier? I think not.

    And I appreciate it is not ‘beyond me’ to use re-usable – a great many people have coped without them for centuries. I could also do without a car and a telly and an iPod and a mobile and a bike (or two) but they are conveniences that make life easier/pleasurable so I choose to embrace them. As such I would rather have time with my two new arrivals enjoying them, not spending time washing/drying nappies.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    microfibre come out of the machine practically dry it is not like trying to dry a pair of jeans inside your house but yes it would be hard work with twins no doubt about that. I am not going to persuade you am i enjoy your parenthoood and hope they sleep through soon.

    EDIT:MF I dont use a radiator either for drying and rarely put the heating on as I am a tough (stingy) northern type 🙂
    I have a wood burner but usualky dry them in another room

    acjim
    Free Member

    babies+environment+money = fairly strong feelings 😉

    good luck with the twins – be aware of potential telepathic powers… 😯

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Fair enough – I appreciate that ‘modern’ re-usable aren’t like ones our mums had (9 months ago I still thought there was a sand box and hosepipe system!) I am just looking at it objectively (well my wife is) – we will have our work cut out as it is. And I doubt they will sleep through – just mentally preparing myself for the worst!

    EDIT – we have a wood burner too, but we don’t really have ‘another room’ other than the loft room which is hastily being converted into storage/spare room after the existing ‘spare’ room was converted to the nursery.

    rightplacerighttime
    Free Member

    Junkyard, you might be interested in this. Have a look at the whole site. This is a link to the bit on nappies.

    Bloom

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    According to a report commissioned by the Environment Agency, a reusable nappy is responsible for 560kg of greenhouse gas over the baby’s first two and half years of life, whereas a disposable nappy is responsible for 630kg. (That’s equivalent to an average car driven 1800 miles)

    Well I have just relocated my business so my DAILY commute is now 4 miles (often on my bike) rather than 60 miles so do I have a get-out clause as I have reduced my CF considerably already?

    😉

    rightplacerighttime
    Free Member

    That’s a good start.

    If you want to know how much you/we’ve really got to do read this book:

    Carbon Detox

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    every little helps MF every little helps but you quoted the first report NOT the secoind one that says up to 200 KG if you wash differently so is that about 6000 miles ?
    http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WR0705_7589_FRP.pdf
    that one not the 2006 (discredited)version
    Right time cheers but up to speed wife sells them and used them on my two kids

    PS cheers all I like the STW debates that dont involve insults!
    Again good luck with the twins MF soon enough they will be entertaining each other and you and your wife…. on the plus side at least you dont have to do it all again… I mean three kids think of the carbon footprint of that 😉

    eddie11
    Free Member

    ooo, i know about this one

    we made the punge and use bumgenius one size reusable nappies. Can’t say we did extensive research but the magazines seem to the like them and the STW equivalent for mums and babies do too. Theyv’e got a polyester outer and a felt-like liner with a pouch for the towelling insert. They come with two sizes of liner and adjust with prestuds to cope with a growing child. We’ve got about 18 and you need that many so that you only wash them every 3 days.

    If you hunt around you can get them for about £13-14 as i recall. And also some local authorities will give you a non means tested free cheque of about £40 to claim against the cost of the nappies.

    Upsides to real nappies is they hold more solids in my opinion, but don’t hide smells as well.

    When darling daughter fills one you do have to shake out the contents into the toilet and store them in a bucket which means you get a bit more intimate with your babies poo than with disposables but since having a a child my squeamish threshold has gone way up. Once you get into a routine of washing (and tumbledrying)every 3rd night you dont notice too much and they are much nicer things to use (and lets face it every mountain biker covets nice things).

    The niceness of them has been the key thing for us. With the need to flush the contents away and the need to wash them if you want to be green they certainly not a free lunch when it comes to environmental impact (but water and electricity are two things you can source more sustainably if you really want to whereas disposables can only go to landfill) but they are so much nicer to use as an object. Like using a real mountainbike for a ride as opposed to a 60 quid supermaket special.

    that is all.

    DrJ
    Full Member

    is that about 6000 miles ?

    Umm, no, it’s not:

    Washing the nappies in fuller loads or line-drying them outdoors all the time (ignoring
    UK climatic conditions for the purposes of illustration) was found to reduce this figure
    by 16 per cent. Combining three of the beneficial scenarios (washing nappies in a
    fuller load, outdoor line drying all of the time, and reusing nappies on a second child)
    would lower the global warming impact by 40 per cent from the baseline scenario, or
    some 200kg of carbon dioxide equivalents over the two and a half years, equal to
    driving a car approximately 1,000 km

    In the very best of circumstances, then, it’s 1000km over 2.5 years, i.e. less than 10km per week.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    PS cheers all I like the STW debates that dont involve insults!

    Me too – I hope I would never, ever lower myself to hurling insults at people just because they have a different opinion on a subject then I do.

    🙂

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