On Saturday 6th November Merton Green Parents had their second meet-up – this time in Morden and this time it was all about reusable nappies!
We were joined by Sarah and Sarah who run the nappy library for NCT Wimbledon and Wandsworth and they talked us through the different types of reusable nappies, how to store, wash and dry them, as well as useful tips on how to get started.
According to WRAP, we use about 3 billion disposable nappies in the UK each year – about 8 million nappies a day! Poor parents and carers! We all agreed that using reusable nappies seems unusual, maybe a bit odd at first but maybe we just lack the information to make this change for the environment and for our children. According to JUNO Magazine, by swapping to reusable nappies you can reduce your carbon footprint by 40%. You don’t just reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, you also significantly reduce the natural resources needed to produce single-use products.
So, where to start? There are mainly two different types of reusable nappies: all-in-ones and two-parters. You basically need an absorbent inner and a waterproof outer layer. The all-in-one has both of those parts combined, so it’s as close to a disposable nappy as you get but they can be a bit more expensive. With a two-parter system, the different parts are separate, so you can combine different brands and materials. Different brands usually have a slightly different system, so the best piece of advice from the lovely ladies from NCT Wimbledon and Wandsworth was to try different brands and materials before making a big purchase.
And that’s where the nappy library comes in. You can hire a kit, try the different systems, brands, and materials to find out what works best for you and your baby.
Lots of advice on how to get started, how many nappies you need, how to wash them, can be found on the website of Real Nappies for London or contact your local nappy library directly.
Thank you, Sarah and Sarah, for sharing all your experience and advice about reusable nappies! It’s a topic we could have forever talked about, but we hope we have encouraged some parents to hire a kit, make the switch to reusables and spread the word!
That’s what one of the attendees said about the demo: "My name is Susan, and my daughter is 4 months old now. We tried using reusable nappies, but they often leaked. The demo by Merton Green Parents gave us the tips (use hemp or bamboo boosters!) and confidence to try again and I'm going to hire a kit from the nappy library to try more brands - thanks for organising!"
If you want to hire a kit from the nappy library or need advice, you can contact them here.
If you would like to join Merton Green Parents, email us on mertongreenparents@sustainablemerton.org.
Our next meet up will be on Saturday 11th December at 3pm in The Garden Pavillion, South Park Gardens in Wimbledon. It will be a great opportunity to meet other like-minded parents in the area and learn about how to celebrate a zero-waste holiday. REGISTER HERE.
Find out more about Merton Green Parents here.
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