Back when I ordered those first three newborn nappies from Baba + Boo I had all the best intentions but if I’m being totally honest, I didn’t think I’d stick with the whole reusable nappy idea. The constant need for washing and reported long drying times just seemed too much for a busy mum of two demanding small children. Little did I realise what a kick I’d get out of reaching for a cloth nappy over a ‘disposable’ each time William needed changing. I had no idea the satisfaction I would feel every time I filled our washing line up with pretty patterned pockets and freshly cleaned inserts knowing that simply using those the day before meant that I’d saved a bunch of nappies ending up in landfill and clogging up our planet.

I am now the proud owner of 12 BTP (Birth to Potty) nappies from a combination of brands – Baba + Boo, Bambino Mio & Cloth Baby Bums (Gifted). Most I’ve had brand new, but I’ve also got a couple of second hand ones too. While it means washing a bunch every day until I complete my stash, William is more or less in cloth full time with the occasional disposable saving the day when we run out. Over the next few months I’m hoping to build my stash to around 25 nappies which will mean I can get down to washing every 2nd / 3rd day but all the time the sun is shining I don’t mind washing over night and drying during the day. And because I can pop them in with a normal wash load I’m not really increasing my workload – just keeping more on top of the laundry than I ever did before!

We seem to have the current fit sussed now so we have very few leaks etc and they just seem so much comfier than single use ones and I’ve been teaming them with just a T-shirt in this hot weather to keep William cool. Even Sean – who was such a sceptic! – has come around to the idea now he’s seen that even the poop really isn’t a big deal.

I’ve had so many people comment on William’s nappies and how lovely they are. They’ve opened up so many conversations about the impact single use nappies have on our planet, not to mention our bank balances in the long run! A couple of friends have even asked if they could borrow one to try out before they make the commitment to buying their own which I’m always happy to help with. After all, every wear of a reusable nappy means one less ‘disposable’ being chucked out and impacting our environment!

The whole switch from single use nappies (which by the way are made from about 50% plastic!) to cloth has been way easier and rewarding than I imagined it would be and I’m so glad I made the change.

Are you using cloth nappies with your little one? Or are you just not sure?

You might remember the little sensory herb garden we made for Florence this time last year.

Now that she is almost two, Florence is starting to understand things a bit more and so I’ve really focussed this year on giving her ownership of her little patch. We’ve planted a combination of kitchen herbs and talked about the process as we’ve gone. We’ve talked about what plants need and the conditions they need in order to grow (obviously keeping it super simple and toddler friendly) and monitored them as our seeds turned from tiny little specs to seedlings, then stems and now full plants. She’s been so good at taking care of them and watering each day.

Trago Mills have put together this handy info graphic advising when the best time of year is to sew and harvest the most commonly used garden herbs to help you create your own kitchen garden.

Now that some of our herbs are ready for harvesting, we’ve been using them in our cooking. Florence loves to help me in the kitchen and it’s been so lovely to be able to show her the process of growing plants to eat.

We’ve also used them in our play, making sensory Easter Eggs, painted with them and even added them to our water play.

Do you grow herbs at home?

JUST SO YOU KNOW

This is a collaborative post in partnership with Trago Mills.