10 reasons why I love reusable nappies

Little 3 has been wearing reusable nappies for over a year, I can now safely say we have tested them fully right through from breastfeeding and weaning and into toddlerhood. There are a great many reasons to give cloth a go and these are my top 10 reasons why I love reuseable nappies.

1. No chemicals on Little 3's bottom - This was one of the main reasons for switching to reusables with Little 3. Most of the disposable brands (apart from a few of the eco ones which generally contain something like wood pulp) are filled with chemicals, absorbing gels and strange things with long names! Little's 1 and 2 wore disposable nappies and got a lot of nappy rash at times. Since Little 3 was born he has only had a sore bottom once due to teething. I definitely think wearing natural breathable fibres next to his bottom is better for his skin, I only wish we had used them with the girls too.  

2. You never run out - There are always nappies in the house, I never have to run to the shops for nappies in the rain or lug great big packs of nappies home on the pushchair. As long as I keep on top of the nappy wash, which is only every third day, I will never have to go shopping for nappies.

3. The cost saving- Yes it did cost me around £450 to buy my nappies from birth until now but if you wanted to buy secondhand you could spent half that. But put it this way, I have worked out that in Little 3's first year we changed around 2250 nappies, add in a couple of packs of wipes a week (we use washable ones so saving there too) and this works out at nearly £600 for the year. We have already saved and every month until potty training we are now saving around £35 a month give or take a couple of £ for washing the nappies. When we are done we can sell on our nappies too.

4. They don't smell - You know that smell from disposables, the chemical one when your child has had a wee, you just do not get that from natural fibres. Reusable nappies are also brilliant at containing the other kind of nappy smell.

5. No poonami's - Reusable nappies are elasticated all the way around the back and the legs, this leads to no leaks, they really are far superior for containment, no up the back jobs in our house ever!

6. They are environmentally friendly - 2250 nappies we didn't send to landfill this past year - enough said!

7. Cute designs - There are so many gorgeous prints available, I love choosing which nappy to put on Little 3 and to see him crawling around in nappies like these, you have to admit he looks pretty cute.

8. The washing line - There is no better satisfaction than a line of nappies drying outside in the sun.

9. They are a conversation starter - The number of good comments I have had in baby changing rooms about Little 3's nappies is unreal. I have stopped and chatted to several mums about nappies in the past and even managed to get a couple of friends to try them. 

10. Shopping for new nappies - okay so shopping for nappies doesn't thrill you that much but with reusables there are always new prints and designs being released from somewhere, waiting to see what the new ones are going to be and deciding which ones to buy when you are building your stash can be fun.