While discussing baby products with a friend of mine, he stated that he found out about some great baby products only after they were relevant and needed. I find that to be true, as well, and such a pity!

The All-in-One cloth diapers from Bumkins are one of those products. Created and designed in the USA, by moms, Bumkins are free of PVC, phthalates, and vinyl. Outside, soft polyester keeps supple through the life of the diaper. Inside, you’ll find six layers of 100% luxurious flannel, creating a diapering system that is super absorbent, but also promotes good airflow.

Of course, you are probably thinking: I need a diaper service, disposables are easier, reusable diapers are not as absorbent, or you are not ready to have to deal with a diaper pad, outer layer, and pins or snaps.

Those ideas – all in the past! Bumkins are easily washed (no rinsing required for urine, minimal rinsing required for solids), they are easy to maneuver and use (not to mention end up being less expensive over the long run), and the flannel padding soaks up everything, leaving baby dry (extra inserts available for times when normal response times may be delayed, like during a trip). And being All-in-Ones, there is no assembly; baby wears them just like a disposable!

Pros:

• PVC-, phthalates-, and vinyl-free
• Durable and soft outer shell, six supple layers of flannel inside
• Easy to wash
• Easy to use
• Absorbent
• Nice, wide Velcro tabs keep diaper secure
• Made in the USA

Cons:

• Bulkier than disposable diapers
• Some may find the initial investment off putting despite long-run savings

If you are in the market for reusable diapers, Bumkins are definitely worth your time. Even if you are not, buy a few and try them out. After the “test run,” see which one is better for you and your baby. With softness both inside and out, super absorbent flannel, and secure Velcro tabs, chances are, you will stick with the reusable. And the Earth will thank you!

Something stinks – let’s look at the environmental impact of diapers by Alison Manes

According to disposablediaper.net, 96,090,000 disposable diapers are used every year in the US alone. The third largest single consumer item in landfills, they represent about 4% of solid waste.4 In a household with a child in disposable diapers, disposables comprise of at least 50% of the household waste. The instructions on disposable diaper packages advise depositing all fecal matter in the toilet before discarding the diapers, yet less than one-half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into an average sewage system.

*The amount of water used to launder cloth diapers at home averages 50 - 70 gallons every two to three days –the same as an adult or child flushing the toilet five/six times daily.

*It is estimated that disposable diapers take 250-500 years to decompose. 1

*Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum & 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby each year. 1

*Once they are used, roughly 92-98% of the 18 billion feces and urine-filled disposable diapers end up in landfills. 2

As parents are more informed about the true cost of so-called “convenient” disposable diapers, they realize there’s much more than money at stake. While cloth diapers add an extra few loads of laundry to households every week, the benefits to your baby’s health, our environment and your wallet are well worth it. Be part of the solution, right from the very beginning.

For more information on cloth diapering visit the Real Diaper Association at http://www.realdiaperassociation.org.

1 Diapers in the Waste Stream: a review of waste management and public policy issues. Lehrburger, Carl. 1988. Sheffield, MA: self published.

2 Consumer Choice-Diaper Dilemma. Stone, Janis and Sternweis, Laura. Iowa State University-University Extension. ID# 1401. 1994

Alison Manes is the mother of six, and the co-founder of Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC. Alison won Tucson’s Business Woman of the Year award from the American Business Women’s Association in 2003 for her marketing work. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, manufacturers a new sustainable diapering system using organic and recycled fabrics. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, is committed to manufacturing sustainable products made in the USA. You can view LolliDoo® Diapers at www.lollidoo.com. You can also view Alison’s blog at http://earthymommaodyssey.blogspot.com/.

(Editor’s note: Here are more arguments in favor of cloth diapers. Everyone needs to make the best informed choice on this “paper versus plastic-type” debate, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to know the facts.)

Cloth diapering your young one’s bum is not only eco-friendly; it offers a solution to the highly absorbent chemicals found in disposable diapers. Consider the following.

*Babies in cloth diapers have fewer diaper rashes.1

*Cloth diapers are soft on baby’s delicate skin.1

*Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. SAP has killed children after ingesting as little as five grams.2

*Scrotal temperature increases in boys wearing disposable diapers affecting spermatogenesis which can lead to infertility. 2

*Disposable Diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) — a toxic pollutant pollutant, which has a hormone-like effect. The smallest concentrations of TBT can harm people’s immune systems and impair their hormonal system. 3

Sources:

1 http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu

2 Whitewash: Exposing Health and Environmental Dangers of Women’s Sanitary

Products and Disposable Diapers, what you can do about it. Armstrong, Liz and

Adrienne Scott. 1993. HarperCollins.

3 New tests Confirm TBT Poison in Procter & Gamble’s Pampers: Greenpeace demands world-wide ban of organotins in all products. May 15, 2000.

Alison Manes is the mother of six, and the co-founder of Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC. Alison won Tucson’s Business Woman of the Year award from the American Business Women’s Association in 2003 for her marketing work. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, manufacturers a remarkable new sustainable diapering system using organic and recycled fabrics. Go Green Sustainable Industries, LLC, is committed to manufacturing sustainable products made in the USA. You can view LolliDoo® Diapers at www.lollidoo.com. You can also view Alison’s blog at http://earthymommaodyssey.blogspot.com/.