Parents are
consciously
buying organic
foods and
products for
their children,
so it doesn’t
make sense
that they would
then leave their
child sitting in
a plastic bag for
12 hours.
Perhaps one of the biggest indicators of the change
in attitudes is the burgeoning success of Charlie Banana,
a cloth nappy company born in Hong Kong in 2007.
Already, the brand is sold in 11,000 stores across the US
– and their growth has been achieved largely without any
paid marketing. Mums who have got hold of these and
other brands of colourful cloth nappies, it seems, think
they are some of the most modern and practical baby
products available, and they then spread
the word.
Gaelle Wizenber, founder of Charlie
Banana, talking from her Los Angeles
home, explains: “It’s something mums
are proud of doing,” she says. “We find
that mums are in love with their nappies
and are showing them off like it’s the
discovery of the century. These nappies
show they are a modern mum – there is
no connotation of being a hippy any more
if you use cloth nappies.
“Parents are consciously buying
organic foods and products for their
children, so it doesn’t make sense that
they would then leave their child sitting
in a plastic bag for 12 hours – which is
essentially what disposable nappies are,”
says Gaelle. “People are getting more
facts about dioxin and other chemicals in
disposable nappies and they just don’t fit
their lifestyles any more.”
Wash and wear
So, if cloth diapers are the new wonder
product for parents, what keeps lots
of mums and dads from jumping on board? For parents
who may have grown up in cultures and at a time when
throwing something into the garbage meant “out of sight,
out of mind,” the idea to keep a soiled nappy in the house
and plan a nappy-washing routine requires a complete
mind-set shift.
But George Lyons from Tiny Footprints, a baby
superstore in Central that sells Charlie Banana and GroVia
cloth nappies, says their customers need little educating
on cloth diapers once they see a set. “When they feel how
soft they are and you explain it to them, they get it. Once
they can picture their babies or toddlers running around in
them, they see they are easier to use.”
So what does a typical rotation of changing and
washing cloth diapers look like?
A routine will vary by the brand of cloth nappy. But,
depending on the age of your baby and
whether you choose to wash every day or
every other day, you’ll need eight to 18
cloth diapers, plus inserts. You’ll need a
bucket close to where you change your
baby. In keeping with the natural and
chemical-free approach, you’ll also want
to use cloth wipes, dampened under
the tap, to clean baby’s bottom. After a
change, everything goes in the bucket.
For the messier nappy explosions
that all parents worry about, there are
two options. The first is to knock off
all solid waste into the toilet using a
dedicated brush you’ll have to keep on
hand. The second option is to use a fully
biodegradable thin sheet, which you’ll
affix to the nappy before use, that you can
lift out neatly, with all matter included,
and throw into the toilet.
When you’re out for the day, you’ll
take a dedicated washable nappy bag
to put your dirties in. And if you’re
travelling or plan to be out for longer
than you’d like to carry a dirty bag,
most brands create biodegradable, fully
disposable inserts that you can fully flush or throw away.
On wash day, take your bucket and simply add it to the
washing machine with your regular wash, white shirts and
all. No special laundry detergent is required and, in Hong
Kong’s heat, you’ll find most inserts and nappies are dry
and ready to wear again in hours.
And unlike disposables, you’ll never have to worry
about running out again.
November 2013
75
