Last month, a group of County Durham mums started using real nappies as part of a six-month trial. As National Real Nappy Week gets underway, Women's Editor Christen Pears catches up with them to find out what they think

DISPOSABLE nappies may be convenient but they're expensive and the damage they do to the environment is enormous. Eight million disposables are thrown away each day and they could take up to 500 years to rot away.

In County Durham, parents are being encouraged to use the environmentally-friendly alternative - real nappies. Last month 12 volunteers from Ferryhill and Chilton began a six-month washable nappy trial, run by Sedgefield Borough Council and the Ferryhill and Chilton Sure Start programme.

Some had used real nappies before but others were sceptical, expecting to be given the old-fashioned, flat terry towelling nappies that are folded and fastened with a pin. They were impressed when they saw the new generation of real nappies, most of which are shaped to fit like disposables and are fastened with press-studs or velcro. But how did they get on?

The group got together last week to talk about their experiences and share tips. Most were impressed with nappies, although they all had preferences for different makes and styles. And surprisingly, the flat terry nappy seems to be enjoying a renaissance.

Katherine Wright, who already used traditional, flat terries on her ten-month-old son, Ryan, says: "On the whole, they haven't been too bad but some are better than others. One of the main problems has been that a couple of them aren't absorbent enough for night time and they take quite a long time to dry.

"To be honest, I actually prefer the terry nappies that I'm using already. You can fold them to get the perfect fit and they're probably more absorbent."

Joanne Phillips, a mother-of-three, is a convert to the real nappy cause. Like Joanne, she has been experimenting with different styles to find the ones that work best for one-year-old Ethan.

"I think they're great, much cheaper than disposables. I found them a lot easier to wash than I thought I would and I've actually dug out the old-style terry nappies I used on my eldest son and I've been using them as well."

After trying them for a month, Carol Lymer says she plans to keep her son, Ritchie, who is six months old, in real nappies. "I do prefer some to others but, I will definitely be sticking to real nappies.

"I've worked out I've saved around £6 a week at least and funnily enough, the cheapest nappies have been the best. They do take quite a while to dry so I've actually bought some of the old-fashioned terry ones and they're fine."

Real Nappy Week is now a well-established national event, jointly organised by the Women's Environmental Network's Real Nappy Project, the National Association of Nappy Services and the Real Nappy Association. It is supported by more than 150 local authorities round the UK.

Campaigners claim nappies are better for the environment and for babies because, unlike disposables, they are free of pesticides and synthetic chemicals. It is also estimated that parents can save between £500 and £1,250 on the cost of keeping their baby in nappies.

For more information, write to The Real Nappy Association, PO Box 3704, London, SE26 4RX or visit the website at www.realnappy.com.