Buyer's guide to reusable nappies

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What are reusable nappies?

Reusable nappies are made of cloth and can be washed and reused. Parents who choose to use reusable rather than disposables usually do it for two main reasons:

• Environmental - feeling unhappy about the chemicals in disposables, or the length of time they take to biodegrade. Eco disposables are available, but they’re not 100% biodegradable. 
• Financial - it’s estimated that you can save up to £500 over the lifetime of your child by using cloth rather than disposable nappies. Use them for more than one child, or sell them on, and you’ll save even more.

It makes things more straightforward if you bear in mind that all types of nappies have two basic elements – an absorbent bit to soak up the wee or poo, and a waterproof part to contain it. The ways that these two are combined varies from type to type.