Give and take day - pick up free maternity and baby clothes
Pick up free pre-loved cloth nappies, maternity and baby clothes at our nappy give and take day on Wednesday to mark Real Nappy Week (Monday 23 April – Sunday 29 April).
Taking place at the Round Chapel Old School Rooms, 2 Powerscroft Rd, E5 OPU on Wednesday 25 April from 11.00am to 12 noon, the event will also be a chance to meet local parents, find out about real nappies and watch a real nappy demo. You don’t need to bring anything to take something away.
Babies use close to 2,000 plastic disposable nappies every year until potty trained – and with more than 4,000 babies born every year in the borough, plastic nappies account for around 6% of waste in Hackney. You can make a difference by using real nappies.
Sarah Williams, Recycling Manager at Hackney Council, has been using real nappies with her baby girl and has some tips for starting out with cloth nappies.
There is no doubt that it is tough making that first decision about what type to use and what to buy because there is so much choice out there. My advice is to buy a few different types and give them a go. Then buy more of what you like the best.
I thought the All In One nappies sounded easier before I started but I’ve found the two part system brilliant, changing the nappy every time and the wrap only when it gets dirty or wet.
I have spent so little money on buying nappies. There’s heaps of used nappies going free or cheap and they are as good as new – or sometimes even better as the absorbency improves with use.
Inevitably along your real nappy journey there will be a few bumps and I can see how it would be so easy to give up, but the advice out there on social media and from friends who have used them has been so helpful and solved every problem almost immediately.
We love using Real nappies for many reasons but there’s something really special about making the choice to put cloth on my baby girl’s skin instead of plastic and chemicals. As an environmentalist, the waste issue (or lack of) is a key winner too – why create mountains of waste when there is a kinder, better alternative, which is virtually waste free.
Using reusable real nappies, could also save you between £500 and £1,000 per baby. To help you get started with real nappies, we offer Hackney residents a £54 voucher to help cover the costs of buying real cotton nappies or to get started with the Nappy Ever After laundry service.
You can claim your voucher online or turn up to the event on Wednesday and redeem one on the spot.
Oliver and Chloe from Stoke Newington attended our real nappy demo event on Friday. They claimed their free £54 voucher and spent it on a selection of reusable nappies, reusable wet wipes and a swimming nappy for six week old baby Percy.
Find out more about real nappies and details of our future nappy events.