We all know, or at least we should all know, that protecting our babies bottoms comes at a price to the environment  both immediately (i.e. our noses!) and in the long term (i.e. our planet)  but just how practical are reusable nappies?  Yes, your Granny will certainly say to you that terries were good enough for her generation, but she'd probably also be the first to rip open the wipes and Pampers rather than go through the whole scraping, sluicing, rinsing and washing that she found so tiring in the first place.  Because, let's face it, we all need every bit of help that we can get in those first couple of years  and beyond, but that's a different story.

So, what are the pros and cons of each type of nappy?

Firstly, and unavoidably, the cost to the environment if using disposables is immense  since we put so much effort into our little bundles, do we really want them to live on mounds of non degradable plastic.  Reusable nappies, on the other hand, are made of 100% cotton, indeed some of them are organic. Not only are they fully degradable, but they can be used time and time again.  In fact there is a thriving second hand market for washable nappies as they can be passed down through one family and then onto the next.  Fancy using someone else's Huggies?  Thought not.

You also no longer have the danger of inadvertently circumcising your child or piercing anything vital; most cloth nappies now come shaped or folded to fit into washable outer pants, so the "safety" pin scar is a thing of the past.

Another great advantage of the cloth nappy is perhaps slightly less wholesome, but equally important when your whole image and self awareness has changed from sexy, vital, capable woman to exhausted, vomit covered, gibbering mound of indistinguishable body parts  you get a free pass to Smug Mummy Club.

"Little Lauren in Pampers? No we couldn't. Think of the planet / rainforest / polar bears" (insert cause as appropriate).

But now comes the slightly less palatable downside to the washable nappy  yep, you have to wash it.  Assuming you have a washing machine, and are in fact eco minded enough to wait for at least a half load of nappies to go on rather than wash them one by one, this means that somewhere in your house you have a pile of least 12 nappies, mouldering gently away.  If you are using them on your newborn, then most of them will be covered in baby korma, which will have leaked out of the nappies and onto the nappy pants, which, yes, have to be washed at a different temperature to the nappies themselves.  If you are using them on an older baby, then you will have had to scrap off the pooh before it gets dried on (too graphic for you? Try doing it!) and then wash them before the smell of ammonia bleaches the inside of your eyelids.  Think that's bad?  Try leaving the house with your cloth bottomed baby.  Imagine how many times you change a nappy during the day  now imagine carrying all of those dirty nappies around with you all day.  No amount of perfume can compete with that.  And at the price of cloth nappies, you won't be tempted to just pretend that you forgot to put the dirty ones back in your bag; yes, the initial outlay for reusables is quite high.  Starter packs are available, both from various online outlets and some high street baby shops or pharmacies, but as mentioned before, there is always chance to buy some pre-washed (ok, pre-poohed in), second hand nappies to see how you and your baby get on.

As always, there is no straight forward "best" choice.  Why not be a Smug Mummy at home, and know that you are doing your bit (but make sure everyone else knows too), and keep the disposables for when you are out and about  or just can't face scraping any more pooh.

Tom, Jemma, William, James and George – welcome to our family. We are, I feel proud to say, a strong and close family that enjoy living in Devon UK. Our children are 3 typical boys - loud and boisterous each with there own individual characters. Tom works as a marketing specialist whilst I remotely run a home interiors shop whilst trying to keep up with the boys in my life! William and Tom enjoy nothing better that a competitive games of squash together whilst James, George and I enjoy a walk along the local beach or football in the garden.