I am often asked by pregnant women and parents: Should I use practical disposable nappies for my baby? But what about the ecological balance? So perhaps washable nappies are better after all? Cloth nappies? Isn't that too time-consuming? So is it best to test the nappy-free system straight away? Ultimately, however, every family has to decide for themselves what works best for them in every respect - in other words, what is practical for them and what is important to them.
Of course, you can also combine different systems. I know many families who, for example, use cloth nappies at home and disposable nappies when out and about. Currently, 95 per cent of children in Germany wear disposable nappies. These and other interesting findings beyond brand differences were discovered by Stiftung Warentest in a large-scale nappy test in 2021. For their study, the experts handed out almost 53,000 nappies to their "research families". If they were all stacked on top of each other, the "nappy tower" would be as tall as the Empire State Building in New York.
However, before we take a look at the different wrapping options, here is some more information on the question:
How long does a child wear nappies?
In an infant, bladder and bowel emptying is still triggered by a reflex. The baby is not conscious. Nevertheless, it can naturally feel uncomfortable when the nappy is full.
When a child learns to control their faeces is as different as the age of the child. Running or Learn to speak . All these steps depend on individual development.
In order to control excretions, the nerve pathways and muscles in the pelvic floor must first be developed to such an extent that the child senses that "something" wants to come out. Only when it has developed a feeling for this can the child learn to control its excretions in the second step. This described maturation process is reached towards the end of the second year of life at the earliest. Most children are dry during the day between the ages of 2.5 and 3.5. They say goodbye to the night nappy at a later stage.
Neither intensive "potty training" nor scolding nor the promise of rewards can change this process of maturity and development in your child. So just try to stay relaxed. This is the best way to support your child.
Disposable nappies
Disposable nappies first conquered the German market in the mid-1970s. They consist of a plastic outer cover with an absorbent core and can be fastened with an adhesive Velcro fastener. In larger sizes, they are also available as pant nappies (pants). The disposable models are available in different sizes to suit all needs from newborns to active toddlers. The child's body weight is indicated on the packaging to match the respective nappy size. If red stripes appear on your baby's tummy and legs, it is better to choose the next size.
In any case, the fit and wearing comfort should ensure that the nappy fits well, does not slip, is soft on the inside and is easy to put on and take off.
The need to keep baby's delicate skin on the bum dry also plays an important role. After all, skin irritation and inflammation should be avoided. This is why many models contain a so-called superabsorber. This plastic (polymer) draws the liquid away from your baby's skin and into the nappy. It can absorb and trap up to 30 times its own weight. The absorption capacity varies depending on the nappy brand. Incidentally, Stiftung Warentest did not find any critical harmful substances in the nappies of any of the 11 brands it tested.
The cost of disposable nappies varies between 12 and 55 cents per item, depending on the brand and model. On average, a child needs around 5,000 to 6,000 nappies until it is dry. Added to this is the waste disposal fee. This adds up to a considerable sum in the first three years of your child's life.
Cloth nappies
Our grandmothers only knew classic gauze nappies, which were often quite difficult to put on, especially if the child didn't want to stay still. A generation later, the cloth nappy was wrapped in firm, stiff "rubber trousers".
Gauze nappies still exist, but they are mostly only used as burp cloths. Today, the washable Cloth nappy systems from
- a waterproof textile outer layer,
- an absorbent inner core and
- usually a nappy fastener (Velcro or press studs).
In this way Cloth nappies be one-piece, which means that everything is already connected and is washed after use. Or they can be multi-part so that only the inserts are washed when the panties are not soiled.
The inserts are made from cotton, merino wool, cellulose or microfibre, for example. There are also disposable insoles that are thrown away afterwards. The overtrousers can be made of fleece, microfibre or polyurethane laminate (PUL). If they are made of wool, they must be impregnated regularly with wool grease.
As you can see: In the Cloth nappy system natural materials are often used. This conserves resources. The fact that cloth nappies often make a thicker "nappy bottom" under baby's clothes than disposable models may not bother you. However, they often don't keep the bum dry for as long as disposable nappies, and some types are not suitable for use at night. And cloth nappies are also a bit more work for parents to wash. However, there are also so-called "nappy services". They supply you with fresh cloth nappies and collect the used ones for cleaning.
Looking at the child, experience shows that many children who are swaddled in cloth are obviously more aware of their faeces and some children dry out a little earlier as a result. They are also much less likely to be sore.
Initially, the purchase costs of around 400 to 700 euros for a cloth nappy system tear a considerable hole in the household budget. Added to this are the energy costs for washing the nappies. Nevertheless, this system remains financially more favourable than the disposable system.
Life cycle assessment
Conventional used Disposable nappies correctly in the residual waste. Some local authorities even issue special nappy waste bags to reduce the load on the bins. In total, 154,680 tonnes (= almost 154.7 million kilograms) of disposable nappies end up in the rubbish each year throughout Germany, as Stiftung Warentest has calculated. This corresponds to around 15,500 rubbish lorries packed full of used nappies. They are incinerated together with household waste. Disposable nappies also produce greenhouse gases due to their petroleum-based materials.
However, if a used conventional nappy ends up in nature, it takes about 500(!) yearsuntil it has rotted - not to mention the microplastics produced in the process.
More and more nappy manufacturers have now developed so-called Eco nappies was launched on the market. Unlike conventional disposable nappies, eco nappies are only partially made from petroleum-based materials, the rest is biodegradable. However, "eco" is not a legally protected term. So take a close look at how high the "eco" content of the nappy actually is.
In the eco category, there are now also a few disposable nappies that are about 85 per cent recyclable. compostable apply. Only the Velcro fasteners and adhesive strips are currently still made from fossil fuels, the rest is biodegradable. However, according to the Fertiliser Ordinance, these nappies are still not allowed in the organic waste bin! So, can they go in your own compost heap? Then it needs to be big - otherwise it will soon smell rather unpleasant.
Cloth nappies At first glance, disposable nappies have many advantages over disposable nappies: for example, they produce significantly less waste and can also be used by the next child and the one after that. That's a good thing.
Nevertheless, cloth nappies do not have as "clean" an ecological footprint as one might initially assume. The reason: correct washing. Cloth nappies require the full 60-degree wash programme for hygienic cleaning (none Eco programme due to too little water and often too low a temperature). The normal wash cycle consumes a lot of electricity and water. If you then dry nappies and pads in the tumble dryer, the energy balance deteriorates considerably. The environment doesn't say thank you at all. Some experts even say that the eco-balance of cloth nappy systems is even worse than that of conventional disposable nappies. The United Nations contradicted this with a study in 2021. It states that the use of cloth nappies makes more ecological sense. Prerequisites: long-term use (for several children), washing machines that are always fully loaded using eco-detergent, air-drying, washing at 40 degrees (which is hygienically questionable and does not kill fungi, e.g. Candida).
The nappy-free method
The name says it all: In principle, the nappy is left off as often as possible. But not all the time, of course, but only when appropriate. Whether, when or how often the baby is nappied or not is up to the parents.
The nappy-free method is about not early "cleanliness training".
Rather, the idea behind this is that many babies send out signals when they "have to". These can be certain sounds, restlessness, characteristic crying or a typical facial expression. It is also assumed that parents learn to interpret these signals over time in the same way that they learn to recognise "hungry" or "tired" signals. When an "I've got to go" signal is given, the child is then told to go to the toilet or potty to do their small or large business. In English-speaking countries, this method is also known as "elimination communication" (EC), which translates roughly as "elimination communication". It requires even more parental attention to the child's needs and therefore strengthens the bond, it is said.
One thing is certain: Nappy-free is unbeatable in terms of price - it costs nothing. And the vast majority of children enjoy playing on the changing unit for a while with their bare bottoms without a nappy around them, crawling around or running around the house. Have fun with it!
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