Each year about 3 billion nappies are disposed of in the UK. The average  household gets through between 4000 and 5000 per child before the child no longer needs them.

Re-usable nappies have come such a long way from the old days of plain terry towelling nappies, they now come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes as well as many different colours.

Cost

You can kit your baby out with all the nappies they need for under £80 (the cheapest Real Nappy option), add £1 per week to wash them and you'll still save £500 compared to the cost of using the disposable nappy.

The initial outlay for the real nappies may seem expensive, but compared to the ongoing cost of disposable nappies, this pales into insignificance. Plus the environmental benefits can be much better although Staffordshire no longer landfills nappies or other items since 2012 wherever possible.

Of course you don’t need to use them all of the time. Howver, there may be circumstances where disposable nappies are more appropriate. Such at night or on day trips or holidays etc

Second Hand Nappies (keeps the cost even lower)

There is a large market for used/second hand re-useable nappies. These can be found on many facebook and other social media sites, and a google search will find suppliers and advice sites such as below:

• The Nappy Lady
• Little Lamb Nappies
• Cheeky Wipes
• Bambinomio

Some suppliers offer a payment spreading service where you can pay for your nappies in instalments to suit yourself and nearly all suppliers offer a trial kit for a small fee .

Figures quoted in the above information are based on Go Real's Review Of Waste Policies - Call to evidence paper, October 2010. Please find a copy below.