It's ironic that parents will happily make sure they smooth preservative-free creams and naturally-infused oils over their baby's skin, but then quite happily wrap him or her in a chemically-saturated nappy that has been through countless processes to ensure it is sparkling white and contains just the right amount of super absorbent silicon chemical crystals, to ensure it can heave a huge volume urine around for several hours without exploding.

Pampers still control the majority of the nappy market in the UK, with Huggies coming a much smaller second. Together disposables make up around 90% of the market, with the newer brands of so-called eco-disposables which contains either no or far less chemical absorbent gels, taking a small proportion of this market. Nature Boy Girl and Moltex are two successes of this group. Bambo is newer to the UK.

The alternative to disposables, which according to the Women's Environmental Network cost an average of 16.9p each and contribute to up to 4% of total household waste, are cloth nappies, usually made from layered cotton.

These days as most people are aware cloth nappies don't have to be the standard white squares of years ago (although these are the cheapest option and available at most supermarkets). The modern choice of shaped, layered nappies is pretty huge, with brands such as Mother-ease, Sandis, One Life, Kushies, Tots Bots and Popolino being just a few. You can choose from organic or unbleached cotton and to go for a nappy that requires a wrap or cover, to one that is badged as an all-in-one complete. Many can be adapted to last from very small baby to toddler thanks to velcro straps or popper fastening. But all require either disaposable or cotton (and sometimes even silk) linings.

Bambino Mio and Cotton Bottoms (branded Tommee Tippee) offer a fanatsic range of straight forward cotton layered squares of differing size that can be folded and adapted to most babies. There's also a  choice of pretty wraps to compliment.