We are dealing with an unprecedented cost of living crisis and to add to this burden, the cost of having a baby is a huge expense that continues to increase and add panic to parent’s plates.
It’s been reported that the cost of raising a child in 2022, was (parents, take a deep breath) £69,000 for a couple and over £113,000 for a lone parent to bring up a child until they’re 18, according to a report by Loughborough University on behalf of the Child Poverty Action Group.
This stomach-churning total does not even include rent, childcare or council tax costs. The bad news is that these reported costs have risen since the calculations were made back in April 2022.
Due to the rising cost of living pressures, many parents are forced to search for ways to save money, especially as the cost of disposable nappies continues to rise at a staggering rate, as well as seeing widespread shrinkflation of disposable nappy packs – prices remain the same but parents get less bang for their buck with less nappies included in each pack!
Fear not – Bambino Mio is starting a reusable revolution that will help parents to save a shed load of cash and keep more pennies in their pockets. Nappies are undoubtedly an essential product for baby, but this cost can be offset if parents opt for reusable nappies.
Parents can save £700 over branded disposables and even with the additional energy cost factored in to wash reusable nappies, they still prove to be over 50% cheaper! The best news is that if parents invest in reusable nappies full time, they never need to buy nappies again (no more late-night supermarket dashes for nappies).
If parents go on to have another child, the financial savings become even greater, equating to saving over £1000 when reusable nappies are used on a second child (substantially more if they are bought second hand). Having previously been targeted towards a niche consumer group, the second-hand market is now thriving in the UK, with eBay recently reporting a 404% year-on-year increase in pre-loved sales since 2018.
Even big high-street names like Zara are making the shift to a more sustainable model, offering consumers the chance to buy pre-loved products at a lower price. Nappies are no exception to this with parents already able to access second hand through popular online platforms as well as local nappy libraries.
These are of course welcome savings for families, many of whom are navigating the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis. It is money back in the pockets of parents who are having to budget for increasing childcare costs. In the UK, we have the second most expensive childcare system in the world, but recently the Education Select Committee has agreed to a review of the childcare and early years sector in England following a petition and protest march lead by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed.
To help more parents with the upfront cost of reusable nappies, Bambino Mio has partnered with payment provider DivideBuy to allow consumers to purchase nappies and spread the cost over six, nine or 12 months interest-free. The full price of the Bambino Mio’s complete nappy set, which contains everything parents need to use reusable nappies (and never have to buy another nappy again!) can be split over 12 months (£23.75p/m), comparable to the average amount spent on disposables nappies per month.
Guy Schanschieff, Founder of Bambino Mio, comments:
“Prepping for the arrival of a new baby comes with a list of essentials to buy so, parents need more affordable options and although the upfront cost of disposable nappies is cheaper, in the long run by choosing reusable nappies parents can save £700.”
“We want to ease financial pressure for parents and encourage more people to try reusable nappies. Across the average 2.5 years that babies are in nappies, disposables don’t just cost more money, they are a high cost to our environment too. Nappies are essential, but nappy waste is not.”
It’s also worth highlighting that the cost of reusable nappies remain fairly static as they aren’t so reliant on energy cost or oil costs which are used to manufacture plastic single-use nappies which we’re continuing to see increase in price.
A baby only needs 16 reusable nappies as opposed to 5,000 disposable nappies before they are potty trained. Reusable nappies are made for ultimate performance using high quality fabrics so, they can be used on multiple children, gifted to family and friends, donated or resold to for others to buy second hand, giving parents an opportunity to buy cheap and sell on.
The UK’s biggest reusable nappy brand, Bambino Mio, are starting a revolution to clean up the mess disposable nappies have made. Fighting on behalf of babies, the smallest of us who can’t speak up for themselves yet, to protect our planet because our future is not disposable.
You can find more information about Bambino Mio and their award-winning reusable nappies here www.bambinomio.co.uk.
