Little Koala

The Cloth Nappy Expert

Laura Fowler

 

Why not cloth nappies?

When I asked mothers why they were not using cloth nappies. The usual response was ‘ cloth nappies leak’ or ‘I am scared of hurting my baby ‘ or ‘cloth nappies are just too much effort and are too difficult to use’ and even ‘cloth nappies are too expensive’.

All true comments, once upon a time when cloth nappies were one long rectangular piece of material and one felt one needed a degree in mathematics to fold it onto something resembling a nappy and more than two hands to hold a wriggly baby and pin the nappy without hurting the baby. After much frustration and exhaustion, the nappy would be on. Ta-da!

Then the nappy would have to come off as it would have leaked and everything, I mean everything would have had to be washed, nappy, clothes, sheets even the baby. My mother would say that was just the way it was…. once upon a time.

 

Not anymore. There are so many different types of cloth nappies now, from prefolds nappies to fitted nappies with elastic legs and snap or aplix fasteners to all in one nappies and pocket nappies, that even the most apprehensive parent of cloth nappies would be hard pressed not to find the prefect nappy. No need to spend time practicing how to fold a square cloth into a nappy; no need for pins with which one can prick baby nor a frustrated yell of “will you keep still” and no need to wash everything every day because cloth nappies, seldom leak. Ta-da!

There is so much choice, so many styles, so many colours that even the most fashion conscious parent would be overwhelmed with choice, there is a nappy for every occasion and to suit every budget. There are the royal royce’s of cloth nappies for those special occasions read night time when you want your baby to sleep for more than 2 hours or when trying to impress the disposable nappy junkie-your husband. There are nappies that will make even HIM say “oohhhhh…that is so cute” and cloth nappies for everyday wear like prefolds that are similar- in theory- to cotton underpants.

Cloth Nappies come in every colour of the rainbow and in print, wild animal, farm animal, stripes, spots, in fact nearly any print you desire but if you prefer your nappy plain than look no further than cloth nappies as well. Also cloth nappies are ideal for babies with problem skin as they are unscented and do not contain chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate used in disposable nappies because it absorbs 100 times its weight in water.
A great alternative, especially at night when one requires a nappy to absorb a little more so one can sleep a little more, are wool and bamboo nappies. Wool may absorb up to 30% its weight in moisture and bamboo up to 60% its weight in moisture. Bamboo also contains a natural anti-bacterial agent Bamboo Kun. Bamboo kun acts as an anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal agent and is odour resistant. More importantly for problem skin and to prevent nappy rash, cloth nappies allows ones body to breath just like cotton underpants but unlike underpants you will not have to cover them up with clothing. Leave your baby in his animal print for the world to see and before you know it they will be chorus of ‘oh isn’t that cute!’…’oh that is so adorable’ ....’ oh I want one’.

 

 

So cloth nappies are fun to buy and are good for baby but what of the environment?

 

Especially now we are in a drought are there really a good alternative? In reality:

Disposables use 3.5 times more energy, 2.3 times more water and 8.3 times as many irreplaceable raw materials as cloth nappies.

 

Better the landfill than water, you say? Every baby creates 845 kg of nappy waste before being toilet trained said Environment Minister John Twaites (Melissa Fyfe; Environment reporter; September 01/04). How many people follow the recommendation written on packets of disposables of flushing faeces down the toilet, before placing the nappy in the rubbish bin?

 

Disposables consume 90 times more renewable raw materials, create 60 times more solid waste and require up to 30 times more land.

Every nappy, 75% of which is faeces and urine and 25% plastic, paper and chemicals, takes 500 years to degrade in a landfill. As the rubbish rots; it produces methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas much more potent than CO2 and a toxic liquid called leachate, among other chemicals, which can leach out of landfills and poison local rivers.
There are eco-disposable nappies that are unbleached, may use less plastic and chemicals and so expose babies to fewer synthetic materials, these are a viable alternative when one is travelling and at other times when cloth nappies are really not practical. In theory, eco-disposable nappies are biodegradable, in reality they do not biodegrade. Eco-disposable nappies go to landfills like other disposables and in landfills they do not break down. They may be slightly better for the environment but still contribute to the waste problem.
Cloth nappies on the other hand are washed and re-used just like your underpants but unlike underpants can be shared with siblings.

So cloth nappies are good for the environment, are fun to buy, good for baby but what of your pocket?

Newborn babies may use up to 12 nappies a day for the first 4 month and from 4 months to 2 or 2.5 years; nappy usage will steadily decline from 12 to 4 a day. The table below calculates a basic disposable nappy requirement and does not include night nappies that may cost 65c each or $109.20/month.

 

 

 

 

So how much do disposable cost over 2 years?

Age Group of Nappy Wearer	Nappies used per day	Total Nappies used in age group	Average Cost of Nappies	Total Cost of Nappies in Australian $
0-4 Months	12	1344 nappies	0.31c per nappy	$416.64
4- 6 Months	10	840 nappies	0.33c per nappy	$277.20
6-12 Months	8	1344 nappies	0.37c per nappy	$497.28
12-18 Months	6	3024 nappies	0.48c per nappy	$1451.52
18-24 Months	4	672 nappies	0.50c per nappy	$336.00
Overall Nappy Usage		7224 nappies		$2978.64

 

Thus the total cost of keeping a baby in disposable nappies for the first 2 years is $2938.32.
Quantity of disposable nappy ending up in a landfill is: 7224 (or more)

So how much do cloth nappies costs over 2 years?

From 0 - 4 months:

Little Koala Bleached Chinese pre-folds, Newborn (2X6X2) 12X:                   $29.00
Little Koala Bleached Chinese pre-folds, Infant (4X6X4) 12X:                        $31.35
Little Koala Bamboo Doublers 5X$4.90:                                                         $24.50
Little Koala Fleece Liners 24X$2.00:                                                              $48.00
Little Koala Bummis cover, small:                                                         
Plain white super whisper wrap cover (3X$14.50)                                           $43.50
Whisper prints  cover   (3X17.00)                                                                   $51.00
Little Koala Snappies (3X $8.95)                                                                     $26.85
Little Koala Night covers (bumpy wool cover 2 X$38.50)                                 $77.00

 

TOTAL:                                                                                                           $330.70

 

 

From 4 – 24 months:

Little Koala Bleached Chinese pre-folds, Regular (4X6X4) 12X:                       $35.70
Little Koala Bleached Chinese pre-folds, Regular (4X8X4) 12X:                       $40.00
Little Koala super soakers (5 X $5.50)                                                              $27.50
Little Koala  Large Bamboo Doublers (5X $5.10):                                            $25.50
Little Koala imse vimse medium and large covers
Large soft diaper cover (3 X $14.50)                                                               $43.50
Medium print cover        (3 X $23.50)                                                                $70.50
Little Koala Night covers (bumpy wool cover 3 X$38.50)                                 $115.50

TOTAL:                                                                                                             $358.20

 

Thus the total cost of keeping a baby in cloth nappies for the first 2 years is $688.90

Quantity of disposable nappy ending up in a landfill is: 0

 

Not only will it cost around $690.00 to use cloth nappies instead of $3000.00 for disposable nappies but cloth nappies may be re-used on any subsequent children or be given to friends/family. Alternatively, cloth nappies may be used for cleaning or better still may be sold secondhand.

This is a very basic but perfectly workable cloth nappy system. Although fitted nappies have not been added to the list as there are just too many types and prices to choose from but if one wished for fitted nappies as well, the cost would vary between  $100.00 to $1000.00-the final cost will depend on ones personal taste and needs. Remembering that this cost could be shared out between the number of children one had.

 

Washing cloth nappies does not faze you but the extra costs of washing does?. Even with the cost of water, electricity and washing powder, using cloth nappies will save you thousands of dollars over your babies nappy life and your baby will potty train earlier too. Did I hear you whoop for joy?

The following calculations were done using the Australian Consumers’ Association Choice: (www.choice.com.au/viewCalc.aspx?id=103870&catId=100509&tid=100040&p=9) nappy calculator. For example

Buying a pack of 40 Dry Bubs Premium and using 10 disposable nappies a day, costs:
Total cost per week: $20.91
Total cost for 6 months: $544.00

Using a top lauder with warm water and Omo High Performance Concentrate costs :
$8.81/week/ line drying or $9.46/ week/ using a drier
$230.00 for 6 months/Line drying or $246.00 for 6 months/Using a drier

Buying a 44 pack of Huggies ultra dry nappies crawler and using 10 disposable nappies a day costs:
Total cost per week: $31.07
Total cost over 6 monthts: $808.00

Using a front loader with warm water and duo matic concentrate costs:
$6.13/week/line drying or $6.78/week/using a dryer
$159.00 for 6 months/line drying or $176.00 for 6 months/using a dryer

So cloth nappies are good for one pockets, are fun to buy, good for baby and are good for the environment but how does one buy them?

Rather than battling your way through a supermarket with a screaming baby that needs its nappy change because this always seems to happen in a supermarket. Why not stay home and have that extra hour of sleep and when awake, eventually, have a look on the internet for online retailers of cloth nappies who can send out what you wish for in a matter of days.

Laura Fowler www.littlekoala.com.au

 

REFERENCES:

Rob Edwards. The Ecologist; Rethinking Basic Assumptions (22/03/01).
www.theecologist.org

The Australian Consumers’ Association
www.choice.com.au

Melissa Fyfe. Hot Topics. (09/01/04).
www.melmidwifery.com.au

www.littlekoala.com.au

 

Article by:

Laura Fowler
02 9918 5835

For more information or to Order - please visit our web-site - www.littlekoala.com.au - or e-mail

 

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