The path to nappiness

By Victoria Farncombe on May 7, 08 09:34 PM

Wow, I think I'm converted.

On Tuesday I went to Nappucino* - a coffee morning dedicated to the brilliance of real nappies - and suddenly I'm seeing them in a whole new light.

For a start, real nappies no longer mean you need an A-level in origami to fold up the terry towelling and fix it with a pin. They come ready folded!

And they're not even made of terry towelling anymore. Mum-of-one Katherine Brown, who hosts Nappucino, showed me a range of designs in all sorts of materials from hemp to fleece.

Then there are the colours. Why have white nappies when you can have coloured ones, ones in Burberry check, ones with animal faces on them.

I have to admit I'm secretly tempted by the leopard print in fleece pants for myself.

Katherine set up Nappucino purely because she loves real nappies so much.

"I don't sell them, I'm not on commission," she said. "This is just voluntary. I just wish more people realised how much cheaper they are.

"If you were to use disposables from birth to potty it would cost you more than £1,000," she explained. "With real nappies, even taking into account all the washing and drying costs, it would only be around £500. That's a massive saving."

My big fear was always that real nappies would be a hassle to wash. I'd heard horror stories of buckets of bleach. But according to Katherine, real nappies can be washed at 40 degrees along with other laundry. Easy peasy.

So, that's it. I'm going to take the plunge. Maybe not all the time but, as one mum said, 'even if you only use a real nappy once, that's one less disposable ending up in landfill.'

* Nappucino is held in the cafe bar at Solihull Arts Complex on the first Tuesday of every month.