Lots of people have asked whether I am going to use cloth or disposable nappies for Ampersand, and the answer (so far) is that we’re going to try cloth – with a nappy service.
Largely based on a assessment by Choice Magazine, that using a nappy service with cloth nappies is the best environmental choice, due to the economies of scale in laundering the nappies commercially. Apparently, according to this article, you can also get a slight edge over disposables if you wash at home using cooler temperatures and larger loads.
So I’m still thinking cloth nappies (babies in cloth are apparently easier to toilet train), but we will probably seek out 100% biodegradable nappies for outings.
PS. This happened in Granville this morning – actually South Granville, miles away (well, further than I would like to walk anyway) from us. We did look at a few places in South Granville, but then the Merrylands house came up, and we’re thrilled to be here. And not at all threatened by one shooting – especially not after a cabbie was murdered in Epping a few months ago, and just last week a priest was attacked in Marsfield! Granville looks much safer in comparison.
Disco Knitter 
You could always try diaper free… but it would be, I think, a fair bit of extra effort.
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001050.php
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Babies in cloth are “easier” to TT only if you are not using the MCNs with the stay dry layers. Apparently they are easier to TT because of the wet soggy feeling that is most uncomfortable (I can imagine!). Once you add the stay dry layer that most MCNs have, it’s like they are wearing disposables. 🙂
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Good for you! In this day and age when we all have washing machines I can’t understand why anyone would want to pollute the environment so appallingly with disposables. Every landfill site is packed with these and they take years (hundreds of years I think) to biodegrade. AND they’re expensive.
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Good luck sweetie pie. Hamish was in cloth, but by the time Fergus came along and Michael left me with two babies in nappies, I went disposable. Just too much washing etc for one depressed and single mum to deal with. I don’t think there was a nappy change which didn’t involve a bit of environmental guilt.
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This may sound harsh and its my justification, but we have more land than water at the moment and thats why I chose disposables…. plus I looked at the biodegradable ones and you would use more of them because they dont seal as well as the huggies or aldi . More leaky nappies = more nappies used biodegradable or not = more washing .
When summer comes around – I will be taking Alex outside butt nekid to pee on the garden … just doing my bit for the drought !
Boys are much easier to toilet train than girls apparently…. having only had experience toilet training a girl, it was hard work….guess I will found out when we get Alex to that point.
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Good luck with the cloth nappies.
We use MCN and disposables in combination, depends who changes the nappy.
Apart from the wider affect on the environment, there is hardly enough room in our weekly rubbish collection for all the throw away nappies.
Using cloth at least gives us more bin room…I know that sounds shallow, but its a reality in a busy home.
Hope you are well Lara.
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