So you want to use disposable nappies? Here's how you can make sure you are doing your bit for your health and your environment.

Is there really a responsible way to use disposable nappies? The last Choice Magazine Survey revealed to us that 86% of the 250,000 babies born every year in Australia get to wear a disposable nappy casually, part-time or full-time. Considering that one baby can fill your entire house with all the nappies they will wear in their lifetime, this is a lot of nappies if you are using them full-time. But the waste is not the subject of this article, it is in the right way to use and dispose of them that you can still make your difference.

If you use disposable nappies, here is a checklist to make sure you are using them responsibly for your child, for our community and your environment.

1 -  Poo Goes in the loo!
TIP: Always use a flushable or cloth nappy liner inside your disposable nappy.
Our country has a great sewerage system to thank for our health. Human Waste is dealt with efficiently in sewers, compost toilets and septic tanks all over the country. But when a disposable nappy is used, what do you do with your child's poo? A newborn poo is impossible to remove from a disposable while a firm poo can be tossed there easily. So a flushable nappy liner or a cloth insert is vital for protecting your babies skin and disposing of poo. With a vaccination rate of 80% in the country, that much poo being placed in bins and ultimately in our landfill which leaches into our water table…may possibly be keeping diseases in circulation. Lets not take the risk. There are other illnesses that the human body disposes off with faeces too so …use the loo for the health of all of us, especially for the baby whose wearing the nappy. They'll be grown up before we know the impact.

If you take a good look at the instructions on a packet of disposable nappies, you will see they describe how you should deal with faces legally. By placing them down the toilet. This legally covers the company selling the nappy but doesn't cover you if you get caught throwing poo in the bin! No parent has yet to be arrested for this, imagine the uproar !

Another great reason for using a liner is that it provides another barrier between your babies skin and gel contacting their skin. The effect of these gels in nappies is still unknown. If you find your baby has a heavy wee that a disposable won't hold, try a cloth or weenee pad to increase absorbency.

2 - Disposal.
Placing a disposable nappy inside a plastic bag after using it increases the years it will take to break down enormously. Try using biodegradable nappy bags or brown paper bags for disposal. You will be having a significant impact on environmental waste. Always use nappy bins where provided.

You can have a go at composting your disposable nappies. First, place the poo in the loo. Second: remove any plastic and place in your normal bin for disposal. Three: scatter the cotton in your compost, dig a hole if you have a property. Some people have told me they even put it strait on their garden!

3 - Eco - Disposables: How Biodegradable Are They?
Landfills and tips, where most disposable nappies end up, are anaerobic. This means that the oxygen needed to break down matter is unable to get into the landfills. There is also no water and no air or light! Add to this the unresearched effects of gels which differ with each brand that make the nappy absorbent. Don't be easily fooled by some eco-packaging, asks questions to see if you are dealing with a genuine company. We are going to see more and more of misleading products on the market. You need to be discerning. Get your facts and be careful of marketing hype. Get the right advice, not just any advice.

What is common with all eco-disposables is that they have no bleaches, perfumes, dioxins. They are usually cotton or paper padded for absorbency and contain either no gel or a limited form of gel. Some are the same gels as standard disposables. If your child is allergy sensitive, definitely avoid all gels and use cloth where possible.

4 - Try Cloth Part Time.
Disposable Nappies cost you approximately $5000 for one child. If you use cloth part time, think about what you would do with a spare $2000? WE CHOOSE TO SELL SEVENTH GENERATION NAPPIES and SAFETIES 100% BIODEGRADABLE DISPOSABLES BECAUSE THEY combine premium performance and comfort with the important health and environmental benefits of not contributing to dioxin pollution.

Most nappies are made with materials that have been whitened with chlorine. But these whiter materials come with unpleasant consequences. Bleaching with chlorine creates dangerous toxins such as dioxin, furans and other organochlorines. Once loose in the environment, these chemicals accumulate in both people and animals. Hundreds of studies have shown a direct link between dioxin exposure and cancer, birth defects and environmental and reproductive disorders.

The chlorine free materials and absorbent polymers used in seventh generation diapers help keep your baby dry in between changes and through the night. In addition to being effective at keeping baby dry and reducing the risk of diaper rash, studies show that our absorbent polymer is non-toxic and non-irritating to baby’s sensitive skin.

Features and Benefits     

• Totally chlorine free absorbent materials – do not contribute to dioxin pollution
• Soft, cloth-like comfort
• Premium absorbency
• Hypo-allergenic
• Super-stretchy resealable closure tabs
• Close-fitting thin diaper
• Super-stretchy leg gathers
• No latex, fragrance, or TBT (tributyl tin)