THE subject of nappies can be a little on the nose.

Those smelly bundles of fresh baby poo can be expensive for parents, thus making them worthy of some research.

For one, the age-old debate between disposables and cloth still rages on so the Daily News decided to investigate the savings to be had for those who were willing.

Kingscliff resident and Mumz Buzz group director Vanessa Fairweather was happy to give her advice when it came to saving on nappies.

"Firstly I would say don't be picky with brands; if you can do this you will almost always find nappies on special," Mrs Fairweather said.

She said buying in bulk almost always resulted in savings and nappies were no different.

"Between all the major supermarkets and the others, you can always find a special, and when you do, it is best to buy in bulk," Mrs Fairweather said.

Reusable cloth nappies are the more old-school option for parents; the fact you have to be on top of the washing can be a deterrent for many though.

Finding a retailer who stocks cloth nappies can also be a little trickier than the disposable option.

If you average out how many nappies a baby or toddler goes through a day, say around 10, then realistically, parents need to have 30 to 40 cloth nappies and the washing needs to be done three times a week.

"I guess it just depends on what time constraints you have. Cloth nappies are a great environmental option and of course the savings are there as well," Mrs Fairweather said.

Mrs Fairweather runs Mumzbuzz, which is an online network designed to be a one-stop-shop for Tweed mums.

Visit mumzbuzz.com.au.

TIPS

Cloth nappies take time to wash

Buy in bulk

Look out for specials

Shop around different retailers

Do not be brand fussy

Cloth nappies are environmentally friendly

Buy before baby arrives