We have been attempting to make lots of eco friendly changes to our family lifestyle and one of those has been using more Cloth nappies. Reusable nappies are so much easier to use than they used to be and we are still finding our feet with which works best when we’re at home, out and about and during the nighttime. We have now, however, built up a bit of a collection in various all-in-ones and pocket cloth nappies.
I’ve written about our changing table set up here. We’re using bamboo boosters and fleece liners alongside the nappies and they’re very easy to clean! You can use bamboo liners if you want which you should throw away and not flush despite many of them saying they’re flushable. A better way to deal with poop in cloth nappies is to simply hold them against the flush and sluice them off into the toilet before washing them.
There are so many great prints available too which makes cloth nappies really cute and actually quite lovely to see on a baby. I know when we’re n holiday or experiencing warmer weather letting Felix wonder around with a cloth bum is going to be a little cuter than the regular nappies and honestly it feels good to do something that I know is going to benefit the environment.
I know a lot of parents are concerned about the amount of washing when it comes to reusable nappies but it honestly hasn’t been a problem for us and usually do a wash of cloth nappies every three days or so. We are also using reusable wipes and I’m using cloth sanitary protection too so it makes sense to wash these all together and makes me feel like I’m not just putting on an extra load. Every other nappy wash we use the Dettol Laundry Cleanser just to give them a good clean and we always air dry our cloth nappies. Tumble Drying can affect the absorbency of them.
Most cloth nappies are best for babies around 8lb+ however there are plenty of companies that offer smaller, newborn sized nappies which are ideal for babies between 5lb-10lbs. We had a lovely set of these for Felix but as he was born at 9lb-9oz we didn’t get as much use out of them as we would have liked! The designs really grab me though I have to say, they’re so colourful! Tots Bots have a set of All In One nappies for smaller babies which are a great addition to hospital bags for those that want to cloth from day one.
There are lots of wonderful companies around featuring cloth nappies and I really recommend visiting a local nappy library to see if they offer any trials so you can find a good fit for you and your baby. It can get a little overwhelming at times. There are ones with velcro which are lovely and snug but as babies get older and they can undo the velcro they might not work as well. There are also nappies with poppers which I personally find a bit fiddly at times to get the right shape but they are fully versatile and will, hopefully, be harder for little ones to pop off when they get bigger.
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We want to become a more eco friendly family over the summer! We are quickly approaching the third trimester now and I’m becoming very aware that a new baby in the house is going to mean more waste. As a family going from three to four over the years we will generate more waste and I really want to do my part to try and be a lot more eco friendly. I am hoping to cut down our use of plastics and use more eco friendly products in the house that are more beneficial to us, less toxic and better for the environment too. There are, I’ve found, quite a lot of changes we can make really easily as a family to improve our every day energy output, waste and recycling habits which will hopefully save us money in the long run too. There are loads of extra added benefits to being more eco friendly and cutting down on waste than helping the environment and as a family that has to budget I have to say saving money is one thing that is at the top of my list.
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Recycle More
We always take glass to the bottle bank and recycle more than we actually throw away but I think we could improve this and see if we can reuse anything that we currently recycle. I would also like to buy more toys that have less plastic packaging. We do have some disposable plastic straws which I try and reuse as often as I can more recycling them, and apparently there are quite a lot of fun hacks you can do with plastic straws but it’s something I’m not going to buy anymore as we have more hard wearing ones that last longer. We are cutting down on buying fizzy drinks which of course avoids buying plastic there. I am also going to invest in an insulated water bottle that I can reuse and will keep water cool. I know it will be really beneficial when breastfeeding so I can have a bottle of water close by at all times. Recycling as much as we can will absolutely make us a more eco friendly family.
Reusables for the Baby
Another way we can be a more eco friendly family is the choices we make when it comes to our newborn. We are going to use eco friendly disposables and cloth nappies for this baby. I am hoping we will have more children in the future so we can keep using our cloth nappies for them which will, of course, save us money in the long term. I am also going to be looking into the eco friendly disposable options for early new born days and just in case spares to keep at my mums so we never get caught short. We currently have a set of Size 2 Bambino Miosoft from Kiddies Kingdom, two part cloth nappies to use for when Baby F is a bit bigger. I’m really looking forward to using cloth nappies. I’ve recently read they’re even better for baby boys because they keep things cool down there. Brilliant.
We have stopped buying disposable baby wipes with our weekly shopping now in an effort to be a more eco friendly family and have instead moved on to reusable Cheeky Wipes which I absolutely love! I bought an all you need kit which I am going to blog about properly soon to talk about how great they are! They smell amazing, are easy to use and will be super soft and gentle on the baby. Using the cloth nappies with the flushable liners will be saving us in wipes and a more eco friendly option. What is great about Cheeky Wipes is that they dry really quickly, are easy to wash the dark colours can be washed with an antibacterial detergent at 40 degrees. We went with dark colours to avoid any stains.
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I am, however, so happy to have a selection of Aqua Wipes which are completely biodegradable. They are naturally kind and soft so perfect for new babies and children that still get their dinner all over their faces. They are made of water and a tiny bit of Aloe. These are going to be perfect to pop in the changing bag and again keep at my mums house as a just in case. I would absolutely consider buying more of these. Aqua Wipes are available on Amazon
Reusables for Me
Another way we can be a more eco friendly family, and this is completely new to me, is the personal hygiene products we use. I am completely new to the world of Cloth Sanitary Protection and Moon Cups but I am determined to give them a go when my body gets back to normal. I had my first period since having my implant removed in December and then fell pregnant. I had heard of Moon Cups and the like before and the idea kind of put me off. I didn’t have periods during my time on the contraceptive implant either so haven’t had to buy much sanitary protection for a while however I am completely sold on using the more eco friendly versions and getting some cloth pads at home ready for me P-Day returns – hopefully well after breastfeeding has finished. I will probably use disposables after birth because it’s a really mucky time and I do have quite a few pads to use but I will be converting.
I have also found some bamboo nursing pads which I am keen to get my hands on to help prevent leakage when breastfeeding. They look and sound so soft, can be washed and will probably be a little more gentle on the nips. I love that I can make these choices to be a more eco friendly family. You can also get cloth makeup remover pads although in all fairness I could probably just use our Cheeky Wipes for my own face to remove makeup.
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Another thing that I think is probably our biggest plastic use is personal toiletries. I have avoided buying too buy this year as I got some really big bottles of Tigi Bed Head Shampoo and Conditioner for Christmas. Both Evie and I have been using them and we are only half way through one set so I’m glad I’ve reduced our plastic usage a little bit there. However, I might try and look into shampoo bars more as they come with no plastic and produce no waste. They smell amazing too and if I remember correctly they actually last quite a while. We have, however, received a few bottles of Dr. Bronner’s natural soap which is organic and a Fair Trade skin care. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps help to reduce waste in a multitude of ways. Most importantly being it’s 18 in 1 uses – making it affordable and versatile. The soap can be used to clean your body, mouth & teeth, fruit & Vegetables, your bathroom & Kitchen, clothes and even pets… and a little goes a long way! Coming in eight different varieties, the Unscented is great for kids and the more sensitive of skins and, even better, the bottles are recyclable and biodegradable.
Disclaimer: We received some of the products featured above for the purpose of this post, however, all opinions remain my own. Some links are affiliate links which means if you decide to purchase I might make a small commission from the sale but this is never at any cost to you as the buyer.
