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Cloth nappies have made a comeback as part of a West Auckland push to lower greenhouse gases.
All babies born at Waitakere Hospital for the next three months will go home wearing a cloth nappy, and will have a further two nappies given to them in a take-home pack. Waitakere City Council and the West Auckland Health Services Foundation have each given $10,000 to the scheme which could result in some 18,000 less nappies in landfills over the next three months.
The new generation cloth nappies come with velcro tabs, biodegradable inners and funky colours. They have liners that can be safely flushed down the toilet. New mother Carole Devereux said the scheme made her feel she could do something for her baby's future, simply by using the new nappies.
"You want to do what's good for the bubby. And you think, you're bringing them in to this world, so it's nice to do something for the environment."
She said the new nappies were also warmer and more comfortable for her two-day-old son - her first child.
The cloth nappies also had a health benefit, Waitakere Hospital midwife educator Vicki Freeman said. It was important to check a baby's urine during its first 24 hours, to make sure its kidneys were functioning properly. Cloth nappies allowed that to be seen far easier than throw-aways, she said.
Councillor Linda Cooper said the scheme fitted in with the council's efforts to improve the environment.
