Nappies. There's no getting around that we're going to need them and one one of the questions that we have grappled with whether to use disposable nappies for the convenience or cloth nappies as a more environmentally friendly alternative.
So far we've found that people generally sit firmly in one camp or another and there are definitely pros and cons of both. The most controversial seems to be the environmental argument and cost. Whether, with the additional electricity and water required to wash cloth nappies, are they just as bad for the environment as disposable nappies and is the cost just the same. Choice.com have an article on modern cloth nappies: Modern cloth nappies and there are many more out there.
Even if the disposable nappies are biodegradable - they still end up in landfill, and really how long do they take to biodegrade. Even Huggies admit that when packed in landfill, biodegradable nappies really don't biodegrade (http://www.huggies.com.au/nappies/the-environment), but they justify it with the statistic that only 1% waste that goes to landfill is nappy waste.
So, whilst we will use more electricity (some of it green) and more water, for me the idea of these nappies adding to landfill is enough for me to choose cloth. For the majority of the time, for now.
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