Tops Day Nurseries Cuts Nappy Use and Carbon Emissions with New Potty Teaching Approach

Tops Day Nurseries has started a new Potty Teaching program. This program helps children stop using nappies sooner. It also reduces waste, carbon emissions, and costs for families and local authorities. The nursery group is changing how early years settings handle toilet training. They combine earlier toileting, washable nappies, and sustainable practices.

Why Tops Introduced Potty Teaching

Since opening in 1990, Tops Day Nurseries has supported families with toilet learning. However, colleagues noticed a worrying trend. By 2020, many children were still in nappies at three or four years old. Some even started school still wearing nappies.

Cultural comparisons revealed that earlier toileting is not only possible but normal in many parts of the world. This prompted Tops to take action. In 2024, the group started tracking toileting details again using EyLog. They appointed a colleague to monitor data for ESOS, B Corp assessments, and internal reviews.

The goal is to better understand patterns, encourage earlier independence, and reduce nappy use across the nurseries.

Environmental and Financial Costs of Disposable Nappies

Disposable nappies may be convenient, but they carry a heavy cost:

1. Environmental Impact

• Local authorities typically spend around 4% of their total waste budgets on nappy disposal alone.
• In 2015, Tops made a big decision. They chose to pay for “offensive” waste collection. This cost £24,752 each year for 34 nurseries. This allowed nappies to be burned instead of thrown in a landfill.
• Reduced general waste bin charges largely offset this cost.

2. Reducing Single-Use Plastics

Tops has systematically cut back on disposables by:

• Replacing aprons with reusable alternatives
• Moving from two gloves per nappy change to one or none
• Switching entirely to washable wipes

These changes reduced consumables from 2% of income to just 0.5%, demonstrating that sustainability can also be financially efficient.

What Research Says About Washable Nappies and Early Toileting

Cheryl Hadland, Founder and Managing Director of Tops Day Nurseries, has played a pivotal role in championing sustainable alternatives. In 2023, she attended an international meeting in Copenhagen focused on sustainable incontinence products. Research confirmed that washable nappies are significantly less harmful to the environment than disposables, though the carbon footprint depends on laundering methods (Jana & Shu, 2021; J. Mendoza et al., 2019; Mirabella et al., 2013; Khoo et al., 2019).

Further insights came from an OMEP conference in Sweden, where studies showed that delayed toilet training is linked to higher rates of bladder and bowel infections, constipation, medication use and emotional distress (Engdahl et al., 2021).

Globally, early toileting is not unusual. In Vietnam, for example, children are typically toilet trained by 9–12 months (Duong, 2013). This reinforced Tops’ belief that UK childcare could safely and effectively encourage toileting earlier than current norms suggest.

How Tops Piloted Its Potty Teaching Programme

1. Tops Southsea: First Washable Nappy Pilot

Tops Southsea became the first nursery to trial washable nappies. The team was provided with reusables free of charge so they could test practicality, hygiene and parent response. In the end, every parent opted to participate, demonstrating strong support for sustainable alternatives.

2. Tops Bearwood: Innovative Laundry Hub

A second pilot at Tops Bearwood expanded the model by creating a central Laundry Hub servicing eight local nurseries. This hub uses:

• Grey water systems
• Solar energy
• Energy-efficient washing machines
• A green energy supplier
• Electric vehicles for collections and deliveries

External sanitation experts verified the hygiene standards, ensuring nappies were both clean and safe.

An MBA research project at Bournemouth University later confirmed that this was one of the most efficient laundering models in the sector.

What Comes Next for Potty Teaching at Tops

Thanks to the success of the pilots, Tops Day Nurseries now hopes to get funding. This could come from GECCO or government support. They want to set up three more regional laundry hubs. These hubs could even serve other nurseries, helping the wider early years sector reduce waste and carbon emissions.

The Potty Teaching project continues to evolve, combining sustainability, child development research and practical solutions for families. Tops Day Nurseries is leading the way towards a future where children gain independence earlier, and nurseries dramatically cut their environmental impact.