Hannah Porter
Owner of Bear & Moo
Over 300,000...
That's how many disposable nappies a minute globally, are sent to landfill, incinerated or end up in the environment, including the ocean!
We are very excited to have Hannah from Bear & Moo be part of our Monthly Spotlight series and provide some information I know many of us look for when considering reusable nappies.
As a mum of three myself, it wasn't until our third child we had the confidence to finally try reusable nappies. A large part of that was the fact our third baby was born not long after Bear & Moo began in May 2018. The information and support Hannah shared through her Instagram page at the time was all we needed to take the plunge and realise it wasn't so daunting. We bought a bundle with 5 reusable nappies and started using them straight away. That's all we ever used, 5 reusable nappies from Bear & Moo. Sometimes we used 1 a day, 3 a day or could go a week without using them again but knew every time they were used we were doing a small part for the environment and our wallets.
I think that's a huge part of how Hannah has built an amazing community through Bear & Moo. As a mum of three to Regan 7, Hadley 6 and Maddie 20 months, Hannah is realistic with her advice to other parents. She encourages those who are interested in trying reusable nappies or may be scared about starting to just do what they can, when they can. There's no pressure to be perfect
We asked Hannah a few questions we know often come up when deciding whether or not you want to give reusables a go. So have a read below and let us know if you have any other questions?
Why should I use reusable nappies?
People generally choose to use reusable nappies for one of two reasons - money or the environment.
From a financial perspective, disposable nappies from newborn to toilet training can cost you up to $4000, whereas reusables can be as low as $500 to set you up, and then used for multiple children or sold. But even part-time use is cost saving ... basically after 3 months one of our Bear & Moo cloth nappies has paid for itself.
From an environmental perspective, as a country we send around 1 million disposable nappies to landfill every week and they take over 500 years to break down, so they're all just literally sitting in the ground. 1 a day saves 365 nappies from landfill, it's that simple.
Any advice on how to start with reusable nappies?
Buy a nappy, put it on, wash, repeat. Honestly I think the more you read, the less likely you are to get started. So just find a nappy in a print you like (or not, whatever works!) and give it a go. Start when you know you're going to be at home so you can get the fit right and deal with any leaks you might have while you get used to it, and then go from there. The more you have, the easier it often is, but start small.
We also have a Facebook group (
Bear & Moo Crew) where you can ask advice around your fit and any issues you might be having. It's pretty hard to break a cloth nappy, so don't be scared of a bit of trial and error.
Common misconceptions about reusable nappies?
That they're hard to use. And that the washing is really difficult. The number of people I've talked over the years who have decided to give it a go and then message saying 'it's way easier than I expected' ... it really is!
The washing is easy - a warm wash of just nappies (to get rid of the wees and poos) and then add other baby clothes etc for a main wash. I generally wash nappies twice a week, and that's when Maddie's clothes get done too. Easy.
Your favourite piece of advice about absolutely anything?
Trust your instincts, they're never wrong. The number of times I've tried to convince myself my gut must be wrong ... it's not. It's always right!
Have you tried reusable nappies for any of your children? Let us know below your own experience. Or any questions you may still have.
