Parents turn up noses at baby box nappies
Voucher scheme for reusable products flops
ABOUT 80 per cent of households have snubbed a key item in Holyrood’s flagship Baby Box.
Figures reveal parents have ignored a voucher scheme which gives them access to a reusable nappy kit.
Labour MSP Monica Lennon said: “It’s good that the Baby Box includes a reusable nappy voucher, but it’s worrying that fewer than one in five people are using it.
“With a climate emergency and rising living costs, we can’t afford for this initiative to flop.”
Baby Box essentials include a mattress, a fitted sheet and blanket, a selection of clothes and an underarm thermometer.
Also included is a voucher for a free reusable nappy kit, which has a waterproof wrap and five pads.
The Parent Club website says: “Choosing reusable nappies can save you up to £750 per baby compared to the cost of disposables and will reduce your consumption of single-use plastic, too.”
However, stats show take-up levels are low.
The Scottish Government announced more than 40,000 boxes had been delivered in 2020.
Separate figures show only 7192 nappies were claimed in the same year – less than 20 per cent.
There have now been calls for a rethink on the way new parents can access reusables.
Lennon added: “More people should have the opportunity to access free and low-cost reusable nappy schemes in the community. Scotland could develop a worldleading policy instead of sending 160million disposable nappies to rubbish dumps each year.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We would encourage parents to try reusable nappies, which can be more affordable in the long run, to see if they fit their lifestyle – and the Baby Box includes a voucher for them to do just that.
“We will, of course, continue to evaluate how Scotland’s Baby Box is helping families and to monitor how it can be improved.”