Way back when I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time umm-ing and ahh-ing over so many of the choices we wanted to make for our baby. One of those things was nappies; Should we opt for the quickest, easiest option or do our best to protect the environment? Should we spend a little bit at a time or lots in one go?
In the end we decided to start off with disposable nappies and see how we got on. We found them super easy to use and very few leaks with our chosen brands, so we just carried on.
However, that didn't stop the niggling guilt about how many nappies we send to landfill and how long they take to decompose. On top of that, we've found ourselves becoming more and more conscious of how much we spend lately. Those things combined meant that the stats I saw popping up on social media throughout Real Nappy Week really hit home. It was then that I decided I really wanted to give cloth nappies ago (only 16 months in, but better late than never!)
I knew that I wanted to start off by trying all in ones first, as the idea of beginning with a full nappy system was a bit daunting. I did loads of research, asked around for recommendations and, after even more umm-ing and ahh-ing, finally came to a decision. Taking advantage of the Real Nappy Week discounts online, we bought our first ever cloth nappies: 2 Bambino Mio Miosolos and 2 Bumgenius Elementals (as well as a pack of Little Lamb bamboo boosters).
I'm not going to lie and say it's been plain sailing from the start but so far we've found using cloth nappies SO much easier than we imagined we would! Yes we've had a few leaks, we've tightened them up too tightly by accident, we've panicked a little at the thought of having to deal with a dirty nappy... But there are so many things that I love about cloth already! I love the colours and designs, I love how soft they are against Finley's skin, I love how cute he looks in them and more than anything, I love knowing that every time we use one, that's one less disposable that we're responsible for sending to landfill.
It's still early days and the idea of using them whilst out and about is a bit scary at the moment but I'm determined to stick with it (not least because there are some gorgeous prints out there and I'm already becoming a bit obsessed with planning which ones I'm going to buy next...!)
What do you think of real nappies? Do you have any advice for people like me who are new to using cloth?!
Watch this space to see how we get on...
