When you are expecting a baby, there are all sorts of things you think about. Whether you can afford to buy nappies is not usually one of those things.

We are very lucky to be able to afford to buy nappies. These days the choice between disposable and cloth nappies is a personal one. For some, there is no choice. Disposable nappies are expensive and while they are convenient and can make life easier, there are families who cannot afford them.

Depending on the child, you will need nappies until they are toilet trained. In our case Little Whimsy started toilet training at 2 years old but still uses nappies overnight and during long car rides. At the beginning they can use more than 12 a day!

Nappies come in various sizes and we all know that babies grow in a blink of an eye so it’s rare to be able to finish a box or packet of nappies before you get to the next size. This includes swim nappies if you take your child swimming.

So what do you do with the leftover unused nappies? If you have family or friends you can gift the leftover nappies. If you have enough you can probably sell them through local buy, swap and sell groups. But if you have a few spare lying around you may end up deciding to throw them out. Wait…there is an alternative.

For two weeks in May and November, The Nappy Collective helps to collect and distribute leftover UNUSED disposable nappies to organisations to support families in crises or in need.

Since they started in 2014 they have collected 2208082 nappies.

Who is The Nappy Collective?

The Nappy Collective are a not for profit, community based organisation run entirely by volunteers. They do not distribute the nappies directly but pass them to organisations that support families in crisis or in need such as women’s crisis shelters and refuges, mothers facing homelessness, parenting support organisations and community organisations.

Collection Points

There are over 400 collection points around Australia.

In Sydney, there are 35 collection points ranging from pharmacies, doctors, auto shops, shopping centres, dentists and many more. We saw ours at our local Baby Sensory class.

If you have nappies you aren’t using, find a collection centre near you and donate.

There are also other ways to help support this great cause. Volunteering, apply to become a drop off point (they do not select private residential places) or you can become a sponsor.

For more information head to http://www.thenappycollective.com