Cloth nappies are becoming more popular in Cork as families look for eco friendly and cost effective alternatives to disposables. With initiatives like the Cloth Nappy Incentive Scheme at CUMH and support from the Cloth Nappy Library Ireland, more parents are making the switch to reusable nappies. Cork mother Audrey O’Carroll, who has been using cloth nappies with her daughter Ruthie since birth, says the journey has been much easier than expected. Here, she shares her experience, tips, and advice for other parents in Cork who are curious about trying cloth nappies.
“My husband Dara and I have a daughter, Ruthie, who’s 19 months old,” she said. When asked if cloth nappies were always part of the plan, Audrey explained that she only discovered them during pregnancy. “I think I must have been reading a mommy blog. There’s just so much single use stuff when it comes to babies. Even having a baby isn’t the most environmentally conscious thing you can do,” she laughed, “so I was conscious of that.”
Once she came across reusable nappies, Audrey knew she wanted to try them, but first she felt she needed to educate herself. “There’s definitely a learning curve. The terminology can feel overwhelming at first with lots of acronyms about different shapes and types, but once you dig in, it’s actually easy enough.”
Audrey, who is originally from Michigan, but moved to Cork in 2009 to study genetics in UCC, admitted that the various opinions on social media made it confusing at the start. “Some people say you have to wash with bleach, others say never use bleach. Some insist on hot water, others recommend not using hot water. It was intimidating until I reminded myself that people have probably been doing this for thousands of years. Once I relaxed, I just found my own rhythm with it.”
When asked if cloth nappies come in different sizes as babies grow, Audrey explained: “They’re almost all adjustable. They still make the original kind our parents or grandparents used, the square of cloth with a pin, but the modern nappies are shaped more like disposables, with buttons that adjust as the baby grows.”
The mum went on to describe how the washing process has changed too. “In years gone by, every house with a baby had buckets for soaking nappies. That’s all gone now. I wash them twice in the machine, the first is a short, hot cycle of about half an hour, then a longer cycle that takes around an hour and a half. The first wash gets rid of the main bulk of pee and poo, and that water is drained away. The second wash gives them a proper clean. That first cycle is kind of like what people used to do with buckets.”
She explained how it changes once babies start eating solids. “When they’re being breast fed or only on milk, you don’t have to do anything, just put the nappy straight into the wash. Once they’re on solids, you remove the lining. Ruthie’s 18 months now, so I just tip the contents into the toilet. There’s no scraping or anything like that. Then I keep the nappies in a bag until wash day, usually every two to three days.”
When asked if people ever react negatively, or suggest that it sounds awful, Audrey laughed. “Yeah, sometimes people say that and think they couldn’t possibly do it.’ I think they imagine it’s a lot more effort than it is. Once they realise how straightforward it is, they’re usually receptive. The other thing people say is they couldn’t handle the laundry, but we’re doing washes nearly every day anyway because husband is a runner.
On cost, Audrey explained that while cloth nappies are an investment costing about €20 each, they generally work out cheaper in the long run. “Depending on how you do the maths, it’s usually a couple of hundred euros saved a year. If you’re happy to buy second-hand or use the same nappies for a second or third child, you save even more. For me, though, it was about the environmental issue and at least I know I’ll never run out of nappies in the middle of the night!”
Another bonus, Audrey agrees, is not having to deal with bins full of nappies. “I’ve even heard of people needing a second bin just for disposables.”
When it comes to recommendations, she said: “I use pocket type nappies, they are designed like waterproof shells with a pocket inside where you place the absorbent material. They’re shaped just like disposables, you just snap them on, so they’re really easy for caregivers. When you wash them, you take the insert out and it dries quickly. We line dry ours because we don’t have a dryer.”
As for materials in the nappies , Audrey advised against microfiber. “They’re cheap and absorb quickly, but if you squeeze them the liquid just runs out, so you can get compression leaks, if the baby sits down. I recommend cotton, hemp or bamboo instead, they cost a bit more but they’re more reliable. If people start with cheap ones and get leaks all the time, they can get discouraged and give up.”
Audrey admitted she couldn’t compare cloth with disposables, since she never used them. “When Ruthie was younger, we changed her every two to three hours, and now it’s every three to four. She’s never leaked in that time.”
When it came to childcare, she said the crèche was very open to it. “She started at 13 months, and when we first visited I brought a couple of clean nappies to show them. Sometimes when you mention cloth nappies, people get nervous so I changed her in front of the manager and she said, ‘That’s fine, it’s just the same as a disposable.’ Now, every day I send her with her nappies, a bag for the dirty ones, and cloth wipes. Both Dara and I work full-time. Sometimes, people think you need to be a stay-at-home parent to keep up with the laundry from cloth nappies, but that’s not the case, it’s very manageable with both of us working.
Asked what advice she’d give to others who are unsure, she said: “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can start with one a day and see how it goes. The learning curve seems steep, but once you start you realise it’s not that different. Dirty nappies go in a smell proof bag and wash much easier than people think. Stains aren’t an issue, after a wash and a couple of hours on the line, they disappear. I generally put them on the line even if it is not sunny as the UV rays gets through the clouds and is great for them”
Her advice is to keep it simple. “Start small, don’t panic, don’t put yourself under pressure. There’s loads of help, the Cloth Nappy Library does free monthly seminars, and the secondhand market is really strong if you are comfortable using secondhand nappies. Facebook Marketplace has both new and second hand nappies, so you can save a lot.”
When asked about any differences in terms of the baby’s skin Audrey said she heard anecdotally that babies using cloth nappies get fewer rashes as a result of natural fibres. “Ruthie has had a couple, but I think that’s normal, she continued. “I’ve also heard cloth can help with potty training, because babies feel when they’re wet, whereas disposables feel dry, but I don’t know if either of those claims are peer-reviewed.”
On sustainability, she takes a practical approach. “ Everything in moderation works for us. We recycle, avoid single-use plastics, and we’re getting solar panels. But we only do things if they’re easy and doable. Cloth nappies shouldn’t make life harder, if they do, maybe they’re not for you. For us, it works because I know we will never run out of nappies, I feel good about Ruthie’s skin, and it feels good for the environment too.”
For more information see clothnappylibrary.ie Families in Cork can apply for a free Cloth Nappy Starter Kit through the Cloth Nappy Incentive Scheme, run by VOICE Ireland with support from Cork County and City Council and CUMH. For kits containing reusable nappies, cloth wipes, a waterproof bag, inserts and instructions to antenatal patients at CUMH see www.voiceireland.org
