Nature babycare – Good for baby, good for Mother Earth

I often think that it is really hard to be environmentally friendly when you have babies and small children. There is so much washing, so much wasted food, so much packaging and SO MANY NAPPIES.

I will admit that I like the convenience of using disposable nappies. I know many cloth nappy users don’t find it to be extra work but for someone as domestically lazy as me, even part time cloth usage pushes me to my laundry-duty limits on any given day (and add in the stretch of wet days we’ve had recently exacerbates the issue) … so I was delighted to have the opportunity to try the Nature babycare range of disposable nappy products, a more environmentally friendly disposable nappy system.

The Nature Babycare nappies are made from GM-free corn which is 100% biodegradable, and a chlorine-free pulp – better for baby, better for the environment. The nappies come in a range of unisex sizes and as it happens, my 3.5 year old boy (not yet toilet trained) and my chubby ten month old girl both fit into the size range for the size 4 (9-20kg) nappies.

The nappies have a slightly ‘papery’ feel on the outside, but are certainly soft enough to be comfortable for baby. I found them nice and trim while still being absorbent enough to use as an overnight nappy on both my baby and toddler. We have had no leakages or nappy rashes using the Nature babycare range – and with children who are prone to red bottoms, this was important to me.

On a very slight downside, the adhesive tabs can lose their stickiness a bit by the time it comes to wrap them up for disposal, especially if you’ve had to reposition the tabs a few times during the dressing process with a wriggly baby – however this is not enough of a reason to avoid using these nappies (especially given how many tabs I’ve inadvertently ripped off other ‘premium’ brand disposables during normal use).

I also used the Nature Babycare wipes (RRP $5.39/70 pieces) and nappy sacks (RRP $2.98/50 pieces). I particularly liked the disposable nappy sacks, which have a softer feel and much less chemical/fragrance smell than the main brand available at our local supermarket. The wipes clean well, with a good amount of moisture (I really don’t like it when wipes are dripping wet or nearly dry!), and no chemical smell. I usually use sorbolene for nappy changes but I felt like these wipes were gentle enough on my children’s skin while cleaning thoroughly. My husband is a big fan of the wipes and bags, preferring them to our usual brands.

Nature babycare nappies are available at Coles and Woolworths supermarkets at a RRP of $21.99 a packet, although I have seen them cheaper during sales cycles. While they are comparable price-wise with the leading brand of premium nappy at its RRP, when the major brand is on sale there is enough of a difference in price to make cost a consideration for budget-conscious families (not to mention comparing it to the cheaper brands of nappies). I think for part-time disposable users (either overnight, or combined with cloth nappies) these nappies are ideal, and also for families who can afford to pay a little more for a nappy that is a better option environmentally.

On a balance, I was impressed with the performance of the nappies and will look for the other Nature babycare products to use.

You can find more information on Nature babycare products at http://www.naty.com