It appears that disposable nappies are no more harmful to the environment than real nappies according to a study by The Environment Agency.....

Story here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4559665.stm)

I heard this on the radio too. HUrrahh for pampers, and huggies and all other assorted disposable nappy suppliers.

Not that it bothers me now my baby is 7, but well, there you go........we were not such bad mothers after all!!

Now I just need someone to research that bottle feeding is as good as breast feeding and I shall consider myself PERFECT!! :bag:

I have an objection! I remember that ten years ago a study showed that washing reusable nappies had just about the same effect on the environment as disposables. So why are we footing the bill for yet another study to come up with exactly the same conclusion?

it's a relief for me, because I nought heaps of washabler nappies - and never used them :sad: I tried, but they were so big and poor mini G just looked uncomfortable and drowned, so I stuck with pampers. Of course, because I'm a terrible mother, I have now sitched to buying the cheapo version at Lidl :D

Well I used terry nappies for my first two and disposables for the last one. I have always thought that real nappies were just as bad for the environment as the disposable ones, all the energy, water and detergent you have to use to get them clean plus in the winter, the energy you have to use to dry them!

Perhaps this will now get the 'real nappy' brigade of the back of mothers who use disposable nappies!

Just as it wrong to try to make mothers feel guilty for bottle feeding it is wrong to try to make mothers feel guilty for choosing to use disposables!

who commissioned the report? Pampas?!

Personally I used terries cos they were cheaper, but even then people kept saying in the long run it's not, you have to buy the nappies, the rubber pants, the pins, the nappy liners etc etc so in the long run it's not cheaper, etc etc but it is, it is, it is!

I also believe despite the survey's findings that terries are more ozone-friendly than the silicone filled, sh*t filled ones that bob up and down in the Solent and rot on rubbish dumps forever and ever!

It was The Environment Agency, Dol.

Apparently it was the most independent and thorough study carried out in the UK according to the article!

Well, the results of this survey should ease the conscience of the disposable nappy mothers if they ever felt bad about using them. Now they know they never did anything "wrong".

But, I still think the mothers that went to the effort to use the Terry nappies should be applauded. Because when it comes down to it, they made a genuine effort to try and do their bit for the environment based on the advice they had been given! The fact that the effort would now seem to be wasted is irrelevant. The fact is, they tried!

It was The Environment Agency, Dol.

Apparently it was the most independent and thorough study carried out in the UK according to the article!

some people need to get a hobby don't they! :laugh:

But, I still think the mothers that went to the effort to use the Terry nappies should be applauded. Because when it comes down to it, they made a genuine effort to try and do their bit for the environment based on the advice they had been given!

Karen, stop talking bollox!

A baby in a modern (disposable) nappy will last 4 times longer (at least) than a baby in a terry nappy!

The polymers in a pampers nappy can absorb 10 times their weight in urine or other bodily fluids.

A terry nappy can absorb one times!

"Earth mothers" have been kidding themselves for years! :ohmy:

Karen, stop talking bollox!

A baby in a modern (disposable) nappy will last 4 times longer (at least) than a baby in a terry nappy!

The polymers in a pampers nappy can absorb 10 times their weight in urine or other bodily fluids.

A terry nappy can absorb one times!

"Earth mothers" have been kidding themselves for years! :ohmy:

Well, that's my point really Grouch - sorry if its a bollox one. I wasn't saying that "Earth Mothers" are right, I was merely saying that at least they tried.

Face it - until the results of this latest survey, the general perception was that Terry nappies were kinder to the environment, so the Earth mothers were trying to do their bit - however misguided they were.

Its not that important to me though. I don't have kids and if I did, they'd probably have been slapped into disposables without a thought for the environment.

The main reason I was posting in a thread that doesn't really interest me was that I was aware that we have at least 1 "Earth Mother" on the forum - and I was trying to make her feel better......

Right that's my Good Samaritan quota used up for one day!

Well I have no conscience - I am as we speak producing Huggie soiled nappies by the dozen - courtesy of the Fredmeister - with gay abondon.

I can remember my sisters disgusting bin in her kitchen :pooh: (the days of no choice) and spending ages helping her fold the nappies ready for use...YAK YAK YAK.

I vote for disposables with every limb I possess.


PS And Groucho, I do think you leapt on Karenh there a bit harshly, she was only trying to applaud earth mothers, she didn't say that she was one.

PS And Groucho, I do think you leapt on Karenh there a bit harshly, she was only trying to applaud earth mothers, she didn't say that she was one.

:thumbsup: :wub: :wub:

:blush: Sorry Karen.

Clearly one of us was talking bollox last night and it wasn't you. :bag:

Are you going to spank me Cat? :ninja:

I suppose I better say my piece then! ;) Thanks Karen, btw, and can I just say that as a user...........well, can I just say ex-user as my little darling is now fully-potty trained.............I have never felt the need to get on the back of users of Pamper, Huggies etc. I would never look down the nose of disposable user, but it is deemed ok for a disposable user to diss real nappies users by calling the earth mothers, tree huggers is it? It is down to personal choice, I just think that the information given on real nappies should be there.

And Groucho you have got is SO wrong!!! What facts are you basing the information you gave. I do think that is it you that needs to stop talking bollox! :boxing:

A baby in a modern (disposable) nappy will last 4 times longer (at least) than a baby in a terry nappy!

The polymers in a pampers nappy can absorb 10 times their weight in urine or other bodily fluids.

A terry nappy can absorb one times!

"Earth mothers" have been kidding themselves for years

Firstly you do not have to be an Earth Mother to use real nappies, I do not and never have felt the need to hug trees!

The polymers in pampers absorb 10 times their weight in urine - YUK what a though! Have you given a thought to the chemicals that actually make this process work? Yeah, so the nappy is kept on for longer making the baby more prone to nappy rash! And what utter rot about lasting 4 times as longer! Utter garbage! You really are not aware of what real nappies are available and they last just as longer, if not longer than a disposable and they will not sag to the babies knees! :ninja:

A terry nappy can absorb one - WRONG!! Of course it will depend on the type of terry nappy you use - have you checked the list recently?

I lost count to the many times that my kids when I used disposables leaking out of them, causing me to change their whole outfit, causing more washing than necessary. When I used disposables I used to carry 2 sets of clothes to change into as they were prone to leaking. I have never felt the need to with using real nappies.

And just how accurate is this report - they have based it on everyone washing their nappies at 60 degrees, everyone soaking their nappies and everyone tumble-drying their nappies! I washed mine at 40, never soaked them and my bin which is kept in a cupboard does not smell as I sprinkle a few drops of essential oils on the lid and I don't tumble-dry my nappies as I line-dry them or pop them on the clothes horse.

No nappies is completely enviromentally friendly, it just stick in my throat the Pampers/ Huggies brigade think they are so much bigger and smugger than everyone else - and I am talking the companies here not the people who use them. They are kinda like the McDonalds and the Kellogs peeps who claim that their product is good. Why can't the Pampers/ Huggies make a nappy that is bio-degradable, why have they got to pump a nappy fully of chemicals that will leak into your babies skin, have you ever split a nappy just to see what is inside - it is not pretty!

No doubt, I will get flack for this but I just had to say my piece, ta very much! :bag:

I would never look down the nose of disposable user, but it is deemed ok for a disposable user to diss real nappies users by calling the earth mothers, tree huggers is it?

I have to disagree here Bella.

I often think it is the terry nappy users who can come across as a tad smug! I know I used to hoot with derision cos i worked with someone who used disposables and she used to say they'd planted a tree to make up for what they were taking out of the environment. piffle I used to think, I'm doing it the hard way and I don't have to plant trees and tell everyone .... but I made sure that people knew that I thought she was pathetic and being a show off (god I'm a cow aren't I!!) .... when really she wasn't, she was just doing her bit!

At the time I don't remember being smug and being a martyr, but deep deep down I'm pretty sure I was!!! And now when I mention it, I expect a second or two of reverenced hush followed by a dash of pity cos i was so poor!!!!

But maybe that's just me!!!!!


BTW - still think terry's are better that shi**y nappies lying around for eternity!

why have they got to pump a nappy fully of chemicals that will leak into your babies skin, have you ever split a nappy just to see what is inside - it is not pretty!



Inside a nappy (http://www.functionalpolymers.basf.com/jsr/FunctionalPolymers/en_GB/function/conversions:/publish/upload/SAP_Hygiene/Download_Elliot.pdf)

HTH

I have to disagree here Bella.

I often think it is the terry nappy users who can come across as a tad smug! I know I used to hoot with derision cos i worked with someone who used disposables and she used to say they'd planted a tree to make up for what they were taking out of the environment. piffle I used to think, I'm doing it the hard way and I don't have to plant trees and tell everyone .... but I made sure that people knew that I thought she was pathetic and being a show off (god I'm a cow aren't I!!) .... when really she wasn't, she was just doing her bit!

At the time I don't remember being smug and being a martyr, but deep deep down I'm pretty sure I was!!! And now when I mention it, I expect a second or two of reverenced hush followed by a dash of pity cos i was so poor!!!!

But maybe that's just me!!!!!


BTW - still think terry's are better that shi**y nappies lying around for eternity!

Oh Dol, don't get me wrong I have come across some smug real nappy users, to be honest I probably played down my part on using real nappies and ended up probably giving praise for the disposable! However, not all real nappy users are tree-huggers etc, but as I have said I do know a few who are and are equally anti-bottle-feeding and will diss the mothers who use bottles. I do think it is down to choice, I just get annoyed with the Pampers/Huggies promotion barrel claiming they have the driest nappy but without actually explaining what is in the nappy that keeps it so dry.

Groucho, thanks for the link, hope you don't mind but I didn't read it all but suffice to say that it is full of chemicals wheras a real nappy baby mostly wears a nappy, a fleece liner (fully absorbent - think about your fleece jackets, hats etc) and a wrap (a you get some really cute ones these days, none of plastic pants palaver like you used to) and not a chemical in sight!

Plus all my nappies that I no longer need I can sell on e-bay and get myself some extra pennies for a rainy day! ;)

it is not pretty!


I'd have to disagree Bella. I think nthe science is very pretty.

Check out the diagrams. Jolly clever those super absorbent polymers.


On the rest, I shall bow to your greater expertise and better research. :thumbsup:

I'd have to disagree Bella. I think nthe science is very pretty.

Check out the diagrams. Jolly clever those super absorbent polymers.


On the rest, I shall bow to your greater expertise and better research. :thumbsup:

Oh, I liked the diagrams it was the big words I had problems with! :bag:

Face it - until the results of this latest survey, the general perception was that Terry nappies were kinder to the environment,

Well no Karen, like I said in my first post, it was known about 10 years ago, and even without a study, all you had to do was think about it a bit and you'd come to a similar conclusion I'm sure.

I was actually advised by my health visitor to use disposables as my youngest has sensitive skin (eczema) as they are kinder to the skin than real nappies and from personal experience having used both real nappies (2 children) and disposables (1 child) I have found that to be true.

The environment was never an issue for me when I decided what type of nappies to use, I used real nappies with my first 2 because I had, had some bought for me as a present but I never thought, I must use them because of the environment. I always washed my nappies on 60 degrees and no way would I have used a lower temperature as after all they had contained the babies wee & pooh! :pooh:

We've used disposables since Gigi was born and she's never had the slightest hint of nappy rash.

I don't give a rat's ar$e what society thinks I should or shouldn't do for the environment and I won't be emotionally blackmailed into anything. I decided to do what made my sense for my family. I'd rather have time spent with my baby than time spent in the kitchen doing laundry, and even if I was a stay-at-home mum i still doubt I would have opted for terry nappies either.

Having said that, I don't have slightest problem with people who do, why should I? Parenting is not a competition and people who try to score points over other parents by doing the fashionable thing are in it for the wrong reasons, imo.

Inside a nappy (http://www.functionalpolymers.basf.com/jsr/FunctionalPolymers/en_GB/function/conversions:/publish/upload/SAP_Hygiene/Download_Elliot.pdf)

HTH

Blimey! That was interesting Grouchy. I never realised the complexity's of a semi permeable membrane and its cross connection with neutralising the polymer chain could be so intriguing.

I especially enjoyed the sections on "The Effect of Cross Linking on Swelling Capacity" only to be topped by "Cross Linking in SUPER absorbant Polymers"

But the section that really blew me away was the graphs showing the effects of tetraallylethoxy ethane against trimethylolpropanetricrylate.

I was going to spank you hard, but now I feel I want to rejoice in your very being.

MORE MORE!

If I am totally honest with myself I didn't use real nappies because of the enviroment issue either. With Katie I used disposables all the time and would never have considered real nappies, too much work, too much mess and the thought of bad nappy rash turned me off. It shows how things can change from doctor to doctor as the reason I switched to real nappies was because Abbie had a horrific nappy rash, she was 3 months old and I was in tears at every nappy change. I tried different brands, different creams to no avail and the doctor suggested to me to use real nappies, my first thought was wouldn't the nappy rash get worse, but he explained that nappies had moved on from the terry squares, plastic pants and he put me in contact with someone. She came round and told us the ins & outs of using real nappies and the different kinds available. I looked into in more detail on the internet (fabulous thing isn't it) and decided to give them a try. As I said my reason for using them was not enviromental but I wanted something that could prevent and help the nappy rash. And have to admit I was rather taken in by the snazzy designs that you could get!!! I was a complete sucker for that and probably bought more nappies and wraps than I actually needed, so that old myth that real nappies are cheaper is probably not true!

Floopy, I don't spend every minute of every waking hour in the kitchen doing laundry, that's what automatics are for! You just load it up and switch it on. god knows where I would be without my washing machine, but even not taking into account my nappy wash which was every 2/3rd day (mostly 2nd), my washing machine is on every day, so not much good to the enviroment there am I? :D

I have to say I do admire people like ILS, Dol and the others who solely used terry nappies, to be perfectly honest if those were the only options I would not have opted for them as the terry squares are not as absorbent as the shaped nappies that are on the market now.

For the record, I am not into point scoring either and as long as you bring your child up in a safe, happy, fufilled enviroment, then it doesn't really matter what nappy you use. And to be honest, even though I am....ooops, sorry was a real nappy user, I do think that there are far more important issues that should be tackled.

Floops, with regard your comment about not giving a rats ar&e about the enviroment, surely we all have a responsibility to do our bit and i don't just mean by using nappies, there are other things that we can and should do to protect the world we live in..........says me who has 2 cars and has the washing machine on sometimes twice a day! Although I have stopped using aerosols and purchased a crystal after a post that Minklemar made and have to say I am really, really impressed and it lasts for ages!

Well exactly Bella, about the washing thing, one way or another the environment is going to suffer for having another babies bum in it :D .

I can usually get away with saving my washing for the weekend - I simply dont have the time or the inclination to do it during the week, and Cockney has a blind spot regarding washing machines. :glare:

Of course the environment needs protecting, but there are a million and one things people can do to play a part, nappis are just onE of the popular sticks to beat people with, imo. Parents aren't made to feel guilty about not buying biodegradable toys and baby equipment, most of which will take just as long to biodegrade as a disposable nappy - it's just the fact that nappies are full of poo and so therefore create the desired 'ew' effect when used as a shock tactic in campaigns.

My sis used biodegradable nappies with my nephew. He came out with nappy rash with terries and so she switched to disposables. She found she could get biodegradable ones in Tescos and so felt a lot better about the enviroment. Why should't all disposables be biodegradable?

Presumably cos they're a lot more expensive to manufacture?

I didn't even know there was such a thing, you certainly can't get them up here, but next time I visit anywhere resembling a shopping centre I'll look. I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for them.

Sainsburys do a Nature Babies range, and I have used them if I was dropping off Abbie at friends or if I had to go and leave Mr B to deal with the night-time nappy ( he couldn't work out how much to boost it). They were just as good, if not better that the Pampers/Huggies and didn't look so crammed full of chemicals!

oooh, Floopy just wait until No 2 baby comes along, I bet you won't be able to keep your washing until the weekend, I honestly would be lost without my washing machine. I remember on Sundays my mum would practically spent all day at the sink with the twin-tub, if it was a nice day it wasn't so bad as the clothes went outside but what a nightmare if it was raining, there were clothes everywhere!