Common Myths About Cloth Nappies
Common myths about cloth nappies. Let’s uncover it together!
- DISPOSABLE NAPPIES ARE CLEANER
We’re so gentle and careful what we buy for our children. We buy clean skincare, eat organic foods, use certified washing powders and buy specially-certified cotton sleep suits.
A newborn baby’s skin is five times thinner than an adults so they’re more susceptible to absorbing toxins.
So why aren’t we as conscious when it comes to what we put on our baby’s private parts? It is just normalized to use disposables.
Often ‘eco’ disposable brands will list what’s NOT in them. But often they fail to mention what chemicals ARE present in their products.
We encourage parents to do their research about disposables before they make a decision for their newborn. It isn’t less important than researching about first solids or respectful parenting methods. We are on a trip together, not to judge or decide who is making wrong or right decisions, let’s just stay open minded together!
- DISPOSING OF THE POO IS MORE GROSS
Diaper changing isn’t something “fun activity”
no matter what kind of diaper you are using, It just needs to be done.
But did you know that with disposable nappies you are actually supposed to dispose of the poo in the toilet? Most parents using disposables think they can close the nappy with the poo and toss it with the household scarp. It is unhygienic to place human-waste in the bin and since they harbor human waste, disposable diapers have the potential to be a public health hazard.
With reusable nappies you just shake, scrape or rinse the poo off of your reusable nappies and put it in the loo
…(AKA where it’s supposed to go!)
- REUSABLE NAPPIES ARE SMELLY
Many disposable nappies contain fragrances to block odours. These fragrances have less scent than sanitary pads but the fragrances are usually there. They often have endocrine disrupting phthalates in them, which are known to have an array of negative health effects.
If a nappy smells, it should be removed from the body immediately. Simple. When we go to the toilet it is normal to find a smell right? We flush it. Simple.
Fragrances in nappies are completely unnecessary and should be avoided.
If your nappies smell bad the chance are you that you need to make changes to your washing routine.
- THEY’RE BAD FOR THE WASHING MACHINE
When your child has a big blowout, what do you do? Do you toss their clothes away and buy new ones?
Let me guess. you rinse the poo gently off the clothes and then put it in the washing mashine. Right, this is also the cloth diaper cleaning method!
Doctors and nurses wash their scrubs, chefs wash their aprons and farmers wash their overalls – all of these things are contaminated with human/animal waste and more.
Washing machines these days are highly effective at cleaning washable textiles, including cloth nappies. It isn’t necessary to do a maintenance wash after your cloth diaper wash before your clothing wash. But regardless of whether or not you’re using cloth nappies you should be doing a maintenance wash on your machine every month.
- REUSABLE NAPPIES ARE UNCONVENTIONAL
First thing’s first, disposable nappies are a relatively new phenomenon. Prior to their appearance on the mass-market, cloth nappies were actually the norm. And we like that norm!
Granted, back in those days they didn’t have the modern cloth nappies that we have today (hook and loop, poppers, pretty prints and all that). No, Granny and Grandad wore terry nappies that had to be folded in special ways and pinned into place. It’s funny to say but so many people still think cloth nappies are what Granny and Grandad used. Is it because our society has gotten so used to the disposables that they don’t choose to see what cloth diaper really is in 21st century?
Btw. The human race survived and thrived in old fashioned cloth nappies. And they did so even without washing machines!
