In response to the headline - don't men ever change nappies? If so, why do women have to decide which ones to use?

Bindy, Richmond, England

For me, it was both cost and environment. Even Tesco disposables, significantly cheaper than Pampers/Huggies, would cost about £600 for 4,500 nappies. We spent <40% of that on all our cloth nappies, which will do for any future babies too. I wash twice a week at 60C and only tumble dry in winter.

Jen, Cambridge,

Having brought up three children, I have found hat hot washing and desinfection of re-usable nappies is unnecessary. The cost for electricity and chemical agents can easily be avoided. A warm wash with a drop of liquid soap is sufficient.

Frank Hoffmann, Deal, Kent

Wow!! So many people just have no knowledge of modern nappies. Sure, you can get the standard terries of old, but there is so much more variety nowadays. Nappies made from organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, fleece. Shaped nappies, pockets, all-in-one's. And you just wash the same as you do your clothes.

Kerry, Liverpool, UK

The comparison of disps v cloth showed that the production process for disps is very bad but the washing of cloth has the same impact IF soaking, using normal detergent AND drier. BUT in addition you add disps to landfill which is a huge prob. Plus many do not soak or use a drier, use 1/2 detergent

Danielle, London,

Cloth nappies have definitely changed - no pins, soaking or boil washing as in the past! Modern nappies are reliable, slim, shaped with poppers or velcro, breathable & lots of cool colours. Put 1 wash in the machine every couple of days, line or tumble dry & that's it! Env friendly & save money too!

Sharon, Great Chesterford, Essex, UK

As well as the environmental benefits of washable nappies, there can also be cost savings especially if they are used on more than one child. There is also a second hand market for these nappies so you can also get some money back when you are finished with them!

Hayley Jones, Newton Abbot, UK

Many childminders/nurseries will not deal with washable nappies. However, you can get biodegradable disposables (Moltex, Tushies), which are a good compromise (but very expensive). I found that washables tended to leak but they do have the advantage that kids potty train earlier with them.

Helen, Fleet,

Such a shame that the picture shows a baby in a disposable - when the choice of patterns and colours of cloth nappies is so appealing to everyone!

Lucy Coupal, Southampton,

It is so sad that people are always trying to find a reason why cloth are not good for the environment to ease there guilt,
Washing powder for instance keeps coming up, have you not heard of ecover, fairy none-bio or the many other eco friendly washing powders

mark clemett, holmes chapel, cheshire

I wash 2 loads of nappies per wk at 60 max in an A rated machine. Over 2.5yrs this costs £153 (wear on machine + electricity + detergent) and has 24% less global warming impact than suggested by the Environment Agency report (WEN). No-one suggests we throw clothes away after one use to save energy

Amy , Bristol,

I do believe that decreasing landfill is a beneficial thing even if we are using more power/water. But to be honest, it's my baby I'm thinking of. I think that having all those chemicals close to her skin is potentially harmful, and I refuse to expose her to them.

Caro, Cambridge, UK

Is it true that there are disposable nappies for dolls for sale? A reader's " hint " in a recent women's magaine was that she bought disposable nappies for premature babies because they were much cheaper than the ones in the toy shop.

trish, london,

Great article, but it doesn't truly represent modern cloth nappy use! You refer to a return to "bulky safety-pinned terries" but actually today's nappies are often pre-shaped, with "all-in-one and "pocket" versions being popular & simple options.

No pins, no folding and no sweaty plastic pants!

Stephanie, Leeds, UK

Gosh, now I know why I don't read the times very often. Has your reporter ever seen a modern washable nappy? We (that's me and my husband, who is a man) use washables, there's no soaking, no pins, no boiling hot washes, and no hassle. We wash at 40, and we don't own a tumble drier.

emma, Oxon,

Caroline,London
I'm sure there 'are' people who bag and bag again the biodegradable nappies but there are also many more who compost them. Just because not 'everybody' does things the most enviromentally friendly way doesn't mean that no-one does.Every bit helps and even 100years is less than 500.

Sonjia, Wrexham,

Another washable user here and def not because I'm "too posh for pampers", far more to do with being too skint for pampers! I use terry squares, fleece liners that i made myself and wash at 60 or 40 with eco balls. Save money and much better for the environment.

Fiona, Durham,

I wonder if most of the people against the washables have actually experienced using them. I mostly wash at 40 and never soak. I live in a tiny flat and still manage! Even if there was no difference in energy use, surely stinky landfill is reason enought to use them? And poo in the bin? Eeeewww!!

Simone, Essex,

An often overlooked advantage of the washable nappy is the savings on your pocket: I spent £50 on washables and got £30 back from the council. Those nappies have lasted me through 2 children, and have saved me well over £1000.

Sarah McKenzie-Jones, Bromley, United Kingdom

We are a low income family and don't have a car, let alone a Chelsea tractor, but I have used the same set of cloth nappies on all three children and saved a mound of disposable nappies the size and weight of 3 family cars being sent to landfill.

Amy , Bristol,

I was saying that there is a massive difference. I hardly use any detergent to wash my sons nappies, he has no chemicals next to his skin and we are not filling landfills with used nappies and human excriment!! I also use washable wipes and hang my nappies to dry, so how can this not be better....

Vicky, Aldershot,

...than chemical, poo filled nappies sitting in landfills for up to 500 years??!!

I also only wash the nappies every 3 days, so really not very much washing.

Cloth nappies are gorgeous and very easy to use too.

Vicky, Aldershot,

Don't use nappies at all. 3 generations ago mothers mothered their children and had no need of nappies: the child is wired to signal and the mother soon leanrs. Children should not be fit in to our 'life styles': they are the purpose of our earthly existence.

Greg Lorriman, Leatherhead, UK

Energy use and water are a poor excuse for not using cloth.1 wash every other day disapears in most famillies washing machine usage.As for the drudgery..hmm 10 mins a day..how awful!With regard to chemicals I use normal eco washing powder at 40deg how is that worse than the chems used in disposables

Sonjia, Wrexham,

I really believe thaty the only way to get away from this terrible disposable society we have become is to tax heavily the companies that make disposable few use items (thanks King Camp) and to incentivise for the consumer the use of multi use items.
It is far to easy to throw away these days.

Pete, St Albans, England

I live in a tiny flat with no washing line or drier & have used fabric nappies since my son was born 7 months ago. A bucket in the bathroom takes up no space & 1 extra load of washing every 2 days isn't that difficult to manage and they dry the same as adult clothes PLUS there's no stinky bin!!

Mandy, London, UK,

Might have known someone would mention the Environment Agency Report, that was so wrong they are having to do it all over again!!!! If you took the time to read the report, you will see just how flawed it is. The majority don't wash at 90 degrees, don't tumble dry or iron nappies! Read it yourself!

Mel Highley, Portishead, Bristol, UK

I use a product called g-diapers, its a new type of nappy. They are cloth and the inliners are biodegradable or flushable (looks like toilet paper when flushed). They are easy to use and come in pretty colours. They are great.

steph, UK,

- One child uses between 4-5 trees (paper pulp) if they wear dispoables for 2 1/2 years
- Plastic in disposables uses oil which is running out!
- Energy is used to make these nappies that will only be used once!
- Trucks that get the nappies to the shops, then once used to the landfill use petrol

Karen, Bradford,

We use cloth nappies/wipes 24/7. They don't need to be landfilled, don't need to be soaked or boiled, wash at 40/60 degree wash in machine with ecoballs, dry on line/horse/radiator. Pocket nappies as easy as a 'dispicable' to put on, softer for baby, cheaper, use for several babies, then sell on!!!

Mel Highley, Portishead, Bristol, UK

I wonder about the impact to the environment from the detergent used to wash the re-usables. I am sure many of the mothers who use washables because they are "too posh for pampers" also drive a Chelsea tractor.

Edward, London,

Good to see 'green dads' who handle the nappy duties getting recognition too. No, wait.. it seems they're not worthy of mention.

DMC, Tokyo,

Oh it makes me laugh when people say they use 'biodegradable disposables'! I bet they roll them up into a little ball, then put them in a nappy bag, then put them in a dustbin bag. They might biodegrade in 100 years or so once all the plastic bags they are wrapped in have been broken down.

Caroline, London,

Ian in sommerset.

You dont have to soak them and you can buy laundry mesh so you dont have to touch them. I store mine dry and tip into the washing machine form a wet bag. No chemicals or poopy water there!
As for living in flats, buy pocket nappies, quick to wash and dry.

Jen, Renfrew,

Having carried out a full Life Cycle Assessment the Environment Agency deemed there to be little difference on the impact to the environment of cloth v disposable nappies.

Only worrying about landfill and not energy to wash and reuse is shortsighted.

www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=146411

Salty, Reading,

Babies create so much laundry that an extra few loads of nappies is hardly noticeable. It takes me 30 seconds to empty my nappy bucket into the washing machine and 5 minutes to hang the clean nappies on the airer. All this talk of terries and boiling is so out-dated it's laughable,

Sam, Midlands,

Vicki from Tel Aviv - this has nothing to do with getting women back to the kitchen. i work full-time and have an 11-month old daughter and I use re-usable nappies. They are no more difficult or time-consuming to use than disposables. They cost less too and held the environment - win, win.

Janet, Marlow, Bucks

A couple of small bits of advice based on our experience: don't get the cheap ones which you see everywhere (they're not as good), and don't try to use them with newborns when it's really too liquid. Oh, and use a disposable paper liner to capture the worst of it. Otherwise they're fantastic!

Will Duffay, London,

Then there's the real eco-friendly alternative...early potty training. In most developing countries, and in the West until the last few decades, kids came out of nappies at one. Then some (now discredited) studies started proclaiming that it was bad for the child's psychological development...

Jonathan, London,

It is more energy effiecient. There is a new report as the old one did not take into account that we wash them at 40-60 NOT 90 and that the washing machines taday are more energy efficient. For me there is no contest cost wise or enviromentally. I am not rich - the opposite in fact.

Louise, Rochdale, England

We used ordinary nappies (towelling squares plus safety pins) for our children born '94 and '96. It was not difficult - a washing machine takes minutes to load and can wash at 90 degrees. Saved us money and was better for their skin - they got nappy rash immediately when we tried disposables.

cathy, Kissing, Germany

surely the need to wash the nappies constantly offsets the waste issue significantly? furthermore i doubt that they would be washed at less than 60 degrees by most parents.

michael, manchester,

We use washables during the day and ecofriendly disposables at night.As we are keen recyclers it was a logical path to follow.Like most things in life many people want the easy option, god forbid people might have to spend 30 mins every few days putting nappies in the washer/dryer.

Stephen, lake district,

Never mind the trade-off between landfill/biodegradability and water use/detergents, the fact is that having a child is just about the most environmentally unfriendly thing you can do. Of course, most of us need and want children; but having more than two is unutterable selfishness.

Lyn, Birmingham,

Ahh it's also so middle class! "I think that using terry nappies is the trendy best option, therefore it must be right that everyone should do the same!" Try living in a tiny flat without a washing line or room for buckets of dirty nappies/clothes horses and you'll realise why disposables are best.

Ian, reading, UK

We use reusables on our toddler by day then put him in a disposable at night - otherwise we'd get through too many in the nigth and wouldn't get a decent nights sleep! As for pampers - I can't understand why anyone would buy them when the generic supermarket ones are just as good!

James, Taunton, UK

I'm a firm advocate of washable nappies, with our 2nd & 3rd child now wearing the same set that we bought for our first. However, the major downside of washable nappies, is the frequent chore of draining the nappy bucket and manually placing the soiled nappies into the washing machine.

Ian Harding, Sunny Somerset, UK

My washable nappies are as easy as a disposable without all the horrid chemicals next to my babies skin .
They are kept dry in a special bag until i wash them using ecoballs.
We wash at 40 and hang dry. No pins, no rubber pants and no chemicals. I also use washable wipes! Dispo's are just yuck!

Jen, Renfrew,

We use OneLife Nappies (UK) & they are brilliant! Very easy to use and wash, and surprisingly not bulky at all. Our baby never gets a rash.The article fails to mention how much healthier it is for the child, too. No harmful perfumes and chemicals going through their bodies! A clear conscience indeed

Marianne, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

I think Vicky was alluding to the environmental impact comparison of energy used and detergent - leached into the water courses of re-usables versus the landfill of disposables. I agree that I don't think there will be much between them and it is largely a marketing ploy that there is!

Helen, Cottingham, UK

This would be a good idea for a postgraduate study - a full life cycle analysis of disposable nappies vs. washables.

Finally set the record straight- any volunteers?

MGB, Carmarthen, Wales

"Disposable nappies have also come a long way over the past few years - there are currently some very good biodegradable (corn based), bleach-free disposable nappies on the market."

WHERE ARE THESE BIODEGRADABLE CORN BASED NAPPIES? I've never heard of them!

Laura Robinson, Derbyshire, UK

Disposable nappies have also come a long way over the past few years - there are currently some very good biodegradable (corn based), bleach-free disposable nappies on the market. There is no 100% environmentally friendly solution - yet.

Steve, Aberdeen, Scotland

bring on the CORRECTED environmental report which does a proper comparison in energy costs between disposables and washables, based on the fact that nappies are not washed with a full dose of detergent at 90deg, tumble dried and ironed(!). hopefully even 'ethical consumer' will read it properly...

Vicky, Epping,

@Vickie: there is absolutely no need to put them through the drier, and putting them through the washing machine is hardly a huge amount of work! These are not like the terry nappies of old - they do not need boiling and scrubbing.

Will Duffay, London,

I am so pleased young mums are using re-usable nappies.

I have 2 children born in 1976 and 1990 and used re-usable nappies.

I am sure it is disposable nappies that has extended the age that children are in still in nappies.

My children were clean by 9 months and dry by day at 22 months

Barbara, Hereford,

Lower demand = cheaper disposable nappies!

Hurrah!

Pete, Cov,

Thanks, Helen. For middle classes, like me, it's impossible to pass on this additional time-consuming washing .& I work. Also, washers and driers will work over-time and it's bad for the environment as well. & there is no end to it - until we go back to the eco-healthiest times of the cage-period.

Vickie, Tel-Aviv,

I am not rich, nor am I posh, but i'm proud to use cloth!!!

I cannot grasp how people can say that using cloth is the same as using disposables for the environment!. They do not soak in chemicals between washes, nor use tons of chemicals when you wash them (1/2 measure of normal detergent).

Vicky, Aldershot,

I used both disposable and Terry's only because when I had my second daughter we went to live on a boat for a year. I loved my Terry' s and they are still being used now 10 years on. They were so easy to use and made the transition to potty training so easy.. My eldest was out of nappies at 2

Claire, Teddington, Middlesex

One load in the washing machine on a 40degree wash is high enough to kill bacteria, then on the line to dry using tumble dryer occassioanlly in the winter, not all cloth users tumble dry every day. nothing nicer than seeing the lovely nappies on the line! no extra washing, no soaking anymore.

Vicki, Woodley, UK

I use washable nappies, I don't soak them so no chemicals there and no mess either. I wash every other day and as I use a microfibre nappy they air dry very quickly. So all in all, they don't take up much time or energy to care for.

Joy, Leeds,

We used ordinary square towelling nappies with safety pins for our children born '94 and '96. It was cheap and easy - modern machines was at 90 degrees and are loaded in minutes. When we tried disposables, the kids got nappy rash immediately.

cathy, Kissing, Germany

Green MUMS?

Because Dads don't change nappies?

Duncan, Edinburgh,

All this talk about antiseptics, nappy pins, soaking, boiling and "back to the kitchen" is so far from the truth. Nappies are no longer soaked, and no boiling or antiseptic is required, you just empty the nappy bucket into the machine every two days - no different from putting them in the black bin.

Caroline Copeman, Cambridge,

I'm surprised to hear that reusable nappies have become so rare - I assumed it was normal to use them! I don't really see the point of disposables, so wasteful (do you throw away all your clothes if they get dirty?), inconvenient to have to keep buying them, and surely less comfortable for baby?

Sarah, London, UK

I managed to combine working full time and using reusable nappies. I bought enough to have one set for use, one being washed and one in reserve. I was the only one out of my NCT group to bother (2 to 3 yrs ago) despite the majority of them not working.

Mollie, UK,

There's lots of valid reasons for using washable nappies but for many of us, it ends up that we quite simply prefer them! I used cloth for my 3rd & 4th kids over the last 8 years & wouldn't change back! Please don't go on about bulky terries & pins - there's a stunning range of modern cloth nappies!

Jac, Aigues-Vives, France

Whatever the reason for it, well done mums I say.

M.Wilde, surbiton, surrey

I used basic terry squares, with liners, and plastic pants for both my children around 15 years ago. I did not meet another mum who used terries. They are so easy with automatic washing machines. And no, they did not suffer from nappy rash-unlike those mums who used disposables.It is laziness.

Fiona Anderson, Camberley, Surrey

Re-usable nappies are not necessarily 'greener'. There is a heavy energy cost involved in washing them, with the use of antiseptic chemicals that cannot easily be neutralised at sewage plants. Disposables are made mainly from renewable wood pulp.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

My experiance is that nappy use has little to do with cost as those who can least afford to use disposable nappies are most resistant to cloth. I chose to use cloth to avoid filling up landfuill sites with products that will proabably never decompose. My experience has been nothing but positive.

Annne, Maidstone, Kent

On the contrary these nappies are far more cost effective than disposable nappies. Granted the initial outlay can seem quite a lot but many of the nappies go all the way from birth to potty and last for more than one child. Have you seen the price of disposable nappies? Most people only have to wash every other day and with a young baby let’s face it you need to wash that often anyway. Some local councils have incentive schemes as well, mine offers £30 cash back on the purchase of your reusable nappies.

It’s nothing to do with North versus South or yummy mummy versus slummy mummy. It’s about caring for the world we live in and using our money wisely.

Lisa Short , Whitley Bay , UK

Nobody uses safety-pinned terries any more. Cloth nappies have changed a lot since the 1970s. They are easy to use, fasten with velcro or poppers, easy to wash and easy to dry. They save lots of money, are better for the baby's skin and come in cute designs. Of course we're using them!

Kate, Dorchester,

By the time you take into account the cost of nappy liners, the chemical used for cleaning the nappies and the cost of the energy used for the washing machine I doubt that there is much, if any saving, to be had.

David Leslie, Perth, Scotland

You will find that few people use safety pins. We favour nappy nippers which are quicker, safer and easier to use.

Reuseables come in many different types and do generally work out cheaper then disposobles so it is not only for the rich.

It is a move away from the use once throwaway society.

Brian, London, England

Quote from the 'Union of Concerned Scientists', in green mag, 'Ethical Consumer': "If you are concerned about landfill and biodegradability issues, cloth nappies would be preferable to disposables. If your concerns are energy consumption and water use then maybe disposables are best for you." Clear?

eric, paris,

Modern washable nappies are a far cry from the pinned terries of yesteryear and their care is as easy as that of modern clothes. It's wonderful to know I will never run out of nappies or wipes at home. And with a family of 4 we manage with a small bin even though it is only emptied fortnightly.

Cornelia, Peterborough,

You would think that before writing this article that someone might have actually done some research into modern washable nappies, they are not fastened with safety pins but velcro or poppers.

they are definately cheaper particularly if you decide to have more than one child

ten, eastbourne, england

My wife and I used reusable nappies for both our children between 1995 and 2001. We must have spent at least 10 minutes every day transferring soaked nappies from the nappy bucket to the washing machine. When I think of what we could have done with that timeif we’d used disposables I kick myself...

Martin Durant, Hadleigh, Essex

The decision is not cost related, its definately an environmental one. When our son was born we used disposables for first few months, then switched to washables - the amount of black-bag waste we were putting out halved. Now @ age 2 we only use disposables when travelling.

Ian Calderbank, Milton Keynes,

Actually Vickie, washable nappies are cheaper - unless you use a washing service. But I agree with you about the "back to the kitchen". And most waste comes from industry. Lets sort out industry waste before sanctifying parents who use washables. Consumers are not the problem.

Helen, Fleet,

At least mothers will not have to worry about a wheelie bin being open four inches with all those throw away nappies.

Nite Owl, Ferndown, England

You're wrong to call them safety-pinned terrys. We used washable with our boys, and they're fastened with poppers and made of soft cotton, can be washed at 60C and dry easily on the line.

Will Duffay, London,

Like most change it comes about through fashion.
Nearly forty years ago it was my job to boil the nappys in a bucket on the stove,not being able to afford a boiler, and the lifting down being too dangerous for my wife.
Necessity then,fad now.What goes around,comes around.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

My only response, as a woman, is: "back to kitchen woman!!!" know your place & duties". It's scarry. The Green fundamentalists will eradicate with one short strike of an organic carrot every little thing that made our lives easier & enjoyable in the last 30 years. This trend is only for the rich.

Vickie, Tel-Aviv,

I think that this increase in the use of re-usable nappies is more related to cost than to ecological aspects. Most of the young parents that I know compared the cost over a year and decided that the price of convenience was just too high.

Martin Cartwright, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain