Saving Money on Nappies

I personally don't think disposables should be considered...they have an incredible impact on our planet. There are, as far as I know only one type of biodegradable disposable nappy on sale in New Zealand. However, this still requires you to a) remove the contents , and b) dissect the nappy in to parts for composting. I am almost certain the instructions are not followed by many of the people who have at least bothered to avoid ordinary "disposable" nappies.

My first two babies had cloth nappies, and we used disposables at night and when we were out. I didn't plan to do that second time round, but was dismayed when someone at a playgroup held my dd and pronounced her "wet"...which she was not, but a cloth nappy has a way of feeling wet, when you are used to holding babies in slim-fitting disposables.

There are huge numbers of cloth nappies now beyond the square piece of cotton flanellette I used to use. We had those for Tombliboo and later bought some Peapods reusuable nappies, which were fabulous. Further, their resale value is very good should you decide to discontinue their use. I think I got at least 2/3 my money back.

It is nearly always possible to use cloth or reusable nappies when out or on holiday.


Cleaning Nappies

Nappies become beautifully white with only the following treatment.

Soak them overnight in a bucket of water with baking soda, apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. Rinse and spin in the machine, and line dry. I used hot water to kill stuff, and figured it was a good option since I was using the lowest water-depth setting.

This is a gigantic saving on products, is more natural and better for your baby's skin, and is far more friendly on our waterways.

Natural Infant Hygiene or Elimination Communication

Did you know babies don't actually want to pee/poop on themselves? NIH or EC simply means you are giving your child the opportunity to pee somewhere other than on themselves.

Just like any other mammal, human babies don't want to soil themselves or their clothing (since that means sitting in their waste). They also see no distinction between themselves and their primary caregiver(s), so they do not want to pee/poop on you either. This is a wonderful bonus as fr as saving nappies (and therefore money) goes.

By observing your child's signals (what they do immediately before they pee/poop) you will soon begin to anticipate when they need to go. You can buy a small potty designed for infants, which you place between your legs and sit baby on. Or you can use any container at all (including a bucket), or the garden, or the laundry tub or the toilet.

When you see your baby urinating, if you like, you can make a cue sound- before long, you will be able to make this sound, and have your baby eliminate (if he needs to).

Please note: All babies are different, but mine did not care about peeing/pooping on the carpet once he got mobile. He wasn't peeing on him or I, and he knew he could move away from it. This tied in with him not wanting to use the potty at all, and we persevered too long, imagining it would all be back to normal in a day or so. If I did this again, I would put baby in nappies when he was starting to crawl...if I had carpet. I think if I had wood floors, I would keep him nappy-free.

I'm happy to answer questions.