Thursday, February 22, 2007

poohs

I suppose it's really quite appropriate that The Little Madam's disposable nappies all have pictures of Winnie the Pooh on them, considering the amount of "pooh" that goes in them.

You're probably not that interested in TLM's bowel habits, but it's my blog and I'll write what I want to. Anyway...

Poo wouldn't normally be a topic I'd want to blog about, unless it were an unusual colour or came out looking like a cactus. But just twenty minutes ago, I made an unprecedented 4 nappy-changes in less than five minutes. Literally, no sooner had I fastened the tabs on the new nappy, when I'd notice the characteristic grunts that signalled another brown blob had made its escape into the outside world.

Only a couple of nights ago I'd watched a TV show about waste and recycling, in which the resident expert gave a big thumbs down to disposable nappies. It made me feel so guilt-ridden that I contemplated having another baby just so that we could buy reusable nappies and have a reason to feel virtuous.

8 comments:

Determinist said...

Not to make you feel guilty, but my mom used cloth nappies for 3 out of 4 of her kids... then disposables were too tempting.

Business idea successful in Canada. A reusable nappie delivery/pickup service. The nappies cost more, but you are guilt free over the environmental impact. There are just a few technical issues of storage on people's drives and such... still, good idea.

Also - you might want to read "The Tao of Pooh" - might be relevant. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Reusables consume water and the detergents are usually not good for the environment either.
There is just no way to feel good about poo, ha,ha..

Kazzer said...

As a big Pooh fan, I wish people wouldn't associate that lovely bear with brown blobs.
The planets screwed anyway, a few more pooey nappies aren't going to affect the outcome either way!

Violet said...

determinist: I bet your poor mum was pretty relieved to be free of all that nappy laundry eh? I like the idea of biodegradeable disposables, which apparently are available in Australia. I doubt that "The Tao of Pooh" would be as useful as "The Tao of Poo".

happy and blue2: the expert on the telly actually said that, even taking into account all the detergents and hot water consumed in nappy laundering, the reusables are still better than the disposables. Still, I haven't seen any scientific research that proves it. Not that I'll be looking for any...

kazzer: sorry, I'll try not to take his name in vain again (head bowed in shame...). But I am disappointed in your fatalistic view of the planet though - it's not over till the fat lady says so! Oh, wait...

Anonymous said...

Reusable nappies? pooh to that idea. You know you can get biodegradable disposables like 'Tushies' and 'Nature baby boy and girl'? Much better idea and no buckets of stinking nappies hanging about the bathroom (a reall sexy sight if there ever was one) :) E.

Violet said...

elizaf: yeah I've heard of those but they don't seem to be available in NZ. So obviously NZ is not so eco-friendly as our Ministry of Tourism would have you believe...

Angela said...

I use cloth diapers and when I have been lazy and forgot to wash I have disposables on hand. It is all up to the person. I like the diapers because I have less leaks and messes. I had so many problems with disposables. I didn’t buy name brand though because we couldn’t afford them. But I could afford the high end of cloth diapers, BumGenius. They are pocket diapers that go on like disposables. You stuff the inside of the diaper. I just love them. And yes I know I am crazy. They are pretty too, blue, green and yellow. My husband also likes the diapers.
I wouldn’t switch though because it is so close to potty training time for your sweetie.

Violet said...

angela: you get what you pay for with disposables. And no, I wouldn't bother switching this late either.