There are three main reasons why people are returning to washable nappies:

• The Welfare of their child
• The Environment
• The Cost

The Welfare of their child : Surely cloth nappies cannot be as good for your child as a 'disposable' is, after all a 'disposable nappy' is always being improved to help keep your baby drier.

This must be a good thing!! The manufacturers would have you believe this but.. In fact there are many unanswered questions regarding 'single use nappies' as some of the chemicals used are unregulated and 'disposable nappies' have not been around long enough to know the long term effects.

Cloth nappies have been around for generations and most are made from natural materials. There is also evidence to say that a child wearing cloth nappies may potty train earlier since they are more aware of being wet.

Surely this can only be a good thing for all concerned?

The Environment: Most babies will use approximately 7000 nappies. If disposable nappies are used, this will go on to produce around 2 tons of waste (about 1 bin bag per week) during their first 2-2.5 years.

These are then thrown on to your local landfill sites where it is estimated it will take between 200 and 500 years for them to bio-degrade.

This means that local resources are being spent on collecting and disposing of them rather than investing your local taxes in the future of you area.

There is also the question of where they will go when the landfill sites are full?

Something that will effect your own children and several generations in the future.

Another factor involved in the environmental issues is the intense management of the areas used to farm production of the paper pulp used in single use nappies, where pesticides and chemical fertilisers are putting many animal species in danger.

It is obvious that the use of disposable nappies has a far greater impact on the environment than the use of cotton nappies. Even allowing for the energy and solutions needed to wash them.

By using cloth nappies you will contribute to the protection of your local environment as well as that of the whole planet.

The Cost: Using reuseable nappies can save you money!

Even if you allow for the weekly running cost of using and washing nappies you could save between £100 and £500 per child.

The actual amount you will save depends on several things:

The type of nappy system you buy, a flat nappy and outer cover being the cheapest and easiest to dry. An All-in-One/Pocket Nappy System often being the most expensive.

You should also take into account the amount of times a week you are intending on doing a wash load and how you will dry them - line drying is free.

Other costs involved include disposable liners and ingredients to use in your nappy bucket if you decide to soak you nappies.

Even if you take all these costs into account you could still save money as well as the environment and if you go on to have subsequent children your saving could be even greater.

There is also a good market for second hand nappies, so if you care for your nappies well you may be able to sell them on.

3 good reasons for choosing cotton nappies, because... cloth cares!