LIKE many fortunate couples in the millennium year, we were given the gift of a beautiful baby. Along with this little beauty came the dubious pleasure of nappy changing and this just happened to coincide with our aim to become more environmentally friendly.

Initially we used disposable nappies and were amazed to see the amount of rubbish created. I decided to send for some catalogues for reusable nappies, finding addresses in 'mother and baby' magazines.

Some of the information I received was:

1. Each year more than 50 billion disposable nappies are discarded into European landfil sites with nine million used every day in Britain alone

2. Each nappy takes between 200 and 500 years to break down

3. Strong chemicals are used within disposable nappies -- the effects of which have not been tested

4. All the reusable nappies you would ever need would cost as little as £285 (including laundry costs) and can be used for your next child, compared to throwing away approximately £1,000 with disposables per child.

We tried a few samples and were converted. The rubbish we threw away was miniscule in comparison to having used disposables and the nappies themselves seemed much more substantial.

There is an African saying which suggests to us that rather than passing on the planet to our children, we borrow it from them. We trust that our daughter will be pleased in knowing that with a little extra effort we are helping to care for her future.

We would highly recommend reusables to other environmentally conscious parents. Perhaps our stores could help by having information at hand, and more reusable nappies in stock.

MARIA GOUGH, Queen's Road, Blackburn.