Poverty

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Dorrens daughter
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Poverty

Post by Dorrens daughter »

On Radio 4 this morning an interview with a young mother from South America "if I buy nappies for my baby I cannot afford to feed her and vice versa" also I know of at least one shop in our Bulgarian village that sells nappies individually. Now disposable nappies where a new thing when I had my children so I used towelling ones.
Now we know the true cost to the environment and I personally know that if in that situation I'd use what ever material is available for nappies (and have used old towels cut up in the past) is there no one within these places helping young Mums to make the most of what is available? Maybe I should try and introduce terry nappies back to the village but I'm sure someone (older women) must be doing this already.
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Mo
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Re: Poverty

Post by Mo »

The same with the campaigns for 'period poverty'.
My mother and her sisters had a bucket under the kitchen sink where their 'rags' were put to soak. When I heard about this 60 yrs ago it horrified me, seemed like washing toilet paper. Now there are again washable alternatives + mooncups.
I believe the present washable nappies are more efficient and less cumbersome than the terry squares I used.
But....I also read, when I was pregnant, that the cost of laundry & buying terry nappoes almost balances the cost of disposables. And of course, those in worst poverty are less likely to have good laundry facilities.
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Dorrens daughter
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Re: Poverty

Post by Dorrens daughter »

Agreed Mo, but I used my nappies for both my children, then passed them on. I used to have a nappy bucket to soak them in and then stuck them into my old twin tub washing machine after I'd used it for the main wash (using the same water) for a good hot wash. I fully intend to buy a twin tub for the Bulgarian house and they are still available over there then I can recycle the water on to the garden.
I've just had breakfast with my youngest lad and we where talking about how I used to make do and mend, re-use and so on and he agreed that its the best way to live.

Now I'm off to the freezer to get out one of the last portions of turkey stew (stored in an old margarine tub) for my lunch, so it can de-frost.
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wendy
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Re: Poverty

Post by wendy »

I agree with you both, ladies.
Now it seems people ave lost the ideal of washing things and making do.
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kitla
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Re: Poverty

Post by kitla »

when I had my first son (1996) modern washable cloth nappies were just becoming better known and I ordered a few to try out. There were nappy supply & laundry services available too (at a price though). I did try to use the cloth ones, I even tried terries with the big safety pins, but I'm afraid I eventually gave in & used disposables as they were just so much easier & didnt leak or cause sore bots so much as the others. I suppose I would have stuck at it if I'd had more incentive at the time. I dont know anyone else who used cloth ones but just googled & I see they're still around
https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a559767/ch ... le-nappies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false
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Gwenoakes
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Re: Poverty

Post by Gwenoakes »

I used Terry Squares for both my son born 1966 and then my daughter born 1981, but gave up when I had my second daughter 1982, one because I needed to buy more nappies and secondly because two lots of towelling nappies were just too much, so went on to using remainder of towelling and disposable.
Mine did not get sore bottoms and I think it was because I put a muslin nappy inside the towelling one.
The towelling and muslin nappies were in use for other things for many, many years after there original use and that is something you do not get with a disposable.
When Grandaughter Chloe was small she had a problem with her hips, so two terry towelling nappies were used at a time to keep her hips in place, something else you could not have done with a disposable one.
There is nothing imho better than seeing a line full of really white/clean towelling nappies blowing on a line and nothing worse than seeing a line full of grey nappies. I used a Burco boiler to wash mine in.
Dorrens daughter
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Re: Poverty

Post by Dorrens daughter »

I also found that my boys where potty trained earlier or at least I think that they did, also with cloth nappies it was easier to change them as and when, I'm sure that if you're counting the pennies it may be tempting to change them less often.
When I managed a childrens centre years ago if we had an open day we'd run a "pin the nappy on the baby game" just for fun, we had a baby doll (life sized) and a terry nappy and pins, invite people to put the nappy on the doll then lift it up to see if the nappy stayed on. Believe it or not it was fun.
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Re: Poverty

Post by fabindia »

We used the towelling type nappies for all four of our kids, together with muslim type nappy liners.

Sadly, disposable nappies reflect the world we live in today. Without being too much of a prophet of doom, I don't think we will have a world much longer, having seen first hand the damage done to both the land and marine environments. Better education would help, but that is often in sort supply in places like Africa, China and India. But till then these places are just going to fill our land and oceans with plastic, including disposable nappies.
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Dorrens daughter
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Re: Poverty

Post by Dorrens daughter »

I think that we're more than able to ruin our own environment fabindia and we have /do try and export our rubbish to these countries (China has just refused to take anymore of our waste plastic). I think its time to remove "the log" from our eye before pointing out the splinter in the eye of other nations. Yes this is a global issue but lets sort out the UK first not point the finger at others.
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Spreckly
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Re: Poverty

Post by Spreckly »

In 1966 I bought terry towelling and muslin nappies for my first child, and they were still in use for my third, though the areas where the pins had been were thinning. For my first grandson, who lived with us, I bought more of the same. I am using the towelling ones as floor cloths, and as they had less use than for my own children, they are still in good condition.

I did try disposable nappies for my first child when we were travelling long distances, but they leaked, started disintegrating, etc.

The question will not arise again for me of course, but I would do the same again.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Poverty

Post by lancashire lass »

I don't want to tread over what is a good point about disposable nappies and the environment and I want to be up there with my "green" banner agreeing with you but I also remember .... before disposable nappies came along, most women (at a guess - I'm not asking for a debate) were expected to get married, stay at home, keep house and do all the household chores and look after the children. Careers for women were, practically non-existent except for the few well educated and equal pay and opportunities was unheard of - that's not to say some women didn't work because I remember when I was a toddler that my mother worked evening shifts (locally in the mills within walking distance from home) after my father came home from work. Most families tended to have closer ties with their parents and siblings for support than they do today - I can remember my grandparents and aunts (just teenagers themselves) helping out. The point I'm making is that in the "good old days", people didn't have careers or high expectations or spend ages travelling long distances to and from work or stuck in traffic queues, could count on family for help, wasn't conscious of having to save water which is a precious commodity in itself these days (a downside for those areas where access to clean water or water meters are installed), have to spend money on what has become essential technology these days and mortgages (most people rented back then) and everything else that comes with the pressures of modern life. Lots of things we take for granted today have made it much better for women and freed them from a yoke - disposable nappies up there in the list.
Dorrens daughter
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Re: Poverty

Post by Dorrens daughter »

And their children and their children and many generations after can be sure that their used "disposable nappies" will be in the ever growing heap of landfill well after they've gone. Which thankfully is not what I've ever contributed to despite having been a working Mum.
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Mo
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Re: Poverty

Post by Mo »

It would be even better for families if work could be more flexible for BOTH parents so that there wasn't the pressure on working women (& men who do their share) to do a full time job and fit in the chores. But buying more things e.g. disposable nappies, and 'working' e.g. looking after other peoples children, or working in a factory making disposable nappies, is 'good for the economy, doing things for your own family doesn't count.
Daft way of counting.

But also daft that having stopped work to bring up children I couldn't get back into a graduate job, so I do see why women want a career.
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