How much does a disposable nappy weigh?

[MrC]

When acrylic sodium salt polymer (the goo stuff in nappies) comes into contact with water it doesn't react chemically with it. It absorbs the water:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_%28chemistry%29

This is very different to a chemical reaction which will physically alter the reagents and cause heating or cooling. Absorbtion does neither.

The acrylic sodium salt polymer will release the water through normal evaporation. You can see that process in the gel packs (It's the same stuff) gardeners add to soil to allow them to add more water than would normally be possible. Another example is those slimy dinosaurs that "hatch" from eggs when put in water to keep your children amused for 3-4 seconds. Eventually they will shrink back to tiny size after the water has evaporated.

I am still always a little taken aback that we (as a race) continue to put these things in bags and put them in the bin. I know in many countries it is against the law to put human excrement in the bin. Why disposable nappies continue to be excluded from that I don't know?

Surely someone somewhere can find some way that we can start processing and using the waste like we did in the old days when it was considered very valuable in industries such as agriculture and tanning amongst others and was rarely wasted.

Any more weights?

Has anybody got any huggies? They haven't been mentioned.

Nature babycare eco nappies - Size 5 = 48g, pull-up size 6 = 46g.

Maybe I didn't explain that very well. I just meant that sodium polyacrylate is a chemical and it works in a completely different way to cloth nappies which is not healthy for baby's skin.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthings ... iapers.htm

Any more weights?

Has anybody got any huggies? They haven't been mentioned.

I will weigh in a bit

This makes me too. I had no acsess to the internet with my oldest 2 so never knew anything about cloth I wish I had, but hey, better late than never! I think we should be told more about our options by HVs and stuff.

This makes me too. I had no acsess to the internet with my oldest 2 so never knew anything about cloth I wish I had, but hey, better late than never! I think we should be told more about our options by HVs and stuff.

I was going to say the same. When I was pregnant no one discussed cloth nappies with me at ante natal or hv sessions. I did not recieve any literature on cloth, only pampers and huggies . I had 1 friend who had used cloth and many more who laughed at the thought, with comments such as 'you will never keep up with it'. I even contacted my local council who sent me a very poor leaflet through on cloth, with no actual info, tips or advice on it.

I am very pleased that I never use disposables and it really upsets me when I think of how many people actually do.

And then I found the tree

For women who dont know anyone who uses cloth, I can completly see why they use disposables. There is not enough publicity and what publicity there is, alot is inaccurate.

Maybe if the nhs/hv/midwives got on board that may be a good start.

so true. only cloth I'd had before was bambino mio and they are enough to put you off for life! There should be more publicity about them and other ways to buy other than the internet, more shops should stock them. As soon as I mention cloth to anyone they all think you have to boil wash and bleach them and use pins.

so true. only cloth I'd had before was bambino mio and they are enough to put you off for life! There should be more publicity about them and other ways to buy other than the internet, more shops should stock them. As soon as I mention cloth to anyone they all think you have to boil wash and bleach them and use pins.

WSS!
Bam Mios are rubbish I'm lucky I found out about Mothercare's Smart Nappy as they're *slightly* better I think (Softer wraps and inserts are nicer made)
I have some of the disp training pants, I can weigh those? Ermmm *thinks* I have a few large pull ups... Tesco own ones

All we can do is spread the word. Unfortunately there is alot of money in disposable nappies and high street shops are going to be unwilling to swap this for something that only has a single sale value and you don't keep coming back to the store for more. The big disp companies have a far greater budget for marketing too. I think this is why it is such a shame that the local councils aren't doing much more, they are the ones who will benefit from the reduction in the cost of waste disposal - but in my experience they are very short sighted