In short, it’s like a book library but for nappies, but this answer doesn’t make for an interesting blog post. Why am I writing about nappy libraries? Now this is the exciting bit, I’m telling you about nappy libraries because I am opening one!
As you’ll know from my post on Getting Started with Cloth Nappies, a few months ago some of my friends started asking me about my cloth nappies and how they could get started. Helping my friends made me realise that the reason they hadn’t started cloth sooner because it can be quite overwhelming when you look on line. Yes there are some fantastic providers out there who can offer personalised recommendations, but there is also an information overload and sometimes you just need to talk to someone about it face to face.
This is where a nappy library comes in. Our library will offer users an opportunity to meet with a volunteer and talk through their nappy hopes and dreams. They can then hire a kit of ten different types and brands of nappy along with all of the accessories you need to go with them.
Why ten different nappies and not ten of the same? The reason for this is simple, not every nappy brand suits every baby, and not every nappy system suits every family. By offering a selection of brands and systems the parents will have the opportunity to understand which will work best for their baby and them before committing to purchasing anything.
The hire period is four weeks to give families an opportunity to use everything a few times while they work out their preferences.
At the end of the loan period the families should be well placed to be able to purchase the nappies they need to get started with cloth.
The volunteers are all mums of cloth bum babies ourselves, so we understand that there can be complications as babies grow, change their diets and toilet habits. Therefore we will also be offering a lifetime advice service where we can troubleshoot any issues parents may be having with their nappies.
Alongside the hire kits and advice service, we will also be hosting regular meet-ups, a mix of drop-in sessions for parents looking to get started and bigger Nappy Chats for everyone at any point of their journey to meet other cloth bum parents.
The cloth bum community is certainly growing, as more people are becoming aware of their impact on the world and what it could mean for our children, and their children, and their children. People want to make the changes but disposable nappies have been the norm for so many years now, and parenting a small human is hard, meaning disposables feel so easy by comparison. Our aim is to reach those parents who are thinking about it, but feel unsure or need a little guidance and help them see that cloth is as simple as disposables once you get going.
The library will be run as a not for profit venture, there will be a small hire fee of £10 which will remain in the library to cover annual costs such as insurance and any venue costs for the meet-ups. Any money left after the annual costs will be used to purchase more nappies, either to replace any damaged/aged ones or buy new kits where possible.
We are very lucky that Hampshire County Council have grants available for waste reduction schemes which the library falls nicely within. We are currently waiting to hear the outcome of our application in the hope that we will receive enough funding for at least four kits, however the more kits we have available the more families we can help, therefore we are also shamelessly requesting donations from our lovely followers.
If you would like to support the library we are always open to receiving pre-loved donations, of very good or excellent used condition nappies for the kits and damaged PUL nappies for demonstrations. Please message us via the Facebook Page with details of any nappies you would be willing to donate
We’re very excited to be opening the library, which will be sometime in early 2020, in the meantime please do give our Facebook Page a follow and watch this space....
