Words: Annie Ridout
Image: Barney Beech
When our daughter Joni was a couple of days old, I walked into the nursery to find her lying half-naked on the changing unit with my husband leaning over her – simultaneously reaching for a wipe, tossing a used nappy in the bin and frowning. He turned to me. “They’re not very good for the environment, babies, are they?” He was right, they’re not. According to the Environment Agency, 2.5 billion disposable nappies are sold each year in the UK, accounting for 4 per cent of all household waste and they can take up to 500 years to decompose. Now add to the mix wipes, clothes for a constantly growing baby, washing products and discarded toys.
We all know that the world is grossly over-populated, that more babies mean a greater strain on the earth’s resources and that, frankly, the future is looking bleak. And yet we can’t seem to quell this desire to expand our families. My hope is that Joni will grow up to be an environmental scientist, or set up a self-sustaining commune, in which case she’ll counteract the damage she’s already done by simply being born. But she might not, so I’ve decided to explore the best ways to have a green(er) baby.
Nappies
This is a biggie because there is no alternative to nappies: your baby has to be covered around the nether regions. And so we go into the disposable vs reusable debate. Well, it seems both are as bad as each other – resulting in a global warming impact of 550kg of carbon dioxide equivalents and 570kg respectively. That’s harmful greenhouse gases the weight of a large motorbike being released into the atmosphere over the two and a half years the average child is in nappies.
Reusables would appear to be better for the environment as they don’t end up as landfill but they require washing, which uses energy. That said, there are ways to reduce the impact such as using a laundry service that washes them en masse rather than doing your own small daily washes.
However, it seems the best option with nappies is to use biodegradable nappies, like the Beaming Baby ones I use (not at all smug that I’m getting this right already). They are 65 per cent biodegradable, including the packaging, and contain 30 per cent less chemicals so are gentler on your baby’s skin. This is particularly good for babies prone to eczema or other skin conditions. And the best news? Buy them in bulk and they will cost 22p per nappy – a penny less than Pampers (for size 1).
Again, with wipes, biodegradable options reign supreme. Try Bio Wipies, which you can order online here. They are 100 per cent natural and biodegradable, made using essential oils including ylang ylang and chamomile and cost £0.04 per wipe, compared to Johnson’s chemical-infused Baby Gentle Cleansing Wipes, which will set you back a whopping 2.7p per wipe.