Using real nappies can save parents up to ?1,700
Monday March 12 2007
Campaigners made their claim of ?1,700 savings as they launched 'Real Nappy Week', which starts today.
Even more can be saved on subsequent children who could then use the same ones, according to mother-of-two Nicola Whelan, who said the difficulty of finding real nappies a few years ago led her to set up Ecologikids.com.
It's now one of a number of companies serving this growing market; and while precise figures for sales in the Irish market are not available, in Britain reusable nappies are on target to capture 15pc of the nappy market, she said.
There will be a number of talks and "nappuccino" meetings held by local authorities and private companies this week as part of Real Nappy Week 2007, an international event aimed at highlighting the advantages of the real thing.
Hollywood star power is even being cited by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, who point out that top celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin have made real nappies the "must-have" baby accessory.
"Real nappies save money and reduce waste, therefore reducing the household environmental waste charge," said council environmental spokeswoman Marie Grant.
High waste charges have given a particular boost to the market in Ireland, as nappies add hugely to our waste bill - as much as ?300 per child, said Nicola Whelan.
Staggering
With each child going through 5,500 nappies by the time they are toilet trained, a staggering 600,000 disposable nappies are tossed into bins every day in Ireland.
This adds up to over 200 million a year.
Her company has a team of nine nappy advisers around the country who can bust myths and fears about real nappies - such as the belief that they cause nappy rash.
New flushable liners to insert inside the outer nappy also meant parents had minimal handling of soiled nappies.
- Aideen Sheehan
