CPRNN: Finance

Using real nappies can mean significant financial savings of around £700 for one child and more if nappies are bought second-hand or used on subsequent children.

This estimate compares the costs of buying and laundering nappies and covers (including electricity and washing machine wear-and-tear) with the full cost of buying disposables and changing them regularly. It assumes potty training by the age of two-and-a-half and uses the Women's Environmental Network's calculation of washing nappies of £125 over 130 weeks.

Some retailers offer discounts on birth to potty real nappy kits, but buying all your nappies is not necessarily a good idea as not all the sizes may be needed. Other companies offer hire of nappy kits. The cheapest way to use real nappies is to buy terry squares and wash and line-dry them at home. This can cost as little as £60 for initial purchase (with non-breathable covers and no liners) and with the laundry cost works out at around £1.40 per week.

Assuming 20 nappies, 6 covers and flushable liners, approximate costs are:

Terry squares and breathable covers: £2.05 per week
Prefolds and breathable covers: £2.20 per week
Shaped nappies and breathable covers: £2.80 to £3.50 per week
All-in-ones: £3.50 to £4.00 per week

Using a dryer allows fewer nappies to be purchased, but increases laundry costs by around 50p per week. Assuming six nappies per day, premium brand disposables cost around £6.00 per week. Real nappies are significantly cheaper than this and the nappy can be changed as often as needed with no concern for the cost.

The average cost of using a nappy laundry service is around £12 per week.

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