Buying disposable nappies is an easy way of dealing with a common new parent problem – time. In this dizzy rush we find our selves propelled to an early rushed to grave it is easy to forsake the planet in order to gain a few extra minutes to fill with other childcare issues, from feeding to cleaning, fetching to carrying. I know I have done it; rushed into the nearest shop for a packet of disposable nappies because Terry nappies are such a fiddle seeming to take forever to dry ready for the next pile of poo!

Had the natural nappy kits been available I may have though twice about using disposables. Yes the new style of terry nappies, and the other brands now available, do take time to wash and dry but seem much easier to use. What is more, there is not the horrible danger lurking next to baby’s skin – TBT or Tributyltin which is know to disrupt sex hormones in disposable nappies sold throughout the world. How does it get there? It leaches out of the plastic sheet covering the top surface of the nappy in direct contact with our Childs skin. A child wearing just five nappies a day would be exposed to 3.5 times the tolerable intake.

Back to the new terry nappies. Each nappy is made of organic material ranging from cotton to hemp, even bamboo, with great absorbency and comfort. A thin disposable lining fit the nappy, often produced from natural starches that breakdown in land fill sites or can be flushed down the loo, but it is not recommended. The starter packs for a child of seven to ten pounds costs from £260 and included 30 nappies, a roll of liners and a carry bag with some helpful suggestions. More rolls of liners are available as time moves forward, as are larger nappies as your child grows. The spent nappies are ideal for reuse for the next child or they do make great mop up rags for the garage or shed.
To put it another way, a child uses, on average 5472 nappies in 30 months which works out at £1,203.84 based on a nappy cost per unit of 22p and six nappy changes per day over those 30 months. Therefore, going the natural, non-disposable way will save up to £500 and help reduce the 8,000,000 nappies that go into landfill every day.
There are also companies who will collect and launder nappies for you - try www.naturalnappies.co.uk
For other site try www.littlelamb.co.uk and www.spiritofnature.co.uk

It was a sad day last Thursday when one of the girls passed away just five short weeks after release from the battery pens. She was one of the weaker birds and enjoyed her time of freedom before succumbing to a fermenting crop. She was a little unwell the day before so I moved her to a quiet shed in the warm with fresh water and food. I spoke to fellow chicken keepers and had had much advice given. In the morning, she seemed to perk up and I thought she would be around for a long time. Sadly, by 12 noon she had rolled onto her side. I went to see how she was I am sure she winked at me, as if to say thank you, before drawing her last breath. At 12.02, kebab, as the youngsters named her, was in chicken land, wherever that is.

The rest of the girls knew something was wrong, suddenly appearing outside the shed. They made no noise, just peered in, fluffed up their feathers before walking off. Kebab is buried under a tree she took such a fancy too when I first let them all out to explore the garden.

What is great is the way the girls have really filled out, are laying four eggs a day and will now feed from visitors hands. If you have space and time to devote to taking ex battery hens, get them into your garden or back yard for a better life for both of you. Just one word of warning – watch your garden plants.