FORGET the daunting decisions of parenthood. If a new campaign funded by the Scottish Executive is successful, the biggest dilemma facing new mums and dads will be all about nappies.

Should they be keeping their conscience clean with the cloth nappy, which is being promoted as the environmentally friendly choice, or will the appeal of disposable convenience mean that parents stay loyal to brand favourites, Pampers and Huggies?

It was announced yesterday that (pounds) 650,000 was to be spent on persuading parents to pick the former.

Speaking at the second Scottish National Nappy Conference in Stirling, Alan Wilson, deputy environment minister, said the money would be granted over the next two years to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) in an effort to reduce waste sent to Scotland's landfill sites.

The funding, which will provide Wrap with (pounds) 328,900 in 2004/5, and a further (pounds) 316,400 in 2005/6, will pay for marketing campaigns, market re-search on nappies, and help support cloth nappy schemes and businesses.

Mr Wilson said: ''I understand fully why people use disposable nappies, as they are convenient. However, there is also a growing realisation that we need to do more to reduce waste.

''To help achieve this, we need to look hard at minimising the amount of waste we produce. This initiative provides us with a viable and potentially economical way of doing this.''

The amount of waste sent to landfill sites north of the border was said to have climbed by more than 200,000 tonnes in the last year.

Mr Wilson said the new strategy would help reduce municipal waste threatening to overwhelm Scotland's landfill sites, 25% of which the executive has promised to recycle and compost by 2006.

The announcement received enthusiastic support from the Green party, which claims that disposable nappies are one of the biggest contributors to Britain's burgeoning waste mountain.

Shiona Baird, Green list MSP for North East Scotland, said: ''Promoting the use of real nappies will not only help reduce waste but will help support green enterprise and create jobs.''

Ms Baird, a mother of five and grandmother, added: ''I am staggered at the improvements in design over the years. They are now as easy to use as disposables - no folding or pins - and so much cheaper in the long term.''

However, the push to convert parents to cotton has provoked a furious reaction from critics, who believe the nappy initiative will bring Scotland a step closer to a nanny state.

David Davidson, Conservative spokesman for health and MSP for North East Scotland, said: ''I am absolutely staggered that they could spend that sort of money on an advertising campaign.

''Once again, the executive is telling people how to live their lives, pouring money into a nanny state. Quite frankly, it would be much better spent in the community, making sure mums, and mums-to-be, had proper health support.''

Comparing the campaign to the controversial 24-hour NHS helpline, he added: ''Like the helpline, which has been shown to be hardly used, it

will cost a fortune and deliver

nothing.''

Peter Stephenson, spokes-man for AHPMA, the trade association which represents the nappy industry, was similarly sceptical about the scheme, claiming that the government's attempt to determine consumer choice would undermine fair trade.

He said: ''We are frankly surprised and disappointed. It is an incredible amount of money, and we believe it is wrong for one section of a commercial industry to be subsidised from public funds to the detriment of another.

''It is not for the executive to decide what nappies should be bought. Parents should be able to choose which nappy they want without pressure from the government.''

He also claimed that the threat posed by disposable nappies had been exaggerated.

''Disposable nappies contribute only 0.1% of total material to landfill sites. The extra electricity, clean water and detergent needed to clean cloth nappies probably has more of an impact. No side can claim environmental superiority,'' he said.

The Wrap project follows a pilot scheme in West Sussex in 1999, in which parents were given a cash incentive to switch to cloth nappies. In Aberdeen, the council is promoting their use by giving mothers a grant of (pounds) 15 to help with the initial capital outlay.

However, Sharon Martin, a midwife for 17 years and representative of the Royal College of Midwifery, said it would take more than an advertising campaign to convince modern mothers to give up disposable convenience.

Call of the cloth leaves mothers at odds

FOR

LAURA Vivanco, 29, a volunteer for the Edinburgh Real Nappy Network, believes that real cloth nappies are the best option for her two-year old son, Benjamin.

She said: ''When I came back from hospital I noticed how quickly the bins were filling up. That's an awful lot of landfill one child is producing.''

Not only were they better for the environment, they had benefits for your bank balance, she added.

''A cloth nappy costs around (pounds) 7 but lasts for more than two years - it works out at around (pounds) 350 over 18-24 months. But keeping a child in a premium brand of disposable nappies could cost up to (pounds) 700, and if you're changing them as much as you should, maybe (pounds) 1000.''

While she is unconvinced how safe synthetic brands are, she believes cloth nappies are now easier to use than before - no longer does it mean wrapping your baby in heavily knotted fabric with some strategically placed pins.

''Poppers, not pins, are now used, and they are hourglass shaped so easy to fold. They feel nice, they look nice. It also gives a cushion to fall on when they learn to walk.

''When parents see how easy it is, they don't want to change back.''

Against

NEW mother Lisa Roper, 30, has yet to be convinced. She said the added housework that cloth nappies bring would be make looking after seven-week-old daughter, Rebecca, even more difficult.

''I think caring for a new baby is the longest day's work I've ever faced. You are on duty 24-7, and the last thing you would want to do is wash all those cloth nappies. It may be much more selfish, but in the early days of having a baby, it's all about self-preservation,'' she said.

Although she is concerned about the dubious green credentials of synthetic brands, Mrs Roper said it came as a second priority to caring for her daughter.

''I have a little bit of a conscience, but not enough to change. Without disposables, it would be a complete nightmare.

''A new baby needs changed between eight and 10 times a day. Disposable nappies are quick, efficient and, above all, convenient. I think also that disposables keep your baby drier, and give them less chance of getting nappy rash.''

She was sceptical of the Scottish Executive's decision to promote the use of cloth nappies among parents, claiming that cash could benefit what she thinks are more valuable causes.