Why do so many people scoff at reusables!?

[ellers]

What do you do? We're proud that we're planning on using reusables, and have got a selection of different brands to try out when bubs arrives, but have been met with quite a lot of negativity. Only really from my own generation though (I'm 30).
Mine and OHs parents are very supportive and are amazed at how much they've come on in the past 30 years, but I find it incredible that so many people seem to find it ridiculous.
Is it just ignorance, where people haven't even bothered to look into the benefits, or what?
Not that I should care of course, but it bugs the hell out of me!!
Any advice on what to say to these people?

 

[anothersquish]

A lot of people I know who scoff are those you see reuseables as "old fashioned" and "rubbish" many have been plenty suprised when I show them one of my blueberrys or itti bittis! Even my own mother had no idea of what was available now in the form of reusable nappies and she was impressed when I showed her my stash (with everything from muslin cloths/prefolds to two parters to AIOs) and described the ease of care of them all.
As for what to say...nothing! Smile and nod!
One girl here said to me its "disgusting" to use reusable nappies as they couldnt possibly be hygienic....I mean what can you possibly say to that anyway! I just tried to stifle laughter as she stocked up on mountains of disposables costing her more for the first 3 months than Ive spent on my entire stash I do not envy her the smell coming out of her bin as we only have fortnightly collections...ick!

 

[sugarpuff]

i haven't even started using my reuseable nappies yet and i'm already sick of the number of people who snort and then laugh hysterically when i say i will be using them. i'll show them.....

 

[OmiOmen]

I have had mixed reaction when people find out we are planning on using re-usables. I have not had too much negativity other than people telling me I will get sick of the effort and stop using them. I just say that...

a. There is not enough room in my bin for disposables. My bin collection every other week so we end up with a very full bin as it is and the rescaling does not even take plastic (taking glass and tins is only much use if you live of tined food and drink a lot) so we do not have the room at all.
b. They are cheaper than disposables and even more so if you plan on having more children and re-using them.
c. They look and feel a lot more comfortable when touched (in my opinion of course).
d. They have came a very long way in the past few years. My Mum could not even grasp that they go in a washing machine now.
e. Disposable have chemicals in them so I would say that re-usables are cleaner and more pure not less so.
f. I am not sure how true this is but I have read that babies who wear real nappies potty-train faster.

So that is six positive reasons and the only negative is having to wash them which I am thinking/hoping that we will only need to do a load every 2-3 days for them and with all the extra washing a babies things need it should go fairly un-noticed.

 

[sun]

I didn't know people scoffed at them!!!
I am one of the first to have kids though, so I don't think they have been tainted yet LOL Actually quite a few people are saying they will use them for their LOs after seeing how easy they are. Our parents used reusables - but they were the old school ones with pins and my mother actually scoffs at the AIOs. No problem though - since I have some prefolds she can use LOL...

But I would list all the reasons why reusables are better (like above). For me, the only way I wouldn't use them was if I had no washer
xx

 

[sezzlebum]

i havent really had a bad experiance with other people, they all seem fasinated by all the colours and patterns aimee has lol

 

[Kaites]

Like someone else already said, I think most people who have a negative reaction to them think that "cloth diapering" means that we are using prefolds with pins and don't know that the world of cute AIO and pocket diapers exists. I'll admit that I didn't know about them before I got pregnant When I tell them that Emma is sensitive to the chemicals in disposables, they seem to come around a bit on their opinions on cloth. I figure it's their loss if they don't CD

 

[TigerLady]

I have also read that cd babies potty train faster because they "feel" the wet more and understand what it is to be wet. Whereas sposies are designed to pull the wet away from them and they don't feel it as much or as fast.

I agree it comes from a misunderstanding of what cding is -- they think it is the old white cloths that you fold and pin and nothing more.

I have a friend that has AI2s that were given to her.. she tried one out once and decided it wasn't for her. Plus the idea of having to rinse/wash/handle the poo is too much for her.

I have decided it is down to preference and opinion, tbh. (Don't shoot me!) After trying it, I prefer cding, but that is what works for me and my LO. To me, it is like weaning -- there are different ways, not one is really all that much better than the next for everyone. What works for me doesn't always work for someone else.

So, that is how I go at it.... I say:

"I really like the cloth so much better for me and LO."

I don't feel like I have to justify it further than that.

 

[littlestar]

Some of my friends and family think i'm nuts for cding, but at the end of the day now i'm almost happy with my stash, other than the replenishing of clothes our LO costs us next to nothing. My SIL's both use sposies on their LO's and admittedly it does cost them alot, neither of them drive so they stock up with the offers when they can - i don't ever have to worry about running low on nappies!!

We (I) breastfeed and do the laundry and a dirty nappy only happens every other day so it's not a major issue, and i've never had any containment issues with cloth (had plenty of poo leakage in sposies)

i used disposables over christmas and new year as a large pack was given to us and i have to honestly say i much prefer cloth, even with the sposies i wouldn't trust them at night so he was in cloth!

Hubby is still getting used to them and prefers pockets/AIO's but i have a collection of 2 parters as well i have enough nappies to go 3-4 days between washes if need be.

So many people do think it's all folding and pin though, they really do need to open their eyes a bit more they might be pleasantly surprised!!

 

[Blob]

Everyone i know has loved them But i think people just dont understand and they imagine them to be towels and saftey pins

 

[purpledahlia]

1 of my friends in aberdeen told me im nuts and id never do it and it was a stupid idea, '' disposables are much easier '' .... thats not the point love

 

[TigerLady]

No kidding... what sold me on cding --

I take a sposie off LO and his skin is all red and creased all over. And if it was really wet it has those gel bits everywhere that have popped out of the absorbant part. I take a cd off him and there might be a few creases around the elastics. That's it. His skin looks loads more comfy.

He's only a baby and can't tell me what is more comfy for him -- I can only go by what I would feel. I'll take soft pink skin over red, creased skin anyday! No matter if it is more work!

 

[Twiglet]

^ What TL said.

Plus they're cuter

 

[purpledahlia]

and dont smell

 

[Twiglet]

Yeah I wanted to put that but didn't know how people would respond

After using sposies for so long I can tell you the difference in smell is amazing.

 

[OmiOmen]

Also, they are far more fun to buy! I am really looking forward to buying mine and no way would I be if I was using disposables. I know it is not one of the bigger positives but it is nice.

 

[ellers]

I think I'll just have to rise above it. People go 'ew, so you're going to have a bin full of dirty nappies?!' - well, so do people who have disposables!!
You're right tho, most people still think of big squares of cloth and massive pins - hopefully they'll see how much nicer they are when LO is wearing them!

 

[littlepne]

Well ladies, you're all almost converting me! It's not something I've ever really thought about before, kinda presumed I'd be using disposables. Now I'm online trying to educate myself!

I'm so overwhelmed though there's a lot to learn! But anything that saves money has to be a good thing. And I love the pics of all your fluffy bums

 

[Bailey]

It was actually my husband's idea to go cloth, even though the only child he ever had to take care of was a toddler and he didn't have to handle any of the messy stuff. I'm not even sure where he got the idea! But once I looked into the money savings, and the health benefit of them, I was pretty well sold. Especially since I don't have to do the butt-origami to try and get a rectangle to fit around a baby!

The one thing that almost turned me off (may be a small exaggeration) was the complete self-righteousness of almost all of the websites that sell cloth diapers! Almost all of the sites I was able to find preach on and on and on about the environment at least twice as much as they do about any other benefit of using cloth diapers. And hilariously enough, the more "hippy" language that was used on these sites, the more "capitalist" their pricing structure was!

Anyways, at this point, I've got a couple of sites picked out to buy from that are relatively local to me and not TOO expensive, and I'm also cruising the second-hand sites like Kijiji and eBay for some even better deals because, honestly, what's the difference between sharing them between siblings a few years later, and getting them from a stranger who doesn't need them anymore anyways? I am all about the penny pinching (so long as it makes sense anyways!)

 

[somedaymama]

I think a lot of people are uninformed about them. My mom thinks of them as the white cloths with pins that she used on us. Other people simply don't want the fuss of doing anything other than throwing the dirty mess away. My DH was like that, but he is coming around. I think I might have him sold on the cloth diapers, I still have work to do on the reusuable wipes though.