An average baby gets through over 5,000 nappies, at a cost of around £1,200 a year to the parent (and that’s for 2 or maybe even 3 years).

Around 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away in the UK every day, amounting to around 4% of landfill. Each nappy takes the equivalent of one cup of oil to produce it. A disposable nappy can take 500 years to decompose, a virus can live in a nappy for 2 weeks, and there is a danger of seepage from the soiled nappy into the water supply. There are also concerns about chemicals contained in some nappies, which could lead to decreased fertility levels in adults, and toxic shock syndrome. A survey showed that disposable nappies cause nappy rash in 54% of babies, but only 18% of babies wearing cotton nappies.

Using cotton nappies will cost you around £300 a year, including washing – that’s a saving of £900 over disposables.

The Nappy Lady will help you choose the right cloth nappies for your baby.

If you really can’t stand washing them , then look for a nappy washing service in your area – its more water–efficient too! They will deliver clean ones when taking away your soiled ones. More information from the National Association of Nappy Services .

If you do decide to buy disposables, you can find buy eco-friendly ones from Earthlets, So Organic, Naturebotts, and Natural Collection, and at many other sites. These take a fraction of the time (around 100 days) to bio-degrade.