Plastic consumption needs to be limited — but is taxing disposable nappies really the answer?
Mum-of-two Lynsey Hope, 37, tried out cloth nappies on her 18-month-old to see how parents would cope if disposables are put out of reach
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PARENTS were left seething last week as the Government warned there may be a levy on disposable nappies as part of the war on plastic pollution.
A worthy cause, but is putting disposables out of the financial reach of many parents really the answer?
Sun writer and mum of two LYNSEY HOPE put her 18-month-old daughter Olive in cloth nappies for a week to highlight what it will be like if disposables become too expensive for many families.
"IT’S 8pm and I would usually be thinking about putting my feet up with a glass of wine. But today that won’t happen, as I’ve switched to reusable nappies. After tidying up a mountain of toys, cooking dinner and getting the kids to bed, I have a bucketful of stinky nappies to scrub.
"We throw away eight million disposable nappies a DAY and the average child goes through 6,000 before outgrowing them. Making the change could save you up to £500.
"They were nothing more than a packet of white muslins with safety pins. I couldn’t imagine how they could stop my 18-month-old daughter Olive peeing all over the house.
"By day three, I’m better at fastening them and having fewer leaks. But on day four, at soft play, Olive wets one through and sits in a puddle of wee in the ball pit.
"Mortified, I do my best to clear it up while the poor staff decontaminate the area.
"Day five and the Miosolo nappies arrive. They are surprisingly absorbent and I find I’m having to change Olive less often. I can finally do away with the safety pins, as these ones fasten with Velcro.
"They leak if she sits in one position for too long, so on day six we get leaks in her car seat and in the high chair. Yet more clearing up. After a week, I am still getting to grips with how best to use them and I find it hard to tell when Olive needs a change.
"I love the idea of making a positive change for the environment but the extra washing when you’re a working mum with two small kids is hard to swallow. I hope science will make these nappies better before Environment Secretary Michael Gove slaps a tax on disposables."