Cardiff Cloth

I have been asked by numerous Mums and Dads in my local area if there is any kind of financial support for parents to help with the initial outlay for reusable nappies. I have always blagged this answer totally unsatisfactorily but now, ladies and gents, I have officially come into the knowledge.

Last night, in the Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, standing with the Cardiff Waste Management bods, was a charming young man by the name of Kieran. Kieran's job title is 'Reusable Nappies Officer for Cardiff', I do believe. Talking with panache and vim about the issues regarding cloth nappies, he explained to me about a scheme for local parents. Cardiff Council has teamed up with Cardiff Credit Union to allow parents to borrow the money to pay for the nappies. In addition, when the repayments are made, they work out being very reasonable in comparison to a typical 'loan.' For £300 borrowed,the repayments equate to about £316. The scheme has been around for some time but very few people seem to have been aware of it. I am positive that people will grab the chance to take advantage this offer when it undergoes a new bout of publicity as it does tick all the boxes. The number to call for more information is 02920872373.

Don't forget that these nappies will last you for many bubs to come and you can also lend them to friend's babies in between, before selling them on at the end. My daughter's size one nappies will be keeping some lovely, peachy, boy buttocks warm soon, all the way over in Newport (my friend Emma only has a matter of hours to go before said buttocks put in an appearance). Another thing that we need to bear in mind is that we can combine reusable and disposers. It doesn't have to be either or. Anything is better than nothing. Even if you just use reusables in the evening, for example, say at two per day, that is still fifteen per week which equates to 780 nappies yearly (which is approximately 13.5 packets of nappies, roughly £120 and a lot of landfill). We must avoid the mindset of saying no to the reusables because it isn't convenient during the week, etc. Think about using at times when it is convenient. We have to be realistic and accept that cloth nappies for a week in a hotel in Florida will likely lead one to despair. It's about trying to do what we can do both individually and as a group.

If you are interested then please contact the number above. You can also ask other parents how they have found reusables by using the forum on this site.

Good luck!