Why Cloth? All About Cloth Diapering
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Why Cloth? All About Cloth Diapering
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Our Family's Website
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We have chosen to cloth diaper Henry for a variety of reasons -- health, environmental, economics, and fun (yes, fun!). Below
is some information and links regarding cloth diapering and why we believe it is the better choice for our family.
Click here to go directly to a page describing the different types of cloth diapers available.
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  Here are 10 reasons why Henry prefers cloth diapers:
(1) Diaper Rash. As a cloth diapered baby, I will have less diaper rash, and if I do get it, it will be less
severe. A study conducted by a major disposable diaper manufacturer found the following: In 1955, 100% of babies born in
the United States wore cotton diapers but only 7% experienced diaper rash. However, in 1998, when 90% of American babies
wore disposable diapers, 78% experienced diaper rash. Moreover, the incidence of severe diaper rash (i.e., the kind
that requires prescription strength creams to treat) has dramatically increased with the increased use of disposable diapers.
(2) Sodium Polyacrylate. Sodium polyacrylate is the chemical that makes disposable diapers so super absorbent.
It appears in diapers as a powder, and when water is added, it forms gel beads and swells to absorb more fluid. Sodium polyacrylate
is the same chemical that was banned from tampons in the 1980's due to its link to toxic shock syndrome. If it isn't
safe for my mom to use, why is it safe for me to use? Also, disposable diapers have been linked to a rise in asthma and allergies,
and sodium polyacrylate is the suspected culprit. Click here for information regarding the chemical toxicity of sodium polyacrylate.
(3) Dioxin. Dioxin is a known carcinogen and it is a naturally occurring by-product of the bleaching and processing
of wood and paper products, the primary "ingredients" in a disposable diaper. Why should I be exposed to dioxins
in my diapers when all of my organs and systems are still developing and maturing?
(4) Male Infertility. I know I’m still young, but I’m concerned about my ability to make my mommy
a grandma someday. A recent European study noted that the temperature of male infant genitalia increased a few degrees when
diapered in disposable diapers vs. cloth diapers. The study also noted that there has been a recent increase in the incidence
of male infertility that roughly corresponds with the increased use of disposable diapers as the primary diapering method.
The study speculates that the increased use of disposable diapers may be responsible for the increased incidence of male infertility.
(5) Landfills & Groundwater Contamination. The average baby in the United States uses over 8,000 disposable
diapers throughout a diapering lifetime (typically from birth until age 3). All of those diapers end up in landfills where
they take a very long time – by some estimates, 500 years – to decompose, if they ever decompose. (This assumes
that all the components of these diapers are biodegradable and that they are disposed of in such a way to facilitate decomposition,
e.g., exposed to sunlight.) That’s a lot of diapers filling a lot of landfills! In addition, more often than
not, the contents of the disposable diapers are disposed of with the diaper instead of being flushed (which is usually required
by law – interestingly, diaper manufactures were once required to place this advisory on their packages of diapers;
most no longer do so.) Accordingly, human waste is not properly treated by the water and waste treatment facilities (as it
would be if flushed) and is left to potentially contaminate the groundwater.
(6) Less Abuse of Natural Resources. My mom and dad want the planet to be healthy when I grow up. The disposable
diaper manufacturing process uses a lot of natural resources – thousands of trees are chopped down to create the paper
inners of disposable diapers, the wood processing and bleaching process uses thousands and thousands of gallons of water,
not to mention the use of numerous chemicals, and the plastic components of the diapers use valuable, non-renewable oil.
This does not ensure a healthy planet. The cloth diapers my mom uses are, for the most part, made from unbleached cotton
or hemp, ensuring that the minimum amount of chemicals are used in their manufacturing. Moreover, the amount of water used
to launder the dipes is roughly equivalent to the total number of times you would flush the toilet if the child were using
the toilet instead of a diaper.
(7) Cost. Disposable diapers are expensive. A pack of 40 newborn diapers costs about $12.00 and lasts about
4 days (if you change a baby appropriately, which is at least 10-12 times per day). That means it costs about $3.00/day to
use disposable diapers. If the same per day cost is averaged over a diapering lifetime of 3 years (this average makes sense,
since the per diaper cost goes up as you increase diaper size, even though you probably change diapers less frequently), disposable
diapers will cost nearly $3,300, and none of that cost is recoverable. My entire diaper stash, for my entire diapering lifetime,
will cost less than $1,000 (and could cost less than $500 if my mommy didn’t spend extra on all the cute diapers out
there!). And those same diapers can be used by any of my future siblings, further reducing the overall cost of diapering.
And many of those diapers retain their value and can be sold on E-bay after my siblings are done with them. The rest can
be used as dust cloths. And my parents are more than happy to put the diaper savings into my college fund. Also, most cloth
diapers are either made or sold by "WAHM" (work-at-home-moms), not some big, impersonal multi-national conglomerate, so I'm
supporting other moms who are trying to raise a family and make a little money on the side.
(8) Ease of Use. Cloth diapers no longer resemble the pins and plastic pants of my grandma’s day. Today’s
cloth diapers and covers are made from more durable materials, are no longer held together with pins (although you could use
pins if you wanted), and even come in “All-in-One” styles, which combine the absorbent layers and cover all in
one. (Click here for a detailed description of all the different types of cloth diapers and diaper covers available.) They are absorbent,
soft, cute, and very easy to use. Even my Daddy prefers them! And, my diapers only need to be laundered every third day.
That is only 2.5 extra loads of laundry per week. That isn’t a big deal. And because they fit me so well, we’ve
had NO blow-outs. The same can’t be said for the disposables I wore for a few days after I was born.
(9) Earlier Potty Training. Now this isn’t something I care that much about but I know it is important
to my parents. Cloth diapered babies potty train, on average, 6 months earlier than their disposable diapered counterparts.
(10) Hypo-allergenic & Fragrance-free. My cloth diapers are hypo-allergenic. There are no chemicals, dyes,
fragrances, etc. used in them so there is nothing to irritate my sensitive skin. And because they do not contain any chemicals
or fragrances, my diapers never smell and my diaper pail does not smell either. My mom has even left it open in the dining
room with soiled diapers inside and no one noticed.
For more information regarding cloth diapers and cloth diapering, check out the following sites: |
