The great nappy debate

When expecting our first child I did lots of reading about options for nappies - perhaps the ultimate landfill problem? I found it really difficult to decide what was best option from an environmental point of view, but ended up going for a hybrid approach where we used washable nappies when at home (and while the girls were still quite small) and “eco friendly” disposables when out and about (and when they got big enough to wee so much that I couldn’t keep up with the number of changes necessary for the washables).

If anyone is considering washable nappies you should check out The Nappy Lady who provides a free online advice service about brands most suitable for you and your child, which was a real help in choosing as there are so many great (and pretty/fun) options available now. She also has some information about the pros and cons, including environmental impact (we have switched from washing powder to eco egg to try to mitigate impact of laundry, but still need to use scoop of nappysan for hygiene and we do use a lot of water on all the cycles that we run).

When it comes to “eco-friendly” disposables, where to start? I found it near impossible (as lay person) to understand public info and try to assess which brand would be best. I’m not at all convinced that I found the best option but I did settle on a monthly subscription with Kit and Kin, who also provide “eco-friendly” wipes and compostable nappy sacks (similar to those wee food waste bags you get) in the same order. I did try out a couple of other brands too and decided I liked these ones, but if anyone can point me to a source of info that can give me a proper comparison of the environmental impact of each option I’d be so interested to take a look (estimate may still be using nappies for another couple of years so worth swapping if I’m on the wrong track…)

Thanks!

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