Cloth nappies: The Today Programme

There's yet another study showing that cloth nappies are no better for the environment than disposables. And yet again, the sample size for cloth nappies is about a tenth the size of the disposable users. Alarmingly, within that sample, they only used terry nappy users, which was a tenth of that again - so while they used 2,000 disposable users, they used only 32 terry nappy users for most of the survey.

They keep talking about "the energy used to wash and dry the nappies" but I know no-one who habitually tumble-dries cloth nappies, especially terries, because it takes too bloody long. Most people line-dry them whereever possible, and many people hang them in the house on radiators or similar during the winter.

They mention the energy used transporting the cotton to manufacture the cloth nappies, but not the energy used to drive the petrol-guzzling car to the shop every week or fortnight to buy new disposables.

The study only covered first-child environment costs, ignoring the fact that cloth nappies can be reused by second or subsequent children.

It assumed washing at 90 degrees C which isn't reocmmended by any of the re-usable nappies I've seen; 60C is the usual. And it assumed that you soak your nappies in a strong bleach solution prior to washing them. That's a bit crazy. Most people dry-pail because it's less hassle.

And there was no mention of the lock-away core in the centre of disposables, the bit that gives off that weird sickly smell when it's wet, the bit that gives nappy rash to Linnea as soon as she uses a disposable.

Unless they were only studying eco-friendly disposables, the biodegradable ones, because they are actually not half bad and I can see how they'd be environmentally comparable to cloth nappies regularly bleached and washed at 90 degrees and tumble-dried. We use them ourselves with no qualms whatsoever.

I could also rant about the habit many folks have of encasing their plastic-coated raw-sewage-containing disposable nappies in scented plastic nappy bags before putting the nappy bag in a plastic bin-liner and sending the whole lot to landfill. But I won't. I'll just, you know, mention it. Because cloth nappy users send all the sewage to the sewage treatment systems. Not plastic-encased in a landfill.

Illin'

Went to the doctor because of inability to breathe, repeated coughing up of exciting colours, etc. Lung infection, probably been building up for a while as it's now well-entrenched. I have a course of antibiotics and a warning not to do anything for two weeks. No swimming lessons, no grocery shopping, no mother and baby groups, nothing. Gah.

Linnea is amusing herself downstairs while I hide and wheeze. I hear thumping, so she must be ok. I don't think there's anything breakable within her reach.

The antibiotics are likely to raise my temperature and make me properly ill all over again, just like last week. This is so dull. I'm not even supposed to walk to the library.

Also, for the first time in my life the doctor instructed me to remove tshirt and bra to listen to my chest. I was too ill to protest much. Apparently he can't examine my chest if I have a bra on because it rustles. Gah. Then he made my hyperventilate in an effort to breathe deeply. I can't breathe deeply, it hurts. Double gah.

Ah. My time is up. Linnea needs her nap, and a feed.