Yep you read it right we are cloth diaper lovers! I'm sure those of you who have recently had children know how popular the new cloth diapers are becoming (20% use them in the USA and growing). But for those of you who are laughing at us right now for doing this.....let me assure you things have come a LONG way since the days of flats with pins and plastic underwear covers! (http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php)
Benefits of Cloth Diapers The great diaper debate has gone on for ages. Here we present the benefits of cloth diapers, which I am sure you will agree far outweigh any possible advantage of disposable diapers. Not only are cloth diapers better for baby and the environment, they also can be cheaper, they support our economy, and best of all they are just as easy to use as disposables.
| Would you like wearing paper underwear? |
Baby skin is very delicate, so cloth diapering really is better for baby. Would you like wearing paper underwear? One study reports that only 7% of cloth diapered babies experience diaper rash compared with 78% of disposable diapered babies.1 Why is this? Disposable diapers use chemicals to help absorb wetness. Because of these chemicals, it often becomes difficult to tell when your baby needs to be changed resulting in fewer diaper changes - leaving your babe sitting in a damp chemical stew.
Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. or Canada.2
Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.3
Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.4
| Scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis. |
Due to the very construction of disposable diapers they do not allow the skin to breathe; this causes the temperature next to the babies skin to rise. In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis. Cloth diapers solve all of these problems by allowing mom to know when baby is wet which leads to more frequent diaper changes, air circulates to babies bottom, allowing it to breathe; resulting in clean, healthy and chemical free containment.
The environmental debate for disposables has always been that cloth diapering uses more energy for washing and drying so cloth has the same environmental impact. The may have been an argument before the advent of energy saving washers and dryers and flushing a toilet every time. Plus, I still can't believe that at 500+ years for trillions of diapers to decompose can even be a debate.
With all the frequent diaper changing you may get the added benefit of your little one potty training early, and at least easier. Studies show cloth diapered babies’ average age potty trained: 18 months, versus disposables: 40 months. Reasoning - your child can feel when they have gone to the bathroom; they are not artificially removed from the consequence (wet diaper) which helps immensely in the potty training arena. Don't our babies deserve the best we have to offer them? Why subject their little bodies to any more contamination than we have to? Believe me, it will come soon enough.
| Cloth diapers use less renewable and non-renewable resources at all levels of production and use than disposables. |
In the society we live in, we must all do our part and try to be environmentally responsible. You should feel good about your decision to cloth diaper. Disposable diapers contribute 1% of all solid waste in our landfills, (fast food wrappers only contribute 0.1%) that is a lot of trash. One report estimated that the U.S. alone spends almost 300 million dollars annually removing disposable diapers. Using disposables increases the cost of solid waste management for everyone. Not to mention that no long-term studies have been done to evaluate the potential effects that leachate from disposables has on our ecosystem. Cloth diapers use less renewable and non-renewable resources at all levels of production and use than disposables.
Plus....they are ADORABLE! Here are some pictures for those of you who haven't seen the new cloth diapers. They go on and off just like a disposable one. You can have Velcro/snaps/hook closers even.
"What about laundry?"....Well first I like to remind you we have laundry service. So we will rarely have to wash them. But I would still use cloth diapers even if I did. Back in the day you had a wet pail that had water and solution in it and you would spray off the diapers then put them in the pail, which smells horrible I hear, then empty the pail out and then wash them like 5 times and then dry them.
Well now we change baby, throw them in the wet bag (its just like you use for wet swimsuits) and throw them in the washing machine ever couple days. (more when they are newborns since they go through more diapers). You wash once on cold water with no soap and once on hot with soap and an extra rinse and the through in the drier or line dry (which every you prefer).
What about poop?--well breastfeed babies don't have solid poops till they are on solid foods-so we have at least 7-9 months before we worry about that. But when it does happen we just dump poop in the toilet and flush (like your SUPPOSE to do with disposables-since waste is not "allowed" in the public garbage, read the directions on disposables some time!).
So since 75% of my baby registry will have these on them--learn to love them people! :)
Any questions about cloth diapers? Ask away in the comment section and I will answer them!
