‘Are you kidding’ I hear you say – ‘too much hard work, could never handle with all that washing, don’t they leak everywhere?’

Actually all of the above couldn’t be further from the truth and the advantages of using cloth nappies far out weigh the advantages of using disposables.

Facts About Cloth Nappies

Save money!
Cloth nappies will save you a small fortune in the long run and the savings can be even greater if you have more than one baby. Using disposable nappies could cost you between £600 to £1000 per child, depending on which brand of nappy you use, whereas a really good set of modern cloth nappies will cost between £200 and £500. A massive saving! Just think of all that money that could have just been thrown in the bin!

Reliability
The advantage of cloth nappies is that it is very easy to boost absorbency, where as with disposables there is nothing you can do, except keep changing your baby. Most babies are fine during the day but night time can be problematic. There are various ways to boost the absorbency in your cloth nappies; it’s simply a case of finding the right nappy cover and filling it with the right amount of cloth to get your baby through the night. It is widely known that cloth nappies are far more reliable than disposables. They contain nappy content much better because they have 2 parts to them, therefore: fewer leaks, less complete changes of clothes resulting in less washing of babies’ clothes.

Environment
Cloth nappies are just natural materials, no plastics or chemicals next to baby’s skin. And there are organic cotton and bamboo nappies so you know your baby’s skin is chemical-free. Think of those land fills that won’t be clogging up with your baby’s nappies, instead you can just put the contents of the nappy down the loo (where they should be) and store the dirty nappies in a bucket, add some tea tree oil, then wash on a 30 degree setting and hang out to dry.  If you want to wash on a higher degree to flash out any germs, and then use an eco washing powder and you’ll know you’re still doing your bit for the environment.

By using cloth nappies you will produce far less household waste and creating a eco-friendly environment. About half of the waste a family with baby produces will be nappies if they use disposables. By toilet training a baby will have used the same weight in disposable nappies as an average family car, and this will still be sitting in a landfill site when they are grandparents.

And the best reason of all…. Cloth nappies come in really great designs – disposables don’t!

Ethicalbabe offers a trial pack of cloth nappies – so you could try them out and if you don’t like them there are lots of schemes which buy them second hand.

I became interested in how world leaders were literally poisoning the world, stuff like the G8 summit and undernourised children in developing countries. Realistic enough to know that there is only so much you can do as an individual, I signed up to numerous campaigns and demonstrations where collectively like minded people stood up to let the ‘decision makers’ know that they had had enough!

At home however, a different story emerged. I look at how and where products are made. Is this toy made under fairtrade conditions and from a sustainable source? (Answer: Yes) Will this disposable nappy still be sitting on a mound in three generations time? (Answer:No) Do organic clothes really help the environment and the people who make them? (Answer: Yes). This is only the tip of the ethical iceberg, but if we all looked at how and where our products are made perhaps our planet and its people will be just as pure as newborns!

These are just some of the factors that drove Claire and me to start Ethical Babe an online store that offers for sale organic products for babies and young children. We have been overwhelmed at the positive response we have received, but not surprised – at finding a shift and demand to products such as natural nappies, wooden toys, and organic children’s clothing.  Maybe this will be our backlash against a society that has relied too much on synthetic products with any afterthought given to the future effects of not just the environment but to our children.

Pity the parent with slightly older children though.  If like me you have a five year old hungry for Nintendogs or whatever they are called, then I pity you, especially if your wallet is somewhat slimmer than it was this time last year.

But don’t dispair.  If you try online shopping you will find a big range of toys for the hungry child, ranging from noisy bee bell sticks,  butterfly castanets, racing cars and skipping ropes, all environmentally friendly of course and for under a fiver!  These make great stocking fillers but equally for those slightly bigger gifts you will still find plenty of natural wooden toys costing between £10-£15.

From traditional flower presses to bouncing pounders, magnetic animals and pull along wooden toys many online shops have one standard p&p cost, so if you shop wisely and get everything under the one online roof it can save you quite a bit of cash

It’s just the customer who is going to suffer.  Now is the time that many brick & mortar shops, high streets and online shopping sites, are going to feel the negative affects, with many small companies forced to close.   Several online natural, green, ethical shops that have sprung up by mums who wholeheartedly believe in their products but also work from home will be forced to make tough choices too.   Yet I remain cautiously optimistic!

Customers will find (if they look) some really great online bargains around, including price reductions on organic products that perhaps a few weeks ago were only slightly more expensive than the mass produced ones.  Yes, offers can be found in the high streets, but this does involve physically getting from A-B, then B-C and then back to A-B – because that is where the best bargain was first.  However, I am all in favour of scouring the net and finding the best priced product  in the whole of the UK!  Trust me there are some great ones around!  In a matter of minutes you’ll find some great bargains and you won’t feel knackered afterwards.  And as well as saving yourself some money you’re probably also saving an ethical company!

One of our most popular products has been the eco friendly nappy (diaper) in both disposable and reusable cloth.  They are made from 100% natural materials that include no gels or chemicals that absorb liquid. In actual fact they absorb very well using the natural absorbency of the bamboo cloth. As a result they are extremely soft and gentle on the baby’s skin.

Today organic is hitting the mainstream and alpaca and other similar quality fibres are being courted by the fashionable and turned into contemporary designs.  Not only has it become an ethical mainstay of the chic but it has become a calling cry for most parents who want their children to lead a healthier lifestyle. This includes not just eating well, it also extends to clothing.  Wearing organic clothing that is made from natural materials such as cotton without any of the added chemicals can only have a positive effect on our children and give them a good start to a healthier lifestyle, when you think about it today’s modern child spends a lot of time between mobile phones, PC’s, and fast foods, this can only eventually have negative effects on the child’s long-term behaviour. The results are still not fully with us on the long term effects of mobile phones on adults, let alone children.

At Ethical Babe we strive to bring healthy and natural alternatives to the market with our organic clothing and natural toiletries which includes shampoos, clothing for infants and pre-teens. We have children ourselves and believe thoroughly in our products and would not sell anything we thought would go against our own principles of putting our children’s health first.

Organic clothing for children need not be boring and there are plenty of fashionable designs that utilize natural fibres. Shop around and ramke sure you read what is on the label, dont be put off to ask where the clothing came from and what guarantees it is fair trade clothing.