The 2019 Great Australian Cloth Nappy Survey has been a fascinating look at how almost 2,500 families are using reusable nappies in Australia. That so many families took part demonstrates that cloth nappies are a viable option for more and more parents concerned with the environmental impact, cost, and waste associated with disposable nappies. Rather than a ‘fringe’ or ‘alternative’ option that can be easily dismissed by media or governments as something that wouldn’t be considered by ‘mainstream’ parents (and thus not worth investigating), this survey shows that there is a vibrant, diverse community of cloth nappy users of significant size, that is growing.
Click here to download the results of the 2019 Great Australian Cloth Nappy Survey .
The importance of support and education around choosing and using cloth nappies shows that there is massive scope for cloth nappy education from councils, health care providers, maternity hospitals, and other organisations, to make a significant impact on raising awareness and providing choice for parents who want an alternative to disposable nappies. A number of local councils and hospitals already provide education in the form of workshops (some in conjunction with the ANA or ANA members) or incentives like rebates or trial packs. Assisting councils and other organisations to provide reusable nappy education is one of the goals of the ANA, and we’re happy to work with any council who is interested in setting up something for their communities.
But community is one of the most important factors when it comes to a family deciding to use cloth nappies, and being successful at it. Knowing someone else in real life – a friend or family member especially – is the number one indicator that someone will consider using cloth nappies themselves. The local cloth nappy community groups that have started up in various locations around Australia are harnessing this need for real life exposure, providing support locally, and assurance that reusable nappies are doable. Hopefully this survey and the 2,500 families that were involved in it, will go some way to assist in affirming that thousands of families around Australia are using cloth nappies successfully, and that it is a choice that other parents can make too.
Our aim is that this survey will become an annual event, so we can track the use of reusable nappies and how families choose and use them, and what support and education is required in our communities.
We welcome feedback from families, local councils and other government bodies, maternity hospitals and healthcare providers, other organisations and businesses that support families, and the media, if they have questions, suggestions or are looking for further information. The Australian Nappy Association can be contacted at media@australiannappyassociation.org.au.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the first Great Australian Cloth Nappy Survey.
