Possible “nappy tax” on disposables

As many have said, who but the totally dedicated will be using terry nappies? You can get eco friendly sanitary towels. They could make nappies from a similar substance and just have some waterproof pants to go over them like they used to with terry nappies. Unfortunately the eco sanitary towels are way more expensive that ordinary ones and as with many eco friendly products are out of reach for anyone but the well off. I think the government should subsidise eco friendly products as an incentive to be ‘planet responsible’ but of course that’s highly unlikely.

Lot of reference to mothers on here. Other gender parents are also available!

Hetty58

Same here, cloth diapers were also accepted in daycare without any issues.

An extra load of laundry is nothing

In the dark ages (early 1980s) when DS was born and we lived in our first mortgaged-up-to-the-eyeballs home, I had no space in bathroom for a nappy bin, and no space in the kitchen for a tumble dryer. I did try terries, I hated them, my childminder hated them, and the subsequent nursery hated them.
Like cold, even in the 80s, I read research that said there was very little difference environmentally.

PS Even then, psychologists were not happy with toddlers being toilet-trained too early

In France I was told that some rubbish, such as disposable nappies, was incinerated. But that of course causes pollution.

Fennel

ps the amount of used nappies would be too much to burn.
But maybe that's what happens to them anyway in the present system.

No, they go into landfill.

My daughter works and finds cloth nappies quite convenient. It's hardly a problem with washing and drying these days!

MaizieD

^I seem to recall that even with 2 of the good old terry nappies at night, folded into the ‘kite shape’, my dd1 was still sodden in the morning, so I’m not sure how the much smaller new cloth nappies would have coped.^

Which takes us to another 'angle' of disposables. Isn't one of the reasons that 3billion nappies a year go to landfill that babies don't get toilet trained as early as ours did? We were keen to dispense with those terry nappies as soon as we could.
And the 'wetness' was quite helpful when we were toilet training. How does a toddler even know that they've wet themselves when the disposable nappy they're wearing wicks all the wet away and leaves them feeling dry?

The sodden-ness I mentioned was well before potty training age - she was just a very ‘wet’ baby.
Both of mine were trained (at least in the daytime) at very soon after 2. It took just a week each time.

It’s no wonder that toddlers are trained so much later now. A dd’s friend was still saying that her little boy ‘wasn’t ready’ at well over 3.

In the days before just about everyone had automatic washing machines, let alone tumble dryers and central heating (instead of steaming clothes horses in front of the fire on wet days) there was so much more incentive to training early.

ps the amount of used nappies would be too much to burn.
But maybe that's what happens to them anyway in the present system.

My 4 babies were all born in the 60's and I used terry nappies. Pre soaked in ? and machine washed.
Relevance to sanitary pads - mine were burnt on the kitchen fire after use.

My daughter’s ten and I was very lucky to receive some second hand reusable nappies, but we really didn’t get on with them. Baby just always seemed unhappy in them and I struggled with drying them. So we ended up using disposable ones, the biodegradable ones where possible as they were tricky to come by. The outlay for reusable nappies is quite considerable, so a nappy tax would hit the less well off even more (as usual). Whilst I used disposables for baby, I have used a Mooncup and cloth sanitary pads for very many years.

I’m about to turn some 40yo square terry nappies into reusable wipes for a new baby. They’ve been washed so often they’re as soft as can be, perfect for a baby’s delicate skin.

I’m not familiar with China but in Developing World countries nappies of any kind are unaffordable for most people. Mothers (mostly) soon recognise their baby’s signs and learn to ‘hold out’ their baby to wee or poo in a potty or a suitable place. Children are toilet-trained by 2yo at the latest.

My first two DC, in terries, were TT at about 2yo, while my disposable-nappy-wearing DC were closer to 3yo. I resented paying out for disposables for that long!

Maybe we should try the traditional (aka no longer used) Chinese split britches approach, for walking children, at least.

And revert back to earlier potty training. My DD was day dry at 1 and night dry at 2.

When I had my first baby in Sweden the Swedish consumer council did a survey of the environmental impact of different nappy types and there was no great difference between disposables and reusables owing to the chemicals, water and energy use of reusables
Best in test was the environmentally marked disposables with biodegradable plastic and recycled paper core
Worst in test was a nappy service because of the temperatures of industrial laundering the use of bleach and the environmental impact of driving nappies around in diesel lorries

Having had 7 children over the years ive tried all variations of nappies- even had terry nappies at first, then moved on to disposables at age 1- 2, then tried terry nappies for two of them at once, as they were close in age (the only ones who were) as cost of disposables would have too much for two) but then as years went on & disposables got better & better, i am afraid they won out, as i needed extremely tiny premature nappies for youngest 2 children.But i had tried the new fangled terry nappies with velcro too but they take AGES to dry as theyre tri fold so thicker. I cant see it happening as a long term solution, tbh.And as pointed out , the washing,soaking solutions drying, etc is also going to be a blight on the earth isnt it? Im surprised Boris has come up with 'nappy tax' having a new baby too- but then, hes got staff to deal with all that has'nt he?!!??

Disposable biodegradable pads exist - they are just more expensive

There are reusable period products available - moon cups and washable pads, my eldest GDs have period pants which are a revelation. You can get 100% biodegradable tampons too. No reason why incontinence products couldn’t be made completely biodegradeable or be incinerated. The government should try more carrot before stick - make the environmentally friendly products much cheaper and give incentives for using them., then aim to ban the plastic ones all together apart from when medically essential.

No one gets on with the NHS ones, it is cruel. I bet I know the exact thing the nurse said too. I bet she said:

The lips on the side of the pads weren't stretched angled properly

Two pads will make the first pad not work

The net pants are supposed to hold the pad in place

She will have suggested a time for someone to be sat on the toilet so the pad doesn't get full in the night

She will suggest the carers come earlier or you get up earlier as the family/spouse carer
There will have been discussion around using a barrier cream, if you use it that's wrong, if you don't, that's also wrong

It is basically all your fault

Jane it’s the mounds of “disposables” that hang about for years that’s the problem , if they could invent biodegradable pads that worked it would be such an improvement

GrannySomerset we had to buy better incontinence products as the NHS ones meant loads of washing and sore skin , the carers used to double up the pads , then the Nurse queried our use ,
There must be a better solution , I did feel guilty every time the bin filled !

I wish someone will have a list stating why it is an awful idea.

I am not convinced using energy and wash solutions to do endless washing is any better though

So surely you have solved it and will now be very wealthy.

Galaxy

So I have never really thought about clinical waste despite using it for years at work, this is going to sound really stupid, does clinical waste disposal mean no effect on the environment.

It is incinerated and if done properly should have a minimal environmental impact but that relies on modern incineration, obviously. We have quite a few modern plants in this country now or planned. Not that I am in any way an expert.

GrannySomerset, I'm sure lots of us on here can empathise

The nappy tax should be put in all sanitary disposable items, not just diapers, if that was to move forward

Cloth diapers have made a come back. My youngest daughter barely stop using them months ago

This goes beyond disposable diapers.
How about sanitary pads for menstruation and incontinence, salvaslips? Bed incontinence plastic pads?

We all can do something to help the environment if we use any plastic disposable items daily