Why Should I Choose Cloth?
Cloth Diapers are cheaper. Yup, it's true. On the average, disposables cost $2000-$3000 per child. From birth to age 3, a child will use 5000-7000 diapers or more. Cloth diapers on the other hand can cost you anywhere between $300 - $1000 dollars depending on which kind of diapering system you choose, how many you buy, and whether you choose to use a diaper service or launder your own at home. Cloth diapers actually pay for themselves in 6 months time. If you have more than one child, fear not! You can use the same diapers, thus diapering that child for free! In addition, after you are finished with them, you can sell them to other families that are wanting to use cloth diapers. In a family of three children, the average savings of using cloth diapers can be as high as $5000 or more! This is even when you factor in water, hydro and detergent costs used to launder your own. The estimate cost of one load of laundry is $.44 - $.78 depending on how efficient your washer and dryer are.
Easy. Did I just say easy? Oh yeah, they are super easy! Cloth diapers have come a long way since the folding and the pinning. You can still do that, but technology has advanced so much with cloth diapers that there is just so much more available for today's parents. You can choose bio-liners which catch the mess in the poopy diaper and all you need to do is flush it down the toilet. Laundry day is just like any other. And it isn't WAY more laundry than normal. I mean, what is one more load of laundry every 2-3 days when you have a baby? You are already doing tons! Cloth diapers of today come with handy and quick fasteners like aplix (velcro) and snaps. You don't have to worry about poking your kiddo with a pin! Use an AIO diaper and it's just like using a disposable - making it easy on dad, inlaws, and babysitters. And you too!
It helps the environment. There has been some debate about cloth actually being more environmentally than disposables. Saying that; no diaper system can claim to be 100% environmentally friendly. But even if you are looking at the environmental impact of detergents used in washing your diapers or energy consumption of washing your diapers; reusable diapers are STILL better for the environment that disposables.
Disposables can take up to 250-500 years to come complete decomposed into the earth and even longer if they are in the plastic bags.
Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks, and 20 pounds of cholrine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR. (1)
Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp. (2)
From just a few facts, you can see why families take using cloth diapers into consideration.
Sources:
1Lehrburger, C., J. Mullen and C.V. Jones. 1991. Diapers: Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Analysis. Philadelphia, PA: Report to The National Association of Diaper Services (NADS)
2Armstrong, Liz and Adrienne Scott Whitewash: Exposing the Health and Environmental Dangers of Women's Sanitary Products and Disposable Diapers, What You Can Do About It. 1993. HarperCollins.
Your Baby's Health. Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is not proven that these chemicals will trully harm your child, but would you want to take that chance? Baby's skin is more delicate and thin than ours, making chemical leaching into the skin even more likely. As a parent, wouldn't you feel so much better knowing that your child is wrapped in oh-so-good natural fibers?
Cloth is Cute. Cloth diapers are soft, snuggly, and colourful! They look way cuter than the same ol' disposable with the token cartoon characters. We know that you will be way more excited about geting an adorable package of cloth diapers!
