Findings from the Real Nappies for London project, which promotes nappy re-use in the capital, revealed that two thirds of parents find cloth nappies easier to use than expected.
A further three quarters of 332 parents who tried real nappies in Hackney, Lambeth, Islington, Richmond and Bexley had outdated ideas about the reality of using modern designs.
From September 19, the Women's Environmental Network, who commissioned the study, will spearhead a London-wide scheme to challenge nappy misconceptions.
NHS
Working in partnership with NHS staff, local authorities and businesses, they will offer parents impartial information and a choice of nappy systems to parents and carers.
The national charity campaigns on environmental issues from a female perspective. It aims to raise awareness of real nappies to combat the 90,000 tonnes of disposable nappy waste generated by the capital each year.
WEN said: “We first identified a gap in NHS awareness and action on the issue in 2004. The research confirmed the importance of plugging that gap.”
Convenience
The incentive schemes were conducted by Real Nappies for London between June 2005 and July 2006.
Free nappies and vouchers or cash back for cloth nappies were given to parents in an effort to cut waste and cut costs for parents and local authorities.
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Three quarters of parents said they would continue to use real nappies after trying them.
A WEN spokeswoman said: “Although awareness of the environmental impact of disposable nappies was high, convenience was the top concern for parents. However,
lack of information about real nappies – which can be shaped like disposables with poppers and Velcro, with no pin in sight – or knowledge about laundry services means that parents are missing out on choice of real nappies.”
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