On the Fence About Cloth Diapers?

Let's talk about reasons to use cloth diapers.

Cloth diapers are better for the environment. The Real Diaper Association reports that:

• Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today.
• A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose.
• One baby in disposable diapers will contribute at least 1 ton of waste to your local landfill.

Cloth diapers are a more economical choice than disposables.

• You could easily spend $2500.00 on 2 1/2 years of disposable diapers.
• So far, my total investment (excluding washing costs - but my water and energy costs haven't increased) has only been about $400.00 (and I have way more cloth diapers than one needs).

Cloth diapers don't contain the chemicals that disposables do.

• Unless you buy chlorine free diapers, they contain a byproduct of the bleaching process called dioxins. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), dioxins are among the most toxic chemicals known to science and are listed by the EPA as highly carcinogenic chemicals. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to dioxins may cause skin reactions and altered liver function, as well as impairments to the immune system, nervous system, endocrine system and reproductive functions.
• Disposable diapers also contain sodium polyacrylate which was removed from tampons due to toxic shock syndrome concerns. As it has only been used in diapers for the last two decades, there is not yet research on the long-term health effects of sodium polyacrylate on babies.
• Additional chemicals found in disposable diapers are: tributyl-tin (TBT), VOCs, and more. 

Children in cloth diapers often potty train sooner than children in disposables.

• Since the introduction of disposable diapers, the average age of potty training has jumped from 18 months to 36 months!
• A child in a cloth diaper can feel that they are wet where they often can't tell the difference in a disposable diaper because it pulls the moisture away from the skin.

I posted a poll on facebook asking parents to list reasons why they were hesitant to use cloth diapers. These are some of the answers I got.

Reasons parents don't want to use cloth diapers:

Poop in the washing machine & all the other laundry issues (frequency, time, etc).

• Poop is not that big of a deal! Go here to see what Cotton Babies recommends. 
• Most people wash their diapers every 2 - 3 days. That is 3 extra loads of laundry each week. But honestly, one of my favorite things to do is wash diapers. There is no folding and that's the worst part about laundry!

Cloth diapers are inconvenient.

• I have traveled to Chicago from DFW, changing planes twice and still used cloth.
• I purchased a wet bag from Target for $9. It stays in my diaper bag and if I have to change a diaper when we're out and about I throw it in the (waterproof, stink proof) wet bag until we get home.
• I store my dirty diapers in a trash can with a lid like this one. I line it with a plastic trash bag (same one for 5 months!) but some people use a washable bag. Every 3 - 4 days I just dump it in the washing machine.

Expensive start up costs.

• Go here. Purchase 3 day packs at $49.95 each. For less than $150 you now have enough diapers to diaper your baby from birth through potty training. You will only have to wash your diapers every 2 - 3 days.
• Go here. Purchase one 12 pack. For about $200 you now have enough diapers to diaper your baby from birth through potty training. You will have to wash your diapers every other day.
• Go here. Purchase one 12 pack. For about $225 you now have enough diapers to diaper your baby from birth through potty training. You will have to wash your diapers every other day.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get diapering!

Lori is a blogger and mommy of a 5 1/2 month old son known around the 'net as "the gnome." She has been buying fluff since she was pregnant and cloth diapering the gnome almost since birth. You can read more about the gnome at http://thegnomesmom.com.