Usually, I don’t like to copy/paste reasons for doing anything from a manufacturer. However, these reasons just seem so obvious that they merit posting. More and more parents are turning to cloth diapers for the benefits they provide to their baby and their baby’s environment. Full disclosure, we did NOT cloth-diaper our babies. We bought into the corporate side of the argument and the now-discredited study that showed no environmental difference between cloth diapering and disposable diapers. That might have been a “possible” argument before the advent of new systems that use very thin disposable liners to keep the poop off clothes and the reusable underpants. It’s almost worth having another baby just so I could do it all over again the right way, rather than living with the guilt that keeps me up all night about all that landfill (kidding).

1. Better for the environment

Over 27 billion disposable diapers go to landfills every year in the United States. They take hundreds of years to decompose, releasing methane gases.

2. Going green

Latest environmental reports confirm that using cloth diapers is 40 percent better for the environment than disposable diapers.

3. Save money

Taking everything into account, you will save hundreds of dollars per child by switching from disposables to cloth diapers.

4. Potty train earlier

Disposables are so absorbent that toddlers do not feel the sensation of being wet. Cloth diapered children often potty train six months earlier than those in disposable diapers.

5. Better for bottoms

Many parents believe there is a link between diaper rash and the chemicals used in disposables. Cloth diapers are breathable, allowing air to circulate to the skin, helping to maintain a healthy temperature.

6. It’s convenient now

Cloth diapers do take a commitment and an initial investment, but this aside they are just as convenient to use as disposable diapers. No soaking necessary.

7. They deliver

If hesitant about cloth diapering, consider using a diaper service in the beginning. Used cloth diapers are collected from your doorstep weekly and clean ones are delivered in their place.

8. They are comfortable

Today’s cloth diapers have evolved from “grandma’s” bulky terry diapers and sweaty plastic pants. Modern cloth diapers are made from soft natural materials and covers are available in stylish prints. Pins have been replaced by Velcro® style hook and loop closures.

This list was sent to me by Bambino Mio, which we have recently reviewed on the GreatDad.com blog.

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/.