A mum of two is trying to spread the word about the bottom line for babies – and convince other parents that real nappies are better all round.
Melissa Jeeves from the North Herts Nappy Library charity wants to encourage the use of cloth nappies for young tots instead of the disposable versions which have cornered the market because they’re so convenient.
They might be the easy option, but they’re also expensive and an environmental nightmare, say fans of traditional cloth nappies.
Mum Melissa, who lives in Hitchin, said: “I got involved in this because a friend of mine gave me her cloth nappies to use on my babies and I haven’t looked back.
“The benefits are enormous. In financial terms you save lots of money.
“We estimate savings of £280 per year if you use cloth nappies instead of disposable ones.
“As they’re made of natural materials such as bamboo, cotton or micro-fibre they are kinder on babies’ skin which means less nappy rash.
“You re-use them rather than them ending up in landfill sites where they stay for 500 years, giving off environmentally harmful gasses. They even look nicer!
“We are a completely voluntary charity. We don’t have an affiliation with any nappy companies and don’t make any money from this.
“We are not paid by anybody to represent them so all our information is impartial.
“Our job is to support, encourage and inform our community about the benefits of using cloth nappies.
“To highlight cloth nappies we even loan them out to people who are interested in trying cloth before they purchase their own. There is a lot of support out there in terms of mums using cloth nappies. Cloth nappy supporters are certainly a close knit-community.
“Many of the nappies have been passed on three, four or five times – all of which means they have a far longer lifespan which can only be a good thing.
“Some people are rock solid in their belief cloth nappies are the only way forward – but you can be flexible more often than not.”
A report by the government’s Environment Agency stated: “The environmental impacts of using cloth nappies can be higher or lower than using disposables depending on how they are laundered.
“Cloth nappy users can reduce their environmental impacts by line drying outside whenever possible, tumble drying as little as possible, not washing above 60c and reusing nappies on other children.”
You can meet Melissa and the North Herts Nappy Library team from 11am tomorrow, Friday, at The Secret Garden in Sun Street, Hitchin.
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