Hayley Klop bought her first cloth nappies when her daughter Issy was sixteen months old. ‘I discovered that a baby wearing disposable nappies sends 700 kg of waste to landfill every year. Imagine that for every child in Australia!’
Hayley is making green nappies more colourful
She was reluctant to spend a lot of money all at once, so she bought half a dozen of the cheaper international brands.
But in 2019, just before the start of the Covid pandemic, she decided to try making them herself.
‘I’d never sewn anything in my life,’ she said. ‘But I wanted to give it a go.’
When lockdown hit, Hayley studied YouTube videos. And in May 2020, she started sending tester nappies out to the online community for feedback.
‘I said, “Try them on your babies, tell me what you think.” And so many mums came back to me saying, “We need these!”’
With that, Hayley’s business Indie Cloth was born.
When most people think of cloth nappies, they imagine the traditional white towelling covered in a plastic pilcher. But the nappy shells on Hayley’s website feature colourful digital prints of dolphins, astronauts, sunflowers and galaxies.
‘There’s a bit more work in cloth nappies,’ she said. ‘But it’s not as daunting as it seems. And it’s much less of a chore when they are beautiful or fun.’
Her waterproof nappy shells work similarly to regular nappies, but with a built-in pocket so the absorbent inserts can be stuffed inside the lining. Adjustable snaps mean they fit most children, from large newborns all the way through to toddlers.
According to Environment Victoria, parents can spend between $2500 and $4000 per child on disposable nappies. But all the modern cloth nappies their child will need can cost as little as $200–300, depending on the brand.
‘Start-up cost for cloth is always more,’ said Hayley, ‘and that can be a financial barrier for some people. But in the longer term it’s much cheaper.’
For anyone interested in trying cloth nappies, Hayley recommends joining a Facebook group and asking questions. ‘The online community is very broad and welcoming.
‘And it doesn’t have to be all one or the other. Even if you only use one cloth nappy a day, and the rest disposable, you’re still saving more than three hundred nappies a year from going to landfill.’
Hayley Klop has been chosen by Clarence Climate Action as this month’s Climate Champion.
Find out more about Hayley’s nappies.
Eastern Shore Sun, August 2022, page 10