Using a potty from birth - new on-line workshops available from Born Ready

Guest post from Jenn, Born Ready

Did you know that it's easy to help your baby to use a potty from birth?

 It was common practice in this country (and around the world) for thousands of years, but since the advent of washing machines and disposables it's become a forgotten skill.  I'm trying to bring it back!

It's clean and green and goes hand in hand with cloth nappy use because it can vastly reduce your pile of soiled nappies.  I did it with all four of my babies and it was brilliant!  It's a remarkable thing to behold - a tiny baby, pooing on cue :)  

If you're at all curious, this workshop is a great place to start.  There's also lots of information on my website if you're interested and want to read more.  It'll change the way you think about nappies... even really pretty ones ;)  

Want to book onto one of my on-line workshops?  Link is here.

Have we made a stupid mistake?

Have you ever wondered why your baby often pees the moment the nappy is taken off?  I remember how I always held a nappy underneath my baby’s bottom at baby clinic when I carried my baby between the changing mat and the weighing scales.    I also remember how my babies/toddlers waited until they had a clean nappy on to do a number two.  I may have finally found out the answer.  No scientific proof you understand?  This evidence is purely anecdotal, but something to be aware of.

Earlier this month I attended a Natural Infant Hygiene (NIH) session at Nappy Ever After where I heard why the session leader started baby-led pottying, otherwise known as Elimination Communicaton (EC) with her daughter.   At about 3 months old, her baby hadn't done a number two for a few days.  This was followed by a massive poo explosion. 

The thought occurred to the mother that ‘elimination’ couldn’t happen or was difficult while her baby was lying down in a nappy.  She offered her baby a pot and there was no more 'constipation' after that.   Gravity and exposure to the air seemed to help stimulate ‘elimination’.

As parents, we have been told that we should just leave babies/toddlers in nappies 24/7 so the poo and pee just comes out of the child ‘naturally’.  Indeed we have been warned that giving your baby the opportunity to poo on a pot from an early age can be dangerous leading to ‘holding’ ie constipation.  See link to Huffington Post article below.  

This mother’s experience implies that babies do hold, that they are born with the instinct or if not, develop the desire quite early on to keep themselves clean and dry.  But when we don't give them the opportunity to poo (and pee) on a pot they give up.  Then when we try to ‘teach’ them to try to control their bowels at around 2 years old it’s a problem. 

And it is a problem.  We are hearing about more and more 4 year olds who are dry during the day but ask to put on a nappy to do a poo.   

Read an article on the opposite point of view in the Huffington Post.  Steve Hodges: A Doctor's Response:  Don't Potty Train Your Baby.  At Real Nappies for London we are sharing this knowledge.  It’s up to you to decide what works for you and your baby.

Is it time to rename Real Nappies for London?

Why does Real Nappies for London need a new name?  I started this conversation @_RNfL yesterday.  Thanks for joining in.  Perhaps we don't but there are several reasons why we're considering a rebrand:

1. The term 'real' nappies has become controversial.  Many in the real nappy community now prefer the term 'reusable'
2. Our remit at RNfL now extends to coming out of nappies.  There is a big potential for waste reduction (and our funding currently comes from waste prevention budgets) if toddlers stop wearing nappies (during the day) at around two years rather than four years old.  We're missing a big audience for potty training messages by being called 'Real Nappies for London'
3.  Over the last few years we have also responded to the growing interest in giving babies the potty from birth.   What used to be quite normal and called 'holding out' is now becoming fashionable and goes by various names: Natural Infant Hygiene, Baby-led pottying, Diaper/Nappy Free or Elimination Communication. 
4. Nappies are not just a waste issue they are also a health issue and it's often midwives and other health professionals (HPs) who give out RNfL leaflets.  We therefore need a name that works for them.  
5. Some HPs believe real nappies are only used by white middle-class families and so are reluctant to hand out our leaflets to their clients.

So it's tricky.  We'd also like the name to be fun, joyful.  We want to convey positive messages about changing babies to first-time expectant parents.  Nappy changing shouldn't be something we always do in a rush, a dirty task to be despised.  Nappy changing is contact time with our babies.  A time to enjoy, to sing, coo, smile blow raspberries on her/his tummy. 

All thoughts and ideas welcome! 

Nappy conscious?  Nappy Savvy?  Nappy Aware?  Baby Love?

What is Potty Training?

June Rogers, the UK's expert on paediatric continence draws a distinction between potty training ie taking away nappies during the day and preparing babies/toddlers for using the potty/toilet.  We don't just suddenly show children books with writing and expect them to read right?  We show them shapes, then books with shapes and pictures.  We read to children, we talk about books.  All part of developing the skills and experiences they need to eventually read books.  So why has it become the norm to suddenly introduce potty and pants to your child at 2-3 years old?

Advice from the top paediatric continence expert June Rogers is to prepare your child with potty/toilet skills and awareness before potty training starts.   You can see June Rogers in a video talking about potty training HERE

The New Baby Boom | Buy Shares in Disposable Nappies

Today the Financial Times Magazine published an article 'The New Baby Boom'.  It says "In 2001, the number of births in England and Wales hit a 25-year low of 595,000.  In 2012, there were 730,000, a 22 per cent increase."  And this growth is highest in parts of London: "There are more babies per person in Barking and Dagenham than in any other local authority in Britain.  One in 10 people in the area  is under five."  Working out what to do with the increasing volume of nappy waste generated by these babies is a real issue.

Recently I was told that disposable nappy waste is not a problem as we will soon have the technology to turn it into diesel.  "In our lifetime?"  I ask and "Will that be clean diesel?".  But nevermind, what that doesn't do is tackle the issue of children spending longer and longer in nappies.  The weekly spend on single-use nappies is a significant burden for families on low incomes.  Also, changing children's nappies is taking up an increasing amount of primary school teacher's time.
  
At Real Nappies for London we do not blame parents for children starting primary school in nappies.  What we (and many others) have observed is a change in cultural norms of later and later toilet training.  The norm has been to have babies in nappies 24/7 and then at the age of two and a half years suddenly introduce the potty and pants.  

Research shows that children develop bowel and bladder control through being given the opportunity to use the potty/toilet.  Just as we prepare babies for reading through showing them shapes we can introduce babies and toddlers to the potty well before they have bowel and bladder control.  Giving your baby the opportunity to poo or pee on a pot at change time, after a meal or before a bath can be good preparation for taking away nappies during the day ie potty/toilet training.

For several years Real Nappies for London has been pointing out the need for a public health intervention to help parents prepare their child for this important milestone - taking themselves to the potty or toilet.  John McDermott's report indicates the urgency to start this task.

This post may also be of interest:  Are Potty Training Methods in the West ....

For a more detailed account of changes in potty training habits in the UK since the 1950s see Rachel Richardson's Factfile (pdf).  Find  link from www.realnappiesforlondon.org.uk/elimination

Don't put nappies in the mixed recycling bin

Your borough needs your help.  An increasing number of London councils have introduced mixed recycling to increase recycling rates.  But a problem has developed.  Some residents are putting single-use nappies in the mixed recycling bins.  True it does say so on some brands of nappies that they can be recycled.  However to recycle them they need to be collected separately.

The big problem with putting 'disposable' nappies with the recycling is that it contaminates all the recycling and then all the rest of the material that could have been recycled has to go to incineration.  This is clearly a big problem.  Please spread the word to friends, neighbours and other people you come across in your parenting communities:  Don't put nappies in the mixed recycling bin.

Another reason for boroughs to increase information about reusable nappies, right?

#RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #6 | the biodegradable disposable

Real Nappy Week officially ended on Sunday but as competitions and offers are being extended I thought I'd add an extra mythbuster:  biodegradable ( b ' -d-gr ' d-bl ) adj. Capable of being decomposed by biological agents, especially bacteria.

There are many brands of single-use nappy that claim to be bio-degradable.  And of course, if it says it is on the packet it has to be true, doesn't it?  But of course they can only biodegrade under certain specific conditions.  Most household rubbish goes to landfill and incineration and these are not places where nappies stuffed with superabsorbent polymers (SAPSs) biodegrade.

So far, so obvious, right?  So what do you say when someone tells you they use biodegradable nappies?  In the past I was blunt: "They're a con.  They don't biodegrade."  I now say things like "Oh, that's better than buying the others," (and that's not patronising, I mean it).  "Don't a lot of scientists say they need special conditions to biodegrade?"or "I might be wrong but ... "

I don't want to make a parent feel bad about her/himself.  I don't know what else is going on in her/his life and what s/he is having to cope with.  My anger should not be at parents for being duped but at the companies that dupe them.  So I then move the conversation on to a topic on which we can connect - happy to leave the question unanswered.  It's up to them whether they have the energy/time/inclination to find out more.


#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #1 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #2 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #3 HERE

Real Nappy Week Mythbuster #5 | there's too much choice

This is another reason people give for not trying reusable nappies; too much choice.   There are lots of pushchairs too but that doesn't seem to prevent people from buying them.    John Lewis says that's why it doesn't sell reusable nappies - but it sells slings and there are a lot of those to choose from too, right?

But you do need help to buy washable nappies, because it's still a niche product and you are new to this whole parenting/nappy thing.  We tend to wear different clothes for lounging around the house, going to bed, showing off at a party and so on.  It's the same with nappies.  Flat nappies are good for lounging around at home, bamboo shaped nappies can be good for nights, pockets can be good for going out and about and well, customised nappies - if you can afford them - are great for social occasions.  

So get a mixed bundle of 6 flats (such as muslins, terries or pre-folds), a shaped nappy, a couple of waterproof wraps to go over the top of all of those and then a pocket to try.  That's 8 nappies that all work and will be useful.  That little bundle shouldn't cost you much more than £60.  Based on your experience you can build up your stash from there.

As with slings it's a good idea to buy from an agent or nappy consultant who will ask you questions, find out your preferences and help you choose what's right for you.  You can even borrow from your local nappy library.  You may even pick up the flats for free on your local Freecycle.  If 100% cotton give them a boilwash with no detergent to sterilise and get rid of any residues.

Don't be afraid, take the plunge.  And if you live in Bexley, Camden, Hackney, Haringey, Islington or Tower Hamlets don't forget to apply for your nappy voucher.  You can apply HERE

#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #1 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #2 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #3 HERE

#RealNappyWeek Mythbuster 4 | The disposable nappy liberated women

Sorry to break it you guys.  It wasn't disposable nappies that liberated women, it was Feminism.  Decades and decades of struggle and as we all know,  gender equality is still an issue. 

The washing machine?  Now that helped.  But mainly it's been Feminists that drew attention to the unpaid work of women as carers.  This is what means our generation of dads do change nappies and do load washing machines, do cook and shop for food.

The disposable nappy industry likes to claim that it liberated mothers from washing nappies but let's face it, they are not in this business to bring about gender equality.  They are in it to make money.

What they've done over the last few decades is made potty training and  'holding out' a thing of the past and made leaving children in nappies until they're three and a half the norm.  This means actually whilst back in the '50s babies were changed on average 5 times a day for one year, meaning a total of less than 2,000 changes, some parents are now changing nappies for 3.5 years meaning approx 7,000 changes per child.

This Real Nappy Week we're exposing five myths that have helped make single-use nappies the norm.  All we aim to do is share this knowledge so you make up your own mind what's right for you and your baby.


#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #1 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #2 HERE
#RNW2014   See #RealNappyWeek Mythbuster #3 HERE

Real Nappy Week Mythbuster #3 | Washing nappies is just as bad for the environment as disposables

At RNfL we are asked this question all the time, "Isn't washing nappies, what with all the laundry powder, carbon and water used, just as bad for the environment as single-use nappies?"  No, we say.  Depending on how you wash and dry them they can have up to 40% lower carbon impacts plus they are virtually zero waste.  (See link to report 'Using Science to Create a Better Place' below.) The impacts can be even lower if your child is out of nappies before s/he is two and a half years old.  Impacts are also smaller if some or all of your nappy stash is pre-loved!

So where did this myth come from?  When single-use nappies first came to the market they were largely paper pulp and so  mostly bio-degradable.  They were also very expensive and not very absorbent so most UK parents didn't use them.  They preferred terry nappies and laundry services.   It was only in the the 1980s  when manufacturers started using  Superabsorbent polymers (SAPS) in nappies that sales really took off.  By the mid '90s the disposable nappy had about 90% of the UK nappy market - probably more in London.

It was the Women's Environmental Network (WEN) and Best Foot Forward (link to WEN briefing below)  that drew attention to the problem of landfilling 4-6,000 single-use nappies stuffed with SAPS per baby.  The consensus was reached that washable nappies were more environmentally friendly than single-use nappies.  By then very few parents in the UK knew about modern washable nappies (they thought the choice was between terries, Pampers and Huggies) so WEN initiated Real Nappy Week (1998) and later the Real Nappies for London voucher scheme to help London boroughs inform parents about the latest alternatives to 'disposable' nappies.  

Then in May 2005 the Environment Agency published a very long, detailed and expensive nappy life cycle analysis (link to large pdf file) that said washing nappies was just as bad for the environment as 'disposables'. Environmentalists were astonished and disappointed.  The report omitted the impacts of landfill. It also assumed the reusable nappies (terries) were boiled, tumble-dried and ironed.  Clearly the researchers were very out of touch with the modern reusable nappy market.  It was later also revealed that the data on disposable nappy waste was underestimated.  In short it was biased, as are most life cycles because of intense lobbying pressure from industry.

However the myth had been born.  This life-cycle analysis had huge media coverage with most media claiming that reusable nappies were just as bad for the environment as disposables, neither could claim environmental superiority.  "Parents don't need to feel guilty" crowed the press release put out by AHPMA the (Absorbent Hygiene Product Manufacturers Association.) "Parents should just choose the nappy that best suits their lifestyle" it said.

In October 2008 the Environment Agency published an updated report (see link below) reassessing the impacts of washing nappies and some of the data.  The conclusion was that washing nappies could have up to 40% lower carbon impacts than single-use nappies if they were line-dried and washed at low-temperatures.  There was virtually no coverage of the report in the media. 

Please help expose the myth - washing nappies is much better for the environment if you wash nappies at 60 degrees or below and don't tumble-dry and iron them! 


Link to  Using Science to Create a Better Place: An updated lifecycle assessment study for disposable and reusable nappies

Link to WEN Briefing:  Nappies and the Environment