Free Nappy Banks will be launched in seven regional centres around New Zealand in mid-March by national charity Pregnancy Help.

Pregnancy Help’s new nappy banks will enable families who might otherwise not be able to, to have access to free reusable nappies. They will also provide people around the country with the opportunity to donate clean, pre-used cloth nappies for others to use.

Nappies are essential items for babies and can be expensive items for families. It is estimated that families could save around $20-$30 per week by not buying disposables. This saving can mean “food on the table” as opposed to a nappy in the landfill.

Some cloth nappy facts:

• A baby is changed around 5500 times in 2.5 years

• Some council figures indicate that disposable nappies make up 8% - 14% of the domestic waste stream

• Cloth nappies are 40% better for the environment than disposable nappies

• A family can save up to $4000 per child using cloth nappies

• If every baby had just one cloth nappy change per day, this would prevent one million disposable nappies from going to landfills every week in New Zealand (according to ‘The Nappy Lady’ Kate Meads)

For the last 40 years Pregnancy Help has provided tens of thousands of traditional flat cloth nappies to families. Modern cloth nappies are easier to use and better than they ever have been for both caregivers and babies. It’s easier than it has ever been to choose cloth nappies, with the set-up cost being the only hurdle to overcome for some families.

The Nappy Banks will be run from Pregnancy Help’s regional centres in Dunedin, Invercargill, Canterbury, Auckland, Taupo, Taranaki and Central Hawke’s Bay and will be open for business from the week of 16 March. The Nappy Bank service is not available at Pregnancy Help’s Wellington branch.

The Nappy Banks build on the great work of Kate Meads, also known as ‘the Nappy Lady’ and have Kate’s full support. Kate handed over the nappy bank she had previously launched about 18 months ago and donated the hundreds of nappies she had been collecting to Pregnancy Help because she felt that it would reach the people who needed it the most through our organisation.

Pregnancy Help services including the Nappy Bank are available by people contacting Pregnancy Help directly or other agencies can also put people in touch with Pregnancy Help. Pregnancy Help is also looking to collaborate with other local organisations to get their support for the Nappy Bank initiative.

“If someone wants to try reusable nappies (either part-time or full-time) they can contact us and we'll do our best to provide some at no cost,” says Pregnancy Help’s National Coordinator Sharyn Crawford.

“Our Nappy Banks aren't intended to take the place of people buying their own nappies or accesing hire packs that are available from other sources, as we think that these are a great idea, but what we want to do is make reusable nappies more accessible to people who might find it difficult for whatever reason to meet all of the up-front costs of setting themselves up with reusable nappies.

“We do ask that the nappies are donated back to us after families are finished using them, so that we can pass them on to other families who have the need of them. We also very much appreciate reusable nappies being donated to us, so that we can pass them on to other families at no cost.”

Nappies can be dropped off at Pregnancy Help’s branch offices, or can be posted to Pregnancy Help.

“We also appreciate donations of other items so that we can pass these on to families, such as clothing and bedding,” says Sharyn.

About Pregnancy Help:

Pregnancy Help provides free and confidential advice, essential information and practical items to prepare for parenthood. Support is given to pregnant or recently pregnant women, partners, their families/whanau, caregivers, grandparents and anyone else who wishes to use its services.

Pregnancy Help has been providing services in Auckland, Canterbury, Central Hawkes Bay, Dunedin, Greater Wellington, Invercargill, Taranaki and Taupo for nearly 40 years. Its services complement the work of Doctors, Midwives, Plunket Nurses, Social Workers and other Social Service Agencies. People hear about Pregnancy Help’s services from family and friends, midwives, Plunket, doctors, public hospitals, and a variety of other family services.

Pregnancy Help encourages sustainable practices. Most of the items provided to families are pre-loved items, donated from people in the community who want to assist others. As an organisation Pregnancy Help is conscious of the need for sustainability for families as well as the environment.

In 2014 Pregnancy Help provided 72,658 items of clothing, 824 dozen cloth nappies, 574 bassinets, 5271 bedding items and 2557 other essential baby items.

Go to http://www.pregnancyhelp.org.nz for more information.

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