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Choice Medway Council has a scheme that can help you if you are thinking about reusable nappies. They are good for your baby's health, good for the environment, cheap and easy to use. Reusable nappies have changed since the traditional terry nappies. There is a wide choice of designs, styles and colours. Many even look like disposable nappies. If you are still not sure, why not come along and have a coffee at one of the monthly nappucinos?
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An important incentive A £30 financial incentive, payable in three instalments, is being offered to parents who join the scheme. You can claim this when nappies are bought from a shop or the internet if a proof of purchase and validation form signed by a healthcare professional is sent to the Waste Minimisation Team at Medway Council. For a validation form, ask your midwife or health visitor. If the nappies have been purchased from a nappy agent the incentive will be deducted from the value of the purchase at the time of purchase. You will need to present a copy of your child's birth certificate at the time of purchase. If you purchase your nappies before your child has been born a copy of the birth certificate will need to be sent to the nappy agent after the birth. If the nappies have been bought from an online site or from a high street retailer then an incentive will be paid in the form of Boots vouchers issued by Medway Council. Claims are settled within 14 days of receiving all correct paperwork.
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If you have been using reusable nappies on a previous child, you can only claim for that child for the period of time they have been using reusable nappies within the current financial year.
If you have been given nappies from a friend to use on your child, you will be entitled to the incentive as there is still a reduction in nappy waste. You will need a validation form signed by your healthcare professional to validate the claim.
Nappy library
This lets parents try some of the vast range of modern cloth nappies available before making a big financial commitment. All parents in Medway can hire one of the comprehensive nappy library kits for a fortnight and find out which nappies work best for them.
Cost
When purchasing nappies you need to consider how quickly you can wash and dry them. It is recommended to have three days worth of nappies. Most babies require approximately six changes a day.
The approximate cost of purchasing and home laundering real nappies for two and a half years ranges from £185 to about £352 depending on nappy type.
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Monthly nappucinos Come along to a relaxed drop-in atmosphere, have a coffee, meet other parents and carers using cloth nappies. Find out more about the benefits of using cloth, see the choices available and have a chat with like-minded people. Nappucinos are run on the first Monday of every month (excluding bank holidays) from 9.30 to 11.30am, at Lordswood Children's Centre, Lordswood School, Lordswood Lane. Saturday club If you cannot make the Monday events, the Medway Cloth Nappy Network (MCNN) and the Medway Branch of the National Childbirth Trust (www.nctmedway.org.uk/NCT_Medway/Regular_Meetings.html) run monthly Saturday drop-in groups at Moat House, Crow Lane, Rochester on the third Saturday of the month from 2.30-4pm.
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For further information on either the Nappy Library, Nappucinos or the Saturday Club, please contact Jenny Hicks of Baby Kind or visit her website.
Medway Council-approved nappy agents
Reusable nappies are also available from branches of Boots the Chemist across Medway.
Some nappy facts
- Reusable nappies are chemical-free and can be washed at 60oC.
- Children in cloth nappies tend to toilet train about six months sooner than those in disposable nappies.
- With velcro fastenings and nappy nippas, there is no longer any need for safety pins.
- In Britain, 8million nappies are thrown away each day.
- A baby requires more than 2,000 nappy changes a year. This amount would fill more than 40 black sacks.
- 94 per cent of nappies end up in landfill sites.
- Disposable nappies consume large amounts of natural resources each year.
- With flushable liners, all waste is dealt with by the sewage system.
- Reusable nappies are very effective. They normally only leak if they are poorly fitted. Providing you are using the most suitable type of nappy for your requirements there is no reason why a reusable nappy system cannot be as effective as a disposable nappy.
- Reusable nappies save you money. Over time, the average cost of reusable nappies is between a quarter and a fifth of the cost of disposables. Reusable nappies can be used for subsequent children, so the savings grow.
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