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Changing nappies..by choosing reusable or biodegradable

Marketing is a very clever thing. Before the 1960s, babies' bums mostly sported Terry nappies. Then Procter & Gamble - home to gazillions of household brands including Ariel, Pringles and Gillette - introduced Pampers in the 1960s. The company used its marketing prowess and invested billions of dollars in pushing Pampers to new parents who were too frazzled to put up a fight.

Pampers continues to stalk parents. Literally within hours of giving birth, the 'Bounty pack' is distributed to women on maternity awards who, high on hormones, the miracle of life and possibly some pretty
strong drugs - think nothing of giving away their personal data in exchange for a few free nappies. Bingo! For the rest of their child's life in nappies, they're bombarded with marketing messages from Pampers.

So for most parents, choosing Pampers is a no-brainer. It's THE brand, with over a 50% share of the global market, with Kimberly-Clark's Huggies giving it a run for its money, particularly in the US.

Yet increasingly there's a backlash against disposable nappies, largely because the UK alone produces 690,000 tonnes of nappy waste each year; most of which are landfilled. There are more gruesome statistics on the nappies section of the Women's Environmental Network website at http://www.wen.org.uk/nappies/, including the grim fact that eight million disposable nappies a day are being sent to landfill in the UK. Yuck.

For those 15% of UK parents who have opted for reusable nappies, life might need a tad more organisation because of more regular changing and yet more stuff to carry when they leave the house. But they are keeping nappy waste out of landfill and saving themselves a few quid in the process. WEN estimates that the cost-saving of using reusable nappies for the first child is £500; if the same reusable nappies are used for the second child, that saving is even greater. That's more money for super-strength coffee and chocolate biscuits to see you through a bleary-eyed morning after a patchy night's sleep.

Check out a few websites that sell reusable nappies www.totsbots.com, http://www.littlelamb.co.uk and www.usednappies.co.uk (an auction service for second hand ones in decent condition) and you'll clock straight away that they've come a long way from Terry toweling. They're hi-tech, nicely designed and come in several shapes and sizes.The Nappy Lady will also help you decide on which nappies are best for you totally free of charge (http://www.thenappylady.co.uk).

You can also sign up to a laundering service where you swap a stack of used nappies for a nice pile of clean ones. Check out http://www.nappyeverafter.co.uk/ or http://www.thewashablenappy.co.uk/ for details.

If you still can't face reusable nappies, then eco-disposables are a good compromise. These are disposable nappies that biodegrade without leaving harmful residues, so you should be able to add them on your compost heap (but preferably don't send them to landfill). Their packaging is degradable, they are free from deodorants and don't contain the horrible-smelling absorbent gel found in regular disposables. Eco-disposable brands include Moltex, Bambo and Wiona Bio. They can be hard to find in-store ­ most supermarkets stock only Pampers and Huggies - but there are several online suppliers that sell them at a reasonable price, particularly if you buy in bulk. Try www.spiritofnature.co.uk, www.nappyexpress.co.uk and www.babyworld.co.uk.

Children normally have their nappy changed 4-6,000 times before they're toilet-trained. Investing in 15-20 reusable nappies could keep those thousands of disposables out of landfill, save you cash and also mean your baby has natural materials, not chemicals next to their skin. Oh, and if you like sticking it to the man, it's also a few quid less in Procter & Gamble's pocket.

For more nappy info take a look at:

a very clever video explains the problems with nappies: http://truths.treehugger.com/normal/contest_entry_an_inconvenient.php

lots more advice from: www.realnappycampaign.com

try out reusable nappies for free before you commit: http://www.plushpants.co.uk/category/Cloth%20Nappies/sub_cat/The%20Cloth...