Question of the Week: Why do you use disposable or washable baby diapers?
Posted on March 9th, 2009 - 10:30 AMTweet
Each week we ask a question related to the environment. Please let us know your thoughts as comments. Feel free to respond to earlier comments or post new ideas. Previous questions.
Cloth baby diapers require cleaning and care, but avoid replacement costs. Disposable diapers are convenient but must be purchased and disposed of properly.
Why do you use disposable or washable baby diapers?
Tags: diapers
| Permalink | TrackBack
Subscribe to this blog's feed
Follow us on Twitter
Question of the Week
March 9th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I think good washable baby diapers get the most obvious cost savings to people of any political persuasion.
I tend to blog about green=green topics on our city’s green social community. When visiting my friend with twins, I saw how easy the washable diapers were to use. If a mom with twins can manage them, you know that washing time must not be a huge factor.
She gave me figures on savings so that I could post this blog entry I call, “Attack of the Green Butts!” http://www.lincolngreenscene.com/forum/topics/attack-of-the-green-butts
[Reply]
phaley reply on March 10, 2009 12:37 pm:
Back in the late ’80’s early 90’s. I tried cloth diapers with a diaper service, since the bacteria required sanitizing and the time it would take a working mom to clean all those diapers.
However, my son’s skin would break out from whatever it was they washed the diapers with! So we switched to disposables. Neither of my kids ever had diaper rashes.
I remember my younger brother’s diapers had to be dunked in toilet and then washed with bleach and hot water then hung up to dry. A neighbor once counted that my mom had about a 100 diapers hanging on the clothes line after a lot of rainy days. She only had a wringer washer but it gave her great arms.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I use disposable diapers bacause:
1. It is required by my daycare provider;
2. I do not have time for laundry of washable diapers;
3. The use of disposable diapers reduce the chances of diaper rushes.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 12:54 pm:
I totally disagree:
1. I found daycare that will cloth diaper. The woman running it actually used to clothdiapers all babies there and wash all the diapers herself. I find in general she cares much more about the children under her care, and she is about half the price of the big chain daycare facilities.
2. It literally takes me about 30 seconds to thow a load of diapers in the machine. We just wash them twice a week… thats a minute a week. I used disposables for about a month, and once on a trip, I found having to run to the store takes much more time than throwing in a load of laundry.
3. Cloth diapers are much much more breathable than disposables (this is assuming you dont just get the really crappy birdseye prefolds and vinyl covers from Walmart, but actually get some ligitimate onces). A doctor reccomended them for diaper rash to us. Especially if you use wool or fleece diaper covers. Also, the baby feels being wet faster so they dont sit in their pee and poo as they do with disposables. My daughter had diaper rash when we use disposables… but never so much as a dot of it on her bum with cloth.
I find so many people refuse to even try cloth, and I think thats sad. I love cloth diapers, they are fun to shop for and oh so cute. And disposables take 500 years to degrade (that is if they ever do degrade after being thrown into a plastic bag and then sealed into a landfill).
Oh, and my daughter is just now turning one, and she is well on her way to being out of diapers. She goes about half the time in her potty, and we never even tried to potty train her. Hows that for convenient and cheap?
Check out diaperpin.com it really has so much great info and resources on cloth diapers.
[Reply]
Child Care Surveyor reply on March 10, 2009 7:07 pm:
The idea of a child care provider using cloth diapers is concerning. The more someone has to handle soiled clothes and diapers, the greater chance for spreading Rotavirus and other diseases that can cause havoc in day care. Our state prohibits providers from rinsing out or washing soiled clothes of day care children for this reason-they are to be placed in a plastic bag and given to the parents as-is. I would be more concerned about leakage with cloth diapers, and therefore, with potential contamination of the home environment.
I tried cloth diapers on my oldest child and didnt like the mess. Disposable may cost more, but are well worth it. They are more sanitary, contain leaks better, and are a better choice for parents on the go. Who wants to cart dirty diapers with them when out shopping or doing other errands with children???
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 11, 2009 1:50 pm:
She did not handle the diapers while taking care of the babies. She put all the diapers in a pail in a room away from the babies, then at night would do laundry. While in contact with the babies she was in no more contact with excraments than a daycare provider would be with disposables. There is no greater health concern with cloth diapers, and let me remind you that ALL disposables are supposed to have the poop cleared out and flushed before tossing. Its a health concern when everyone misuses disposables and the poop is put in dumps, then human feces leach into our rivers and ponds. At least with cloth you know the pooh is ending up at a waste treatment facility as it should instead of our natural resources.
My cloth diapers do not leak. When you find a type that fits your baby correctly, they dont leak. Disposables never fit on my daughter well actually. She had blow outs all the time.
I use g-diapers if I am out shopping for a long time. Or I just carry a sealable water proof bag in my diaper bag… pretty easy.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 11, 2009 2:06 pm:
She did not handle the diapers while she watched the children. She put them securly away from them, then washed them at night after the babies went home. She handled excraments no more than a provider using disposables would. There is no added health concern with cloth diapers. What is a health concern, however, is when disposables are improperly used and the poop is left in them and thrown away (I have never heard of a person scooping the poop away out of a disposable). Since 2-3% of our landfills are diapers, the human feces ends up leaching into our streams and lakes… ew. At least with cloth you know the poop is ending up in the waste treatment facility where it dosen’t end up contaminating our natural resources.
If you get the correct fitting cloth diaper for your baby they do not leak. Mine never do. Disposables actually didn’t fit my daughter well and she always had blow outs with them.
I use g-diapers when I’m out for a long time. Or, i carry a waterproof sealable bag with me… pretty easy.
[Reply]
Anonymous reply on March 11, 2009 4:12 pm:
Hold in messes better?!?! Not on my kids! We got leaks every single time my kids pooped in disposables as infants or had diarrhea as toddlers before we switched. It just went everywhere. We get almost no leaks ever in cloth diapers, and it’s never the up to the neck blowouts we we had in disposables. I am so happy I switched.
[Reply]
Brunhilde reply on March 11, 2009 4:36 pm:
I agree with disposables not containing messes as well. I used pricey brand name disposables and my kids would end up with poop up to their necks sometimes. We’ve had more poop blowouts than I can count with disposables, but in 9 months of cloth we’ve had maybe… 3 or 4 leaks… and that’s between the two kids. Even so, the leaks that did happen weren’t as bad with cloth as with disposables.
[Reply]
Elizabeth reply on March 11, 2009 5:00 pm:
You ARE aware that you’re supposed to dispose of baby poop the same way in disposables as with cloth, right?
[Reply]
Brenda reply on October 12, 2010 12:07 am:
Wonder what OSHA would have to say about that…I’m an RN. Scooping poop out of a disposable diaper is not congruent with infection control or my safety as a nurse. The more you handle a contaminant, the more likely you are to be contaminated. Do you use plastic pants? Good way to get urine splattered in your face when the pee pools in them. That’s why dressings are disposable and absorbent. It helps reduce the chance of infection to the wound. Would you use a cloth instead of a sanitary napkin? Thirty-four years ago, disposable diapers were a luxury. I used cloth diapers on my daughter with no problem. Today, I would refuse to use cloth diapers on my pediatric patients. Super-absorbency is not for the purpose of letting the child wear a diaper longer. It’s to protect the skin.
[Reply]
Linda reply on March 12, 2009 9:13 am:
If what you say is true, then hospitals and nursing homes should use disposable sheets.
[Reply]
Astrid reply on April 6, 2009 2:15 pm:
1. Well, my children go to the Daycare center and I agree with their policy to use only disposable diapers.
2. I am living in the appartment building and it takes me more than 5 min only to get to the laundry. Moreover, unlike you, I do not think it is reasonable to accumulate soiled diapers for half week to do laundry.
3. I do not think it is practical to use wool and fleece covers in summer, when it is 90F
[Reply]
Erin reply on April 22, 2009 4:50 pm:
You don’t think it is reasonable to accumulate soiled diapers because you are a typical American who is used to throwing everything away. Until 30 years ago or so, disposable diapers were not even an option. Most people these day accumulate at least 3 or 4 days of disposable diapers in their houses before throwing them away outside anyway.
I’m willing to put up with a slight inconvenience to make an environmental impact and to make a more comfortable, healthier choice for my baby. I’ve actually found cloth diapers to be much easier than I thought they would be, and I’m a mom who works full-time and teaches group exercise classes on the side (I don’t exactly have a lot of extra time on my hands).
I’ve also found cloth diapers to hold leaks better than disposables, and to create less diaper rash.
Wool and fleece are actually quite breathable fabrics. My baby was born in the summer and I live in Richmond, Virginia, which can get pretty hot during the summer.
I wish more people would try cloth diapers before drawing conclusions about them that just aren’t true.
[Reply]
Anonymous reply on October 25, 2009 11:13 pm:
Actually wool has a natural enzyme that maintains body temp, so even in 90 degrees the baby would not sweat.
I unfortunatley used diasposables with my daughter, and tonight i am on the internet writing a paper for school so i have been on a bunch of sites that really give good reasons for cloth.
FYI from http://www.diapernet.org/whycloth.htm
in 1955 virtually all parents used cloth diapers on thier children and only 7% reported diaper rash’s. in 1991 proctor and gamble introduced pampers and the occurance of diaper rash went from 7% in 1955 to 78% in 1991 due to the use of diaposables.
disposables are made using so many chemicals that if i knew the health hazards before i never would have used them! My advice to parents using disposables is do the research and you may think twice the next time you put one of those things on your children!
[Reply]
Sarah reply on October 25, 2009 11:25 pm:
websites on diaper debates
http://www.diapernet.org/whycloth.htm
healthychild.org
Just wanted to comment on using wool. i agree with Erin when she says that wool is a breathable material. Wool has a natural enzyme in it that actually maintains a comfortable body heat for whom every is wearing it. so no need to worry if its 90 degrees baby will be comfortable!
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 11:48 am
While I am not a father, I plan to be in the future and have already done the research necessary to know that conventional disposable diapers are horrendous for the environment and for human health.
I will either go with cloth diapers or some of the interesting developments going on with reusable cloth diapers with flushable linings, like the gDiaper.
[Reply]
neloma reply on March 10, 2009 11:25 am:
I dont understand the whole green thing. I mean I do but flushable verses land fill??? weather its on the ground or in my drinking water eventually its all a huge impact.everything gets flush and reused. think about it.not good for any of us.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 1:12 pm:
You can compost wet g-diapers. They degrade in a month or something. As for flushing, if you wait to flush them with your own bathroom visits the water consumption isn’t any different than for yourself. As for what you are flushing, its pee, poop, and paper pulp, just like your own stuff but smaller. I don’t see how that would end up in your drinking water and have the same effect as a disposable diaper sitting around in a landfill for eons. Just think about if every baby under 2 on earth (around a billion) used disposables for just 1 year (about 2000 diapers per kid per year). The entire earth would be covered in plastic wrapped poop, ew.
G diapers arent as good as cloth, but they are definately better than regular disposables.
[Reply]
Dee reply on March 16, 2009 9:48 am:
I inspect landfills, and I can tell you that out of site in a landfill does not mean gone forever.
And also, we do not use flushed water for drinking water. Nature has a way of cleaning and recycling dirty water before it is pulled up from wells for drinking.
Plastic puts toxins in the air and water during production and do not break down in landfills.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Cloth diapers do need to be cleaned and dried. So there is cost for using them. Disposable do cost but oh so much easier to use especially since the triplets mean three times the work.
[Reply]
Andrea Davis reply on March 9, 2009 5:08 pm:
But your savings is three times the savings quoted by this website:
http://www.birchtreebaby.com/faqs.php#Q13
That’s a huge amount in 18 years if you take that savings and invest it.
[Reply]
neloma reply on March 10, 2009 11:21 am:
who uses diapers for 18 years????? typically a baby wheres them until at least 2 years of age 15 months if parents are determined.then again around 95
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 1:16 pm:
Andrea meant that if you took the savings from cloth diapering and put it in a savings account. And actually kids are taking longer and longer to get out of cloth diapers these days. They say if they are potty trained by 5 its okay. So 18 really isnt that much of a stretch.. ha.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 1:16 pm:
Whoops I meant to get out of disposable diapers.. not cloth.
[Reply]
opa57 reply on March 10, 2009 1:22 pm:
Also in consideration of cloth diapers you must also include pins which you never can find again and can become injure a child or person putting the diaper on. Also you will probably have to replace a few of them over time. With the cost of washing and drying and the cost of medicine for diaper rash in my opinion it is a wash. Perhaps what we should work on is the material disposable diapers are made of perhaps make them breakdown faster in the landfills.
[Reply]
Linda Huff reply on March 10, 2009 1:44 pm:
What pins? The cloth diapers I use are all in ones with velcro closeures or covers with very convenient snaps, several in a row so they can grow with your child.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 3:14 pm:
I havent heard of anyone using diaper pins in the past 20 years. If the prefold does need to be secured beyond that of the diaper cover… you can use a Snappi. No pins, no needles. And if you do use diaper pins for some odd reason, they couldn’t cost more than 50 cents a piece. A package of infant diapers is 10-15 dollars!
I really wish people wouldn’t bash cloth diapering when they clearly have never tried it or even looked into it.
As for “the cost of medicine for diaper rash,” as I said in an earlier post, good cloth diapers reduce diaper rash as long as you buy good ones and not the cheap vinyl pants. Doctors recommended cloth to me to help with diaper rash! Disposables do not breath at all, cloth does!
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 10:56 pm:
If you have diaper rash with cloth, chances are you aren’t washing them properly. Also, there are some of us who still use pins, and no, you don’t injure your child by default simply because you use them. I’ve got two in cloth and have yet to poke anyone but myself.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
We use washable cloth diapers at home to save on the landfill and pollution (for example, from manufacturing disposable diapers). And we like the idea of soft, natural fibers on the baby’s skin, and less artificial materials.
But we keep disposable diapers for necessary situations, like running errands, or in an emergency, or a sitter.
We cut pollution and energy use where we can and we sometimes decide to do without. But we don’t kill ourselves, either. There’s usually a sane, middle ground… even for diapers. :-)
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I used washable cloth diapers for the two years my son was in diapers because:
– I saved about $2000 over the course of our diapering. The diapers only cost $300 for 24 months worth of cotton diapers instead of at least $2200 for three years of disposable diapers (+$18 every single month for an extra garbage can at the curb.)
– Kids in cotton diapers potty train a year earlier on average. My son definitely did. He was 100% potty trained by age two.
– It was only one load of diapers to wash every 3rd day. And the cloth diapers leaked less, so because I was doing less clothing laundry than when I used disposable diapers the workload evened out.
– No chemicals = less chance of rashes. Try asking a disposable diaper company to tell you which chemicals are in their diapers — they will refuse to tell you (that’s proprietary info).
[Reply]
Hal Taylor reply on March 10, 2009 11:52 am:
They’re made of polymerized acrylic acid.
[Reply]
March 9th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
We are advocates of the middle ground, as well. We use cloth at home, but keep disposables around for nighttime and travel. A note on energy savings/costs–when it comes to drying cloth diapers, we prefer to hang dry them on a line on our deck. Apparently, the sunlight bleaches/sanitizes as it dries–something our dryer can’t do on it’s own–and it is free.
As for the time it takes to do laundry, we’ve found it doesn’t take much time to throw in a load of diapers and dry them (even if we don’t get around to folding them until the weekend) and we’ve bought enough that we’re set for the next kiddo.
All in all, it has been less of a hassle than I thought it would be, and I like the absence of disposables in our trashcans. And yes, we did re-gift the Diaper Champ trash pail we got at the shower.
[Reply]
gina reply on December 16, 2009 2:26 pm:
I’ve never had stink issues with my diapers and I use a dry open pail, but when my older siblings had their babies, and I mean all 4 of them (I’m the first to use cloth), the stench of the “diaper genie” was HORRENDOUS! And, I saw bugs in there! YACK! From not even a week of sitting. Thinking about it gives me the chills… eww
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I used cloth diapers when my daughter was born in 1999. She was also potty trained by age 2..You soak the diapers in bleach, then throwi a load in the washer once a day–not that daunting. But I did use disposables when traveling. I had issues finding the rubber pants that go over the diapers, and later, finding clothing that was sized for a potty-trained 2 year old, vs. one wearing an extra layer around its butt. Disposables were also “required” when we looked at day-care options. This certainly doesn’t help parents make the cloth diaper choice. Think about this..in 30 years, there will be only a tiny percent of the population that knows how to fold and pin a diaper..
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:52 am
It depends.
[Reply]
neloma reply on March 10, 2009 11:30 am:
funny
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:54 am
It has been a long time since I had to even think about this issue, but I used disposables and I will not apologize for it! I am green, but the cost is almost certain that the cost (if you count time to wash, etc) would come out the same. Also, disposables are much more user friendly and as someone else said, daycares won’t do cloth. I will save my green points for something other than diapers and will encourage my chldren to do the same when we have grandchildren come along
[Reply]
neloma reply on March 10, 2009 11:33 am:
I agree. the indepth thinking will drive you insane and I feel we could all find other avenues to suite us and make a big differnce,
[Reply]
Astrid reply on April 6, 2009 2:18 pm:
Yes, I agree with you.
[Reply]
Sarah reply on October 25, 2009 11:38 pm:
Did you Know that there was a study done in Germany that concluded that baby boys put in disposables actually had higher temperature scrotal readings than babies that were put in cloth. some studies suggest that because of the higher temps sperm counts are lower in those people as adults and in turn the sometimes have fertility problems.
also if we plan to have an environment for our granchildren we should try to sustain every aspect of our environment the best we can so that they can enjoy this beautiful earth as we do today!
[Reply]
gina reply on December 16, 2009 2:32 pm:
I think a lot of people have the idea that “it doesn’t affect me, so why should I care?”. I don’t think my kids should have to deal with my trash and clean it up because I didn’t take 15 seconds to snap a diaper on. IMO
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:54 am
My wife and I use both but we primarily use cloth diapers as well as cloth wipes. The main reason we went this route was to reduce our impact to the landfill and not so much for cost reasons. We have an efficient front loading washer but did notice an increased energy consumption due to washing diapers. During the summer months we hang diapers to dry. We found that adding a water wand to the toilet for removing the majority of the waste greatly improved the smell factor coming from the diaper pail.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I love my cloth diapers and they only add one more load of laundry a week. I’m not contributing to filling the landfill with disposables that take years to decompose. I know there is cost associated with laundering these in the treatment of the wastewater created..but there are new technologies that have been developed to reuse treated wastewater and biosolids..so all in all I’m happy with my choice of cloth diapers.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I use disposable diapers that are made of paper — not plastic — and therefore biodegradable. They are called Baby NatureCare. Although based on the “Attack of the Green Butts” link posted by Andrea, in US that does not mean anything. Alas, I thought I was paying more money for a better outcome.
“US landfills are anaerobic (no air) and [have] no water or light facilities – all key elements necessary for biodegradability. We know of no commercial composting facilities for disposable diapers and temperature could never be high enough to decompose a disposable diaper. We do not advocate home composting disposable diapers because of possible feces contamination of ground water.”
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am
My daughter is 34. When she was a baby, disposable diapers were expensive and she got diaper rash every time we used them so they were only for travel. Cloth diapers allowed her skin to breathe and so she didn’t get diaper rash. It took a lot of hot water to wash them and electricity to dry them but it was better than a crabby baby.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:02 am
My wife and I use reusable because it is another way we can avoid contributing to the trash. Our doctor has also informed us that babies who wear cloth diapers tend to potty-train earlier (due to the fact that the cloth does not absorb waste as disposables do).
We have a service where a local business comes and picks up the diaper pail once a week and brings us the diapers washed from the prior week so we do not have to wash the diapers ourselves. We appreciate this and supporting local environmental entrepreneurial efforts and want to support these initiatives.
Monetarily, we have found the pricing of disposables to be equal to that of our cloth diaper service.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Thank you secret admirer, I am NOT pregnant or do NOT have a child young enough for diapers!
Really though, I have a nine year old. When she was a young child I used the disposable diapers because they were easier to deal with than the cloth diapers. She goes and you just take it off and clean her up a bit and put on a new one, there was no carrying around and trying to wash it and stuff. We used the brand that isn’t made out of plastic, I think it was pampers. Those diapers are made out of easily recyclable materials. Even so, unless there is a recycle your diapers program, the diapers are NOT recyclable because the recycling companies will not accept items with human waste. HOWEVER, with enough support of customers, via letters and suggestions, etc, it might not be extremely hard to get the company to USE recycled production during manufacture.
Even so, it is much more sustainable to use cloth diapers, maybe with a diaper cover over top. HOWEVER, please note that with cloth diapers there is nowhere for the child’s waste product to go accept by hugging the skin, whereas disposable diapers are made so that the waste is contained in an area separate from the child’s skin, allowing for temporary storage as long as the diapers are changed in close proximity to the time of defacation.
There are products that are organic and cruelty free that can be used on babies to protect and heal their skin. Do a little research on the web to find baby products such as diaper rash ointment and powders, gentle body washes and lotions, etc, that are certified organic and made of nothing but environmentally friendly botanicals. Also, there are products certified vegan so there is no need to worry about animal testing or animal cruelty involved with the products, nor the environmental degradation associated with handling mass animal production farms.
Best regards :)
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 10:52 pm:
What disposable diapers are you using where “waste is contained in an area separate from the child’s skin” (referring to defacation). Every time my kids poop in a disposable, it MOST CERTAINLY is all over their skin. My toddler’s mushy poops are all over him, and my newborn’s breastmilk poop shoots out the back of the diaper every time, and when I open it up, it runs everywhere. The cloth we use, by comparison, actually absorbs any liquid in it. I have NEVER had a poop leak with cloth, but have it all the time with disposables. Also, with cloth, at least human waste goes where it belongs…in the toilet. We who use cloth are also pretty conscious of when our children go and change them accordingly. I’ve seen many moms who use disposables leave them on their kids until the diaper is about to burst.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Are these questions intended to insult your audience, or do they simply reflect the level of seriousness of the EPA in addressing fundamental environmental issues. The role played by the EPA in determining how parents handle toilet training and “waste disposal” should be in providing accurate information on, say, the total cost of disposable versus reusable, or the effect of disposable diapers on landfill capacity.
This, and similar questions in the past, indicate an effort to popularize the EPA instead of dealing with substantive issues. Rather then wasting our money on useless outreach efforts, why not spend it doing serious work. Or, heaven forbid, cut the budget and return the money to the taxpayers.
[Reply]
Anon reply on March 11, 2009 12:42 pm:
Dear Kicker,
An eloquent and accurate posing. EPA’s public outreach seems more concerned with simply using new media rather than recognizing that they are tools and are only as effective as the topics they convey.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I have used cloth diapers and training pants, from a diaper service, for all of my five children, the youngest of whom are twins. At first it was an environmental decision, but I quickly became won over for the following reasons:
* My babies rarely, rarely had diaper rash.
* They all potty trained by age two (noooo one likes wet training pants!) Although the service was slightly more expensive than disposables (about 5%), getting out of diapers sooner provided a big cost savings (about 25% overall).
* My seven-year-old can change cloth diapers just as easily as disposables.
* When daycares balked at using cloth, I pointed out that no law prohibited the use of cloth. I also showed them that using cloth was just as easy (toss the diapers in a hamper instead of the trash can). I never had a daycare refuse to use them.
* Dirty cloth diapers don’t smell! Honestly, I never would have believed this, but as long as you put them in a closed hamper without rinsing them, they don’t smell bad like disposables. (Think of how long those diaper genie diapers are going to take to decay in the landfill!)
I recommend using a diaper service (professional laundry) for the following reasons:
* I never had to go out and buy diapers. They were just delivered to my house weekly.
* No rinsing of icky diapers was required. I just had to toss them in the hamper for weekly pickup.
* I didn’t have to keep buying larger and larger diapers, the service just brought bigger ones upon request. When it was time for training pants, the service provided those as well.
* The laundry was able to do a much better, and probably more energy efficient, washing than I could have done at home.
I highly recommend my diaper service and using cloth diapers. I would like to see a study that compares the environmental footprint of diaper service diapers as opposed to home-washed diapers.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I think different answers may make sense in different parts of the country. I chose to use a diaper service for my two children because we live in a part of the country where there is more water than landfill space. In the West, the balance might go the other way. The arguments regarding the benefits to the child (less diaper rash, etc.) are rather compelling, as well. Cloth diapers plus diaper covers also are less noisy than plastic diapers and much cuter.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:11 am
We used cloth diapers with our son, who is now 6. It saved us a ton of money, and based on what I read it was at the very least slightly better for the environment than disposables (even “slightly better” is enough for me). Using them was very easy, and we even found a terrific day care that had no problem using them either. They are also super-cute! No need for pants or shorts when they are wearing cute little all-in-ones or adorable diaper covers. And finally, I think it actually helped him potty-learn much faster than he would have otherwise, which made our lives a whole lot easier AND compounded our total savings. And as for the notion that diaper rash is worse with cloth diapers – my son has about the most sensitive skin of anyone I know, and he fared better in cloth than he did the few times we had to use disposables (we used cloth even on several vacations, but we did make one trip where we had to use disposables and boy was his tushy mad at us for that!).
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I started my daughter on cloth diapers six weeks after she was born. My husband and I were the die-hard fans who have traveled across states using them the whole time. It was so simple to us and we loved the idea of saving so much money (since I am a full-time student) us just living off of one income. I am also majoring in Environmental Studies and know the devistating effects of disposable diapers from both throwing them away to producing them. My daughter will be 2 years old march 15 and has been fully potty trained for the last 3 months! I believe it is because I used cloth and the wet and solids in her diaper made her uncomfortable enough to kick her own diaper habit! P.S. I bought my all-in-one reusable diapers off of ebay-used for averaging out to 3 dollars a pair when they are 12 dollars a pair new. I plan to pass hers on as well to promote the use to those who cannot afford 12 dollars a diaper.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:14 am
I use disposable diapers for two main reasons:
a) They are required by my daycare provider.
b) Due to working outside the home and other commitments, I do not have time wash/dry cloth diapers.
As much as I and my family care about the environment, this was one issue we could not get around. So we take care to conserve water, electricity, recycle, and make as few car trips as possible to help offset the use of disposable diapers.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Are you kidding me? Look we do a lot in our family to reduce our footprint and impact on the earth, but switching over to a diaper service or cloth diapers we have to wash ourselves is just not worth the hassle. We already have our hands full as it is and any parent of small children will know what I am talking about.
Also – what is the net gain? Seriously? So the diapers go to the landfill – it’s not like they’re going to be leaching dangerous or hazardous chemicals like a lot of the other stuff I see people wantonly tossing away. Cloth diapers – yeah “reusable” (oh… surrrre) but how much water is used? How many chemicals are added to the waste stream – immediately impacting rivers and streams if untreated (CSO overflow)- and straining the municipal waste treatment system?
We compost, commute by bicycle, have the smallest garbage can in the neighborhood despite the diapers… paper or plastic is what this choice seems to me to be.
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 11:02 pm:
Are YOU kidding ME??? I have two under two and a deployed husband and it’s barely a hassle at all to wash three loads of diapers a week.
How much water and how many chemicals are used to make your disposables? How many resources are used to get them from the manufacturer to the retailer to you?
By your logic, it’s ok to throw away human waste because people are already throwing away things…well, by that same logic, I’m already doing quite a bit of laundry a week, so what’s another couple loads?
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:16 am
There have been numerous studies that show there is no difference in the environmental impact between cloth and disposable diapers. There are pros and cons on why someone would choose one over the other. It’s a personal choice that should have no environmental basis.
[Reply]
Rosalie reply on March 10, 2009 7:23 pm:
About the environmental studies, I’ve been looking for these studies for years, but to the best of my knowledge, there was just one study. And, it was done by P&G, who sell a lot of diapers! It also assumed that cloth diapers would only be used for one kid (rather than passed on) and assumed that disposable diaper users dump the poop in the toilet (no one I know does this!)
I have also been pleasantly surprised at how easy cloth diapers are!
[Reply]
Dana reply on March 16, 2009 9:46 am:
There is no perfect solution to this dilemma- both cloth and disposables have significant environmental impacts. Be aware of the water cycle in your community to determine which solution is right for you – also know that the hot water required to wash cloth diapers uses a lot of electricity which results in increased emissions of CO2 and mercury from coal-burning power plants. One should also consider the area in which they live – is the area in a drought? -if so, perhaps disposables are better to conserve water. What does your sewage treatment plant do with its sludge? The Garbage Project notes that landfills receive about 20% of the sludge from America’s sewage treatment plants. Disposable diapers make up about 2% of the solid waste in landfills (EPA); of greater concern is the amount of food people dispose of in their trash that then generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. According to Bottlemania by Elizabeth Royte, more than 200 municipalities discharge their sewage directly into the Colorado River which provides drinking water for downstream cities such as San Diego.
[Reply]
Joe reply on December 6, 2009 4:41 pm:
As far as I know every study that shows no environmental difference between reusable and disposable diapers (or even that disposable diapers have a *smaller* footprint) has been discredited, right from the very first one up through the present. See http://www.nearta.com/Papers/SW152cAnalysis.pdf for an example of how these studies have been biased.
[Reply]
Eric reply on December 17, 2009 11:55 pm:
In reading the above comment it sounds like the paper quoted may be an example of a biased and discredited study when in fact it’s discrediting and revealing the bias in a prior study. There are other white papers on that site too that are pertinent to this discussion. Probably http://www.nearta.com/Papers/DiaperEnvironment.pdf is the most relevant.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:17 am
My wife and I use disposable diapers for our 20 month old and will use them for number 2 (due in August). We have had no rashes or other problems mentioned with disposables. If you are worried about the cost of disposables you probably shouldn’t be having kids anyway.
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 11:07 pm:
I’m not worried about the cost, but it sure is nice to know I spent $200 on diapers that will last two children instead of a couple thousand dollars.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I have raised 4 children and now help raise 3 grandchildren. There is no simple answer. My wife and I have used both types. Rashes can occur with both. Cloth are more trouble due to storage and cleaning and day care cannot use cloth as the logistics of sending the cloth back to the parent is not pleasant. I question the real cost of cloth as the cost of soap, time, machine wear and electric use seems understated in the studies I have seen.
I think the bottom line is your life style dictates the use and the mix of types.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I use disposable because I am a single mother of 4 and have to work full time. I used cloth diapers on my first child when I was a stay-at-home mom, but they leaked through everything and I did laundry daily, plus had to change them almost every hour. Now I do not have the time, plus the daycare requires disposable. I agree cloth is way more environmentally friendly, but it just isn’t a feasible option for me. If someone could come up with a “greener” disposable diaper, I would gladly use it.
[Reply]
Karen reply on March 10, 2009 11:49 am:
They make a disposable Diaper costs about the same as pampers $12 to $14 for a pack. They are g diapers.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I use disposable diapers bacause:
1.-Is easier for the modern life
2.-My wife and work all day
But I think is better used washable cloth diapers, because are friendly whit the environment
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I am 5 months pregnant and I will try cloth diapers but the kind that are velcro with the cloth insert so I don’t have to use safety pins (baby genius is the name) I am going to try the g diapers for travel they have a flushable or disposible insert. People have used these in Austrailia for years!!
However, for sitters or daycare I will have disposables. It is the least I can do to help save the landfill space. I think a few extra loads of laundry will be worth it in the end. And I will line dry as long as I can however, winters in MT tend to be long :)
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:25 am
I read somewhere that cloth diapers and disposable diapers are the same as far as their “green-ness” is concerned. Sure disposable diapers take up landfill space, but cloth diapers are using water, detergent and electricity. I use all disposable diapers mainly for convienience. My mom used cloth diapers on my brothers and sisters and I remember how awful the diaper pail stunk!!! I am too much of a clean freak to have a dirty diaper pail stinking up my house!
[Reply]
neloma reply on March 10, 2009 11:36 am:
amen
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 4:03 pm:
I think you are refering to the claim Pampers made (or maybe it was Huggies..). They were comparing the water, energy and gas it took to manufacutre and distribute disposables (yes disposables require quite a bit of water to make) to that of the services provided by a diaper service. They provided no numbers or studies, just a random claim. They didnt try to say they were more sustainable then cloth diapering without the service. Please look at all the studies out there that acutally can substantiate their claims.
Why do all the posts against cloth diapers talk about how the diaper pails smell? When I used disposables the smell couldnt even be contained by a diaper genie. With cloth, if I notice a smell I just sprinkle some baking soda on it… or hey… I just do the laundry!
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 11:11 pm:
a.) many cloth users line dry
b.) you don’t use as much detergent per load when washing, and many of us use more environmentally-friendly detergents that rinse thoroughly.
c.) cloth diapers do not automatically equal a stinky pail. Come to my house and I’ll pay you $100 if you can find my pail using your nose. Bet you can’t do it.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:29 am
I tried using cloth diapers but my son broke out in a terrible rash and would not go away.
Huggies were the only ones that worked for him. Whenever I tried to go back to cloth-which we tried washing our own as well as a few other home delivery ones he would break out-
When our second son came along he had a cyst in a bad area and cloth diapers irritated it to much. Funny thing is Pampers as well as snuggies were the only ones he could use that didn’t irritate and/or break out in a rash-
The cloth diapers sure came in handy for burp cloths though-
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Yes, When I had my baby born 1956 that was it no disposables diapers.
I was used to the cloth diapers I came from family of 6 my mother did it. So did I we just get use to the easy way out now days
I think with the times we are in. So off us will have to change our way of spending and thinking
H. W.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I used cloth diapers with velcro leak-proof covers when my son (now 9) was a baby. We used disposables at night and when traveling. Everyone thought I was crazy. But, my son’s room never smelled and the diapers and covers lasted us the entire time. My initial investment meant that I did not have to buy diapers very often (one box every couple of months). My son never had diaper rash and potty-trained early.
I am glad I made that choice. It was not very time consuming, 5 minutes every couple of days to start the washer and did not effect our utilities very much. My son did not have chemicals next to his body all day and we reduced our waste.
People often believe that a convenience product is worth the money in time saved. As a mom who made my own baby food, sewed most of my son’s clothes and used cloth diapers, I disagree. Compared to the amount of time people spend watching TV, these activities take very little time with great financial rewards!
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 3:46 pm:
I love your comment about watching TV. So true.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:37 am
i agree my mom used them on my brothers and sisters and wow what a stinki smell. and then to have to rinse a soiled diaper. thats why I didnt babysit.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I believe this choice is very dependent on the circumstances and the area you live in. It has been many years since my children were small. High efficiency washers were not in existance. Obviously, different areas of the nation have different concerns; such as extreme drought or lack of landfill space. Then there is consideration on the rules and requirements of daycare facilities. A large number of them require only disposable diapers for ease of bacteria control. They often require disposable wipes as well. I believe a “green minded” person would take all of these situations under consideration as well as the family’s economic situation and of course, the health and well-being of the baby. The answer may even be that a combination works best.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I never considered myself an environmentalist; but when disposable diapers came out and my daughter was born, in 1970, I tried them. They didn’t “flush” down the toilet like they said. Then I reasoned, where are these horrible things going to end up? The plastic is not going to rot. What will happen to our environment? Would I want this paper on me? Or would prefer cotton fabric. I noticed women are filthy, and I’ve seen these soiled diapers just left in public bathroom stalls. The smell in the trash cans. It was disgusting. I decided cloth diapers was the way to go. I would dispose of the mess in the toilet and rinse the diaper in the clean toilet. Then I would soak them in bleach. The washing machine and dryer kills bacteria. My babies NEVER suffered diaper rash, and I did not contribute to polluting the environment. When my granddaughter was born, I used only cloth diapers for her as well. I also felt I was saving a lot of money.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Disposable Baby Diaper can be last long during night time sleep. Also reliable for outside use. It’s reduced the parent’s works.
Washable diaper is not good for health I believe. Washable Towels are
are best if maintained.
I am using Disposable Diapers & Washable Baby Towels for my baby.
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 11:15 pm:
It’s nice to have beliefs about things, but even nicer to have facts. You might want to read up more on cloth diapering before making statements about what’s healthy or not.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:48 am
If you ever had to actually use cloth diapers you’d know why we went to super-absorbents.
We did the whole routine for my first daughter (31yrs ago): up to your elbows rinsing them out in the toilet, diaper pail with strong ammonia solution, heavy laundering with loads of bleach, never-ending folding and storing, chronic unavoidable diaper rashes, etc. And the diaper pins! Ouch! I still suspect my daughter is subconsciously traumatized from all the times I stuck her by mistake.
There have been several cradle-to-grave impact studies done on the issue. I’ll never go back to cloth.
Hal Taylor
Chemical Engineer
(two daughters and four grandchildren later)
[Reply]
Shawn reply on March 10, 2009 12:55 pm:
Cloth diapers are much improved today than 31 years ago. No need for pins, as many have handy little snaps. No folding required. Just inserting an absorbable “insert” into a little pocket on the diaper cover. Laundry is quite easy, especially if investing in a $30 “toilet shower”, a small handle that attaches to your toilet and allows you to spray the chunks off before putting in laundry. No need to soak frequently. Also, one of the reasons why cloth diapers can tend to stink after a while is the over-use of laundry detergent. If you use half of what the directions call for, there will be less build-up. Probable a soaking in ammonia every once in a while would help. I’ve been using my cloth diapers for almost 5 years (my 4.5 year old used them until she was potty trained at 19 months, and my 19 month old son is now using the ones she used to) and they probably could use a soaking now, but I never have in all those years.
[Reply]
Jennie reply on March 10, 2009 11:21 pm:
That’s the really old-fashioned (and incorrect) way to wash cloth diapers. Cloth diaper rashes are the result of putting diapers on a baby that are not completely clean. There’s a lot more info out there now, thankfully. I have yet to have a rash with either baby while using cloth.
[Reply]
Alison reply on March 11, 2009 4:23 pm:
Wow, that does sound awful! I’m glad I have a modern washing machine that is capable of handling heavy soil, making toilet swishing, chemical wet pails, and excessive bleach a thing of the past.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Before my son was born, I was gung-ho about using cloth diapers. It seemed like the best choice for the environment and for the baby, based on things I had read about disposables. However, after my son was born, I learned that they’re not only impractical — you don’t know how direly important practicality until is AFTER you have a child — but they require very frequent washing, which uses a lot of precious water.
Now that my son is older (4 months) and his pees and poops are a little less frequent/unpredictable than in the newborn stage, I’ve started putting him in prefolds or all-in-ones at home from time to time for a change of pace. However, they irritate his bottom just as much as any disposable and, what’s worse is they’re bulky, which I think might even hamper his hip and joint development because he can’t flex his legs up as much as he can in thin disposables. Oh yeah — and then back to the laundry room. Thank goodness I have a HE washer.
If someone could develop cloth diapers that were thin but absorbent, didn’t need so much stripping (yes, they come with chemicals too!) and were less expensive (the AIOs cost some $20 each), I think I might use them more. It still doesn’t solve the water use problem, though.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I guess I’m one of the middle-of-the- road people…I used clothe diapers from a diaper service (they picked up, washed, and left clean, fresh diapers biweekly) until my kids could walk/run. then I switched to disposable b/c the leaks were less…every little bit of green helps.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:56 am
As a mother and a wage earner outside the home, I used cloth diapers at home and the convience of disposable diapers outside the home. The cloth diapers are affordable in tough times and they posed no real threat on my social well being. The disposable were a necessity with working out of the home.
I found the cloth diaper seemingly more comfortable than the disposible, but there were knacks that I needed to learn as a mother to ’super clean these tools’ as the bacteria seemed to linger in the diaper even after washing. I actually had to refer back to my grandmother who suggested frequent soakings in a lower pH solution and frequent washings in clorinated detergents. This improved all aspects of the extended use of the cloth.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
We used cloth diapers primarily at home and enjoyed significant savings. Managing cloth diapers was quite simple.
Outside the home however, most child-care providers required disposable diapers; this may have been a State regulatory requirement?
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 3:35 pm:
My daycare does cloth. Its just a convenience factor for most daycares, they dont want to have to deal with cloth and have a system set up for them. Most in home providers/ daycare centers based out of homes will cloth diaper.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
We use disposable diapers, and we know that they are incinerated at a local trash-to-energy plant given its BTU value. Although its a good solution to create energy with plastic waste, what is really needed is an enzyme added during the manufacture of plastic that breaks down for composting or degradation in a landfill settings. If the plastic has an enzyme in it that degrades it automatically following its use, we would not have a waste-related problem. This concept should be applied to all plastics that are not readily recyclable such as plastic grocery bags. I understand that a major central america manufacture and distributor has a patent pending on such as enzyme to add to plastic as a nanotechnology to help with the degradation process. We need to act locally and think globally with how we go about our lives, run our businesses, and regulate responsibly to promote green initiatives in the U.S.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Really, I know nothing about this topic. However, PAMPERS recently has added a charity offering with each purchase so the timing is wrong for any kind of boycott of paper products! It’s much like
T.P. if you want to look at the whole picture.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
For me it is all about time and money. I really don’t have the extra time to wash and fold cloth diapers. They just need to come up with bio-degradable ones…they have trashbags that do that..just need to translate that into diapers.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
We haven’t used diapers for 40 years, but if we did it would be disposable. It has to do with where you live. In the midwest (Colorado), water is at a premium, hence the disposable. On both coasts, landfill space is at a premium, water – not so much – hence washable.
[Reply]
Dee reply on March 10, 2009 5:47 pm:
Actually, I live on the west coast, in San Diego. San Diego is a desert, and water AND landfill space is at a premium.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
We used disposable diapers for convienence when our son was young. The interesting part of the conversation isn’t strictly “cloth vs disposable”, but rather “water and sewage vs landfill”. Cloth diapers must be washed, and in hot water, the hotter the better, to get them really clean. That takes energy, and all that water and soap must be treated from the waste stream.
Disposable diapers are tossed, and become part of the local landfill. The interesting thing is the first thought that comes to mind is “OMG that can’t be green”. However, I read an interesting paper a few years ago that changes the perspective a bit. Landfills are filled with many things that shouldn’t be tossed in there, old batteries, electronics, etc., that are tossed into the waste stream rather than being disposed of properly. The article interestingly said that all those disposable diapers are great at leaching up liquids (interestingly, that’s exactly what they’re designed to do). So, all the leaking batteries, electronics, etc., were having some of that discharge sucked into the diapers.
So, I don’t think it’s a one vs the other issue. BOTH have environmental concerns, both have environmental benefits. It’s a personal choice and either way has good and bad implications.
So, make the choice, live with it, and try not to judge others for their choice. Yours maybe better or worse for the environment, I don’t think we really know enough yet.
Dave
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Disposable, because Daycare requires it.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I use washable because:
1. Some of the disposable diapers smell toxic, and I don’t want the chemicals used in making disposables touching my children’s skin.
2. I don’t like the idea of diapers overflowing landfills. Using disposable increases garbage collection fees. We would need to set out garbage every week, versus the current every other wk. I know this, because we used disposable when our washing machine didn’t work.
3. Washables are a HUGE savings on diaper costs. It’s a one time fee, and we’ve used our set on both our children – resulting in EXTRA savings. It takes no time to put diapers in the washing machine. It does take a few minutes to stuff a whole load of inserts into their diaper covers, or just seconds if you do it one at a time. Disposables are very expensive, considering how many are needed per kid’s lifetime.
4. Fuzibunz are very cozy on my children’s skin. The part that touches their skin is soft fleece.
5. Research has shown that children in cloth diapers potty train much faster than children in disposables. There is no incentive for children in disposables to want to use the potty, when they can’t feel the pee in disposables. Cloth allow the children to notice they are peeing, because they can feel it initially. My daughter potty-trained before age 2. And my son has been talking about it for the past few months. He’s 19 months.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Disposable diapers will continue over clothe diapers due to convenience and cost of cleaning the diaper. However, in latin america we have provided such countries as Peru, Argentina and Columbia with a solution that they are implementing. The diaper once disposed and ending in a landfill typically will not degrade. Just like newspaper degradation must be encouraged by one or more mechanisms. Biodegradation is pervocative but without the right conditions and microorganisms in the soil it will not occur at rates that lab test show as positive. Therefore, other mechanisms that degrade the diaper faster to reduce landfill waste volume followed by degradation to the point where microorganisms can feed (Molecular weights below 500) take control. We are now doing this for the last year but the US is not interested !! Lots of talk but politics instead of science continues. We must take science to Asia or Latin America before anyone will listen to home grown solutions.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 1:21 pm:
That sounds interesting, what are you doing to the landfill? Do you havce any links to a webpage that explain what you are talking about?
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
There is a tremendous amount of research on this question. As I understand it, from a life cycle standpoint, the balance is dependent on a host of factors, including availability of water (there is a disadvantage to using cloth diapers in areas experiencing drought), how the diapers are washed and dried, the cost of the time to wash diapers, the exact type of diapering system, the local waste disposal system, etc.
A good summary is available at:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK5911.html
Rather than ask the question, why not provide a useful summary of the science, or at least have an EPA professional reply to comments.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Because a company is only producing “Biodegradable” ultra-thin sanitary napkins with wings and a panty liner for daily use. When they start making Biodegradable diapers I will switch. Oh! I don’t have kids and I’m not a woman, but I thought for those that do, and for those who are, this bud’s for you!
[Reply]
Marta reply on April 6, 2009 2:31 pm:
I agree with you. I would do the same.
BTW, I doubt that most of the women who agree about the landfill problems caused by disposable diapers are using cloth panty liners.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Are you kidding you wasted time on this?
Well, there is no residual bacteria or detergent on the disposable ones.
The time I save using disposables allows me t o work a second job so I can pay the outrageous Obama Taxes and the expense of conforming with asinine epa regulations.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 3:32 pm:
There is no residual bacteria or detergent in the cloth diapers I put on my baby.
The money I save using cloth allows me to not have to work a second job so I can spend time with my baby.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
My daughter is a new mother. Before having har baby she planned for cloth dipers. As she was growing up, we always discussed the lack of responsibility when soiled dipers were left under a park car tire, or in a parking lot. Her baby (my grandaughter) has never suffer from diper rash, and her husband and herself have enjoyed the resposibility they have to the world.
Happy grandmother (nana)
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
My family uses disposable diapers. We purchase chlorine free Seventh Generation as much as possible and supposedly the absorbent material inside is non-toxic. Chlorine is having devastating effects on our environment. When our sons have a poop we flush the stool down the toilet for the septic system to take care of.
I used cloth and a diaper service with my first child, and yes, she developed a horrible rash.
Now that they are not newborn and need changes less frequently I will start using organic cotton cloth diapers as well–but I am having trouble finding diaper pins!!!
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 10, 2009 3:27 pm:
That’s because you don’t need diaper pins with today’s cloth diapers. I just put a prefold in a diaper cover, some people use a Snappi. Works wonders. Or use an all-in-one or pocket diaper. Check out diaperpin.com they have all the info you need to cloth diaper.
If the diaper service diapers gave your kid a rash I’d say they are washing them in something harsh, or beaching them. Wash them yourself and save the money and hassle.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
I have a new grandchild and her Mom said she wouldn’t like the odors that one might have with cloth diapers. Also the initial expense of purchasing the diapers too.
She also felt that the cloth diapers were not as convenient and more wash to do for a working Mom.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I use cloth (pocket) diapers and LOVE THEM!!!! At first I wanted to do a diaper service so as to not have to contribute sooo much trash to the world but I couldn’t find any in my area. We’d just moved back from living in a 3rd world country (with the Peace Corps) where there was no trash disposal system so we learned quickly how fast your trash can accumulate. We saw the poorest women ever using cloth and figured it couldn’t be that hard? I thought I’d have to do the pins and covers, which made me a little weary, but once I saw the amazing diapers that are out there now with snaps and no plastic pants, we were hooked. We registered for them before our first child was born, and when people asked what we needed, we asked them to get us one or two more. So, in reality, the cost to us was EXTREMELY low! My first son used them for over 2 years and now my second son is on the same ones. Talk about savings!!! The brand we use has different sizes. The smalls we figured out we broke even on vs. disposables since the first son was only in them 6 months, but our second son was smaller and used the smalls over 1 year (all at no cost since we already had them). The mediums the first son wore for at least 20 more months, and the second son is just starting to use them. The diapers lasted so well that we’re still using all the original ones 3 years after they were purchased. Some friends have done the comparison on environmental impact, and esp. if you air dry them, there is much less energy used overall with cloth. The extra laundry was very easy to get used to. Start the wash when the boys go to bed. And if you use the dryer, throw them in that night before we went to bed. TA-DA! Clean diapers in the morning. I would rather have to wash than run to the store and pay MORE money for disposables. Cloth diapers was one of the best choices we ever made. Minimal rashes too!! (We have switched to disposables at night to minimize night waking with wet pants, so that was our one compromise). Now we spend less than $8.00 a month on diapering our kids!
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I grew up in a small village in countryside India. We had no diapers at all! Babies go without bottoms in their clothes. You can tell when a baby has to go, because all of a sudden his mother picks him up and runs out into the yard, holding him at her arms lennth.
No laundry or disposables, but a lot of quick bathes for baby! Ha ha ha. It is true.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
Thanks for the lively exchange going on, but please keep in mind the Greenversations comment policy when leaving a comment.
The comment policy prohibits vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial groups; the promotion of services or products (non-commercial links that are relevant to the blog post or comment are acceptable); comments that are far off-topic, or comments that make unsupported accusations.
Thanks again for your participation, and I look forward to reading your comments.
Kelly Chick, Greenversations Manager
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I loved using cloth diapers. I used all in ones that made it easy for even teenage babysitters to use! My daughter was never in a daycare situation, but I do have friend that worked with their daycare provider to use cloth or g diapers. I have g-diapers as well at home. I never noticed a smell and neither did any one who came to visit.
Early on my daughter was strictly breastfed which makes the diapers very easy to clean and the poop is not stinky at all, and then when she got older, I used an old garbage can with a reusable leak-proof liner in it (It also had a tab for putting essential oil to freshen the can). The poopy diapers I would put in another garbage can partially filled with water close to the washer. It really helped the stains come out very fast.
Also, Charlie’s soap was a diaper wonder! If things did get stained I would just set them out in the sun for a bit. I still have most of the diapers from our first daughter for any new ones to come along.
My daughter never had diaper rashes, though friends who had children in disposables seemed to be plagued with them. And it has been very easy transitioning to going potty. My daughter could always feel the wetness, as opposed to most disposables.
I did not feel that the laundry was that much more. It was maybe one to two extra loads a week.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
We made cloth diapers before my daughter was born. Cheap, but not easy. As far as washing, etc. I didn’t feel that it was that time consuming. My diapers didn’t require any special treatment, just soak, wash, dry. Everybody’s always talking about how it’s time consuming or unsanitary to use cloth diapers. Does it really take that long to do an extra load? How long will the same amount of diapers sit in that landfill? Why has convenience become more important than responsibility for our future? I’m not trying to say I’m perfect (until recently I used disposable wipes :( ), but if we can all just take little steps toward using less waste, it’ll not only be better for the environment, but will teach our kids to be more responsible, too!
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I’m seeing a lot of ignorant answers to cloth diapers here and I am don’t mean to upset anybody but ignorant is the first word that comes to mind.
If cloth diapers are used right and clean right there should be NO rashing and NO bacteria. It’s easy to disinfect and easy to put on. MOST cloth diapers are just as easy to use as disposable diapers and simply throw them into the washing machine.
Did disposable diaper users know that after a bowl movement that you are suppose to empty the contents of the diaper into the toilet? If you do not and it goes to the landfill, it’s raw human waste that contaminates our drinking water. ICK! Also, it takes OVER 500 years to biodegrade in a landfill assuming it has light and air to help break them down. Now, did anybody know that the chemical called
Dioxine is used in disposables? If anybody remembers Dioxine that was a chemical used in tampons and BANNED in 1985. So why are they used in our babies diapers???? Let’s not forget that the bleaching agents are in the diapers as well and when these chemicals get wet, they sit against our precious babies skin and soaks into their bodies.
As for washing the diapers, that is no harder than washing your clothes, sheets or towels. It’s maybe 2 more loads per week than what you are doing now. You never run out of diapers and there are no perfumes to cover up the smell of when your baby has eliminated and therefore you can change them as soon as they go. That makes for healthier baby bums.
The other thing I am reading is the water usage. I wish I had some links on hand but in all actuality the amount of water used to make disposable diapers is GREATER than the water used to wash and reuse cloth diapers. Please research this one for yourselves.
Another issue I have read about both on sites and in debates is the jelly beads in the disposable diapers that if these pop out of the diapers on a baby girl she risks a reaction from the Dioxin contained therein and for a boy the disposables contain his body heat and keep the temperature too high and MAY impact fertility later in life. The jury is still out on that one though.
Now the style of cloth is a story in itself! You can still find the prefold and flat style of diapers our Grandmothers used with the plastic pants and wool covers and those are the most basic and the cheapest. I can attest that BOTH are doable and BOTH work with amazing results! I have rarely had leaking issues and NEVER a rash from these diapers. EVER! You can also get diapers fashioned like disposable diapers but you can disassemble to get completely clean. Please research all in one diapers, pocket diapers and fitted diapers. This is a whole new world out there that most people didn’t know existed! It’s amazing, wonderful and can knock the boots clean off of disposables! Try this site to get all of your questions answered: http://www.diaperswappers.com I highly recommend them for clearing up cloth diapering misinformation that I am reading SO much of in this thread.
Oh, I almost forgot that you no longer need diaper pins! Check out Snappi’s. They’re awesome! You can also toss the idea of having to dunk dirty diapers because now you can use a diaper sprayer that hooks up to the tank of your toilet and the waste goes where it is suppose to go………IN THE TOILET! No more dunking, diaper is ready to go in the wash and no worry.
Somebody else had issues with going out of the house in cloth and that really is a non-issue here too. Simply take diapers with you as you would have to with disposables anyway, use a rice paper liner inside (biodegradable and flushable) so if they poop it simply goes into the potty while out and a wet bag (a bag that is waterproof). Place the soiled/wet diaper into the bag and carry home with you. Easy!
So, here is my list:
1. Healthier for my child (no chemicals/dioxin)
2. Healtheir for the environment (doesn’t take over 500 years to degrade)
3. Convenient, NEVER run out of diapers
4. completely portable, just like disposables!
5. breathable and more comfortable than disposables
6. Economical
7. Less smell
8. Anybody can use them and you don’t have to use pins anymore!
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Cloth baby diapers require cleaning and care, but avoid replacement costs. Disposable diapers are convenient but must be purchased and disposed of properly.
Why do you use disposable or washable baby diapers?
*************************************************************
Today’s modern cloth diapers are convenient and easy to use, unlike the old school thought of what grandma used. They are made in a variety of fabrics from the high end sustainable organics to your base line cottons and more. There has been a huge surge in the cloth diaper world and it continues to take a larger slice of the pie at pace that continues to pick up speed.
I used washable cloth baby diapers for several reasons.
Reduced Toxins in cloth — no dioxin – a cancer causing agent.
No risks to male infertility.
No links to asthma.
Reduced need for replacement and can be used for multiple children or donated to a Miracle Diapers Program.
The waste water/energy debate is a thing of the past with the High Energy Efficient Washing and dryer systems now available. It is very economical (always has been) to wash diapers at home. Easy too.
On an obvious environmental impact relief — no diapers in the land fill = no diapers in the landfill.
But it expands further than that.
By choosing a reusable cloth diaper/wipe/attached parent carry system you are choosing to reduce waste long before the items hit the shelves.
ie:
It takes manufacturing water/resources to produce the materials to transport to the diaper company where they in turn use loads of resources to manufacture their product – then to ship their items to their retailer warehousing – to the store location. There are resources in petroleum and water used to manufacture the plastics for packaging too.
The consumer resources to purchase and return home with items, dispose of items. The disposal resources to get them to the landfill. The large amount of energies used to maintain and move the land fill around. Even thought the landfills have containment — there is always the chance of fecal/diseases/medications that eliminate into those disposed diapers seeping into our ground/ground water environments, impacting the animal life around them.
Hands down — cloth here.
MB – mom to three – owner of E-a-poo’s….bringing cloth alternatives to family since 2002.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
We used cloth diapers for our first child for green reasons. When our second child came a year later, we had 2 in diapers for a while, and switched to disposables. The logic/factors behind this switch were:
1) Since mom and dad worked full-time jobs each, we appreciated the time savings that disposables afforded us. Plus, cloth diapers are generally messier.
2) We live in an area where our trash goes to a state-of-the-art, very clean waste-to-energy facility, which means the more diapers we burn for fuel is sold back to the power grid and reduces our dependence on (other) fossil fuels.
3) There are energy costs associated with the added laundry burden of choosing cloth.
I would not second-guess any parent’s decision, as long as it was a thoughtful one. There are local and personal factors, as the poster who grew up in India noted.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
In today’s fractured economic status, many parents must choose between food and disposable diapers. I chose cloth diapers for my children because not only were they cost efficient, they were better for the environment. They weren’t difficult to clean, just soak, wash and dry. During the summer months I would hang them outside in the back yard to get bleached by the sun. When the children were finally potty trained, I had some great cleaning rags – the best for polishing furniture!!
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
We use cloth for so many reasons I cannot even think of all of them to write down a the moment. Off the top of my head:
1) For the health of our children. The chemicals that disposable diapers contain are known carcinogens. The gels that are in most diapers are also known to be toxic and I have changed friend’s diapers and seen pieces of those gel beads on the baby. The only brand we have found that doesn’t contain gel is Tushies and they are more expensive than even regular ’sposies.
2) To save $. The cost savings is unbelievable. The price we pay to run a load of diapers a week is far less (and only takes me about 30 seconds to load the washer) than it would cost to drive to the store and pay for diapers. We purchased a set of diapers for what some families spend on two month’s supply and we’ll use them for two kids!!
3) To do our part in making sure there is a planet for our children to live on when they grow up. Diapers do not decompose in a landfill. Also, most towns are not equipped to have human waste in the landfills but I don’t know anyone who uses disposable diapers and actually flushes the poop (which you are supposed to do regardless of what kind of diaper you use).
4) They are so easy to use. The process is the same as using disposable. Instead of tape on the side, ours use velcro. Instead of throwing them our and going to the store to buy more we toss them in the washing machine. My teenage babysitter (who never changed a diaper before) has no problem with them.
5) No diaper rash. Friends who use disposables on their children speak of horrendous diaper rash, we’ve never experienced a rash–ever.
6) Earlier potty training. Because kids can actually feel when they are soiled they tend to potty train earlier.
My son was potty trained during the day 100% by 2.5
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Didn’t have the time or money to continually wash diapers, plus the mess. I probably would use cloth now because I’m more aware. Diaper services are rare in small towns.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
My wife and I used disposable diapers for our twin girls because we valued our time with our kids and with each other. We figured the time savings would be considerable and the convenience was worth the “green guilt”. Honestly, we might make a different decision now if we could, but as new parents with twins, we looked for any conveniences.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I used disposables until my daughter was 11 months, and then switched to almost full-time cloth.
I’ve never used a diaper pin.
I’ve never washed them with bleach (a little plant-based detergent and a little vinegar).
I hang them to dry.
I work full-time outside the home. Our day-care had no problem with cloth – we included flushable liners for use at daycare so they could just pick up the liner by the corners and dispose of in the toilet. Our daycare provider said it was no more work than disposables.
We use a dry pail to store dirty diapers, and there’s no smell.
I did for a while keep a pack of disposables in the house for emergencies (when I hadn’t done a load of laundry etc) but my daughter started refusing to wear them – when she became more verbal she said they were “scratchy” and “hot”. That speaks volumes to me.
I really fail to see how a one-use product, manufactured with bleach, perfumes, and other chemicals, thrown away usually containing un-treated human waste, can possibly be “better” or even a “wash”.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
i use disposable diapers so i can throw the away in the walmart parking lot for someone else to throw away ;-0
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I used cloth diapers for the most part for my 4 children. I sometimes used disposable if I was going somewhere. Cloth is softer. Also, unlike disposables, you change them immediately if they wet them. Since they are used to be dry, they like that feeling and it is much easier to potty train them. Cloth diapers seem so much more sanitary to me. No-one who uses disposables changes them right when they wet them. They sometimes wear them for hours and are quite wet and heavy when changed.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Okay as a father of a 2+ month old I have an issue with cloth. The need to change baby up to 20 times per day makes the practicality of disposable hard to pass up. We have friends that tried to compost…don’t go in their back yard!
I want to know if those who state they use cloth started at day one or did they start when the number of changes per day is more manageable? I see someone started at 11 months…that seems reasonable.
[Reply]
Deb reply on March 11, 2009 10:35 am:
I started using cloth right away, but I think you could start anytime. If you buy (rather than renting from a service), you would save money by starting cloth sooner.
I made the mistake of switching to disposables at night for my first child. It took them a lot longer to stay dry at night than the children I kept in cloth at night.
The constant diaper changing of newborns is trying! I felt better that with cloth, I at least knew when they were wet. The few disposables I tried made it hard to tell. Bottom line (pun intended) – you don’t want them sitting in pee, whether in a disposable or cloth. Cloth makes it easier to tell when they are wet and to change them.
[Reply]
Nicole reply on March 11, 2009 5:08 pm:
Literally speaking, we started at day five. We used disposable diapers in the hospital, and until the extras the hospital sent home with us ran out.
I don’t consider changing a lot of diapers to be a problem. I think children’s diapers should be changed every time they are wet or soiled, regardless of cloth or disposable. It’s a part of caring for an infant.
[Reply]
Amanda reply on March 11, 2009 7:19 pm:
I have used cloth with my 2 year old AND my 6 month from birth. It is not an issue on having to change them more often. If your child defecates in a disposable, you change them – I went through tons of diapers because of constant pooping from my breastfed babies. So unless you are letting your kid sit in crap for hours, that is a non-issue.
Cloth is easy and convenient. And diapers can be reused by many children, further reducing waste.
[Reply]
Marisa reply on March 11, 2009 7:52 pm:
We started with my first son very very gradually. I had had a c-section, I was overwhelmed learning about breastfeeding, and many people had given us packs of newborn diapers. Anything that made my life a bit easier in those early weeks was fine with me!
I had cloth diapers (flat prefolds) on hand, though, and I would use them occasionally when I felt up to it. I started with using them only when we’d be at home, and then worked up to using them out on errands and trips. By 3-4 months the “OMG I’M A PARENT” thing was wearing off, and I felt like I had more of a handle on things. :)
By the time my son was 9 months old I was comfortable using them overnight (I figured out that a pocket diaper, stuffed with three inserts, was enough absorbency to last him through several hours in a row of sleep).
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing in those trying early weeks. Even just using cloth at a few changes a day was enough to save us money and reduce our garbage. I probably bought a pack of diapers every other week instead of every week. And of course it was nice to work toward eliminating those purchases entirely after a while, instead spending the money on reusable cloth that my second baby is now able to wear.
With baby #2 I started with cloth as soon as we were home from the hospital — but that’s because I’m used to it now. I would never blame someone for “easing” their way into it, if that’s what works!
[Reply]
jsk reply on March 11, 2009 11:27 pm:
11 months was me. That’s because it’s when I got brave. Next baby will be from birth! I’ve done both and even working FT (~50hours/week) I didn’t find cloth a burden.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
We researched and thought a lot about cloth vs. disposable. Energy and resources are used to produce both. Huge cost up-front for cloth (and hopefully you buy a brand that fits your child), plus smaller continued costs for detergent, bleach, electricity, water, gas (only a few weekends for a few months can we line dry in the sun), or diaper service. And heck, I really didn’t want a bucket of bleach in my house. Lower, continued costs for disposal, no additional costs. Energy and resources are used to wash and dry cloth, space is used to dispose of disposables. Neither is without flaws, don’t fool yourself. Nothing in life is.
You have to choose your battles and do what works for your family. We both work. We are horrible at doing laundry, that’s just the way it is. But we know we’re really good at doing other things, like growing our garden, going to the farmers market, making baby food / nursing, recycling, walking to the store, eating vegetarian……
Everything takes time and has costs (monetary, resources, and exposure) we’d rather spend our few free moments doing these things with our child rather than rinsing diapers and doing laundry. Hence we selected disposable (and NO rash problems).
You have to look at the whole picture. I don’t appreciate some people acting like they are holier than thou because they use cloth diapers. I’m glad you did that if it works for you. It’s not a competition to see who’s “better” at being “green” or who cares more about their child. And if one thinks it is, you might want to take another look at yourself. We did buy a nice cloth diaper with velcro to try out, it is really cute and soft but leaks; but we still use it sometimes.
[Reply]
jsk reply on March 11, 2009 11:32 pm:
With respect, you can’t have researched cloth that closely if you think you need a “bucket of bleach in the house”. I have never, ever bleached diapers, except occasionally hanging in the sun, and there are few if any stains. As far as I know, not many people bleach. In fact, you can’t bleach any of the pocket or all-in-one diapers as the bleach ruins the materials.
Have you considered the energy and resources required to manufacture the disposables in the first place?
I have no particular opinion about how others choose to diaper their children, but it drives me nuts when I read misinformation like “you need bleach and/or lots of chemicals to clean them” – it’s simply untrue.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I used washable, they save money, kinder to the baby, and better for the enverment.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Keep government out of babies’ butts.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Cloth diaper is time consuming in no questioning. In a well developed country, every minute can be counted in money. Therefore, mostly choose disposable option for convenient. However, due to economics meltdown and harsh cost control concern, many people would turn to cloth diaper instead.
[Reply]
Cassiopia reply on March 11, 2009 4:44 pm:
No more time consuming than driving to the store, walking down the aisles, picking up the sposies, waiting in line, driving allllll the way home, unpacking diapers… as opposed to:
a trip to the drawer, toss in the pail, 4-5 days later a load in the wash/dryer, back in the drawer.
[Reply]
March 10th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
We use cloth for a whole lot of reasons, but one that I haven’t seen brought up is to support work-at-home-moms. I know this is an eco-based argument, but I’m sure the waste spewing from the factory making ’sposies is horrendous compared to the WAHM’s house!
Also, in terms of waste, we’ve been using the same one gallon jog of natural concentrated laundry soap for 3 years!
My daughter exclaimed “No more diapers!” one month before her second birthday. Simple as that!
Now my son is wearing all the same dipes his big sister wore, and actually the one’s he’s grown out of have been handed down to his little cousin. I’m smiling while I’m sitting here. It makes me proud to know there’s been such little waste!
As for rash, both my daughter and son would get a rash around their legs from the disposables, but nothing with cloth.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Goodness, so many of you are misinformed on today’s cloth diapers. Do yourself a favor and look up cloth diapers, Happy Heiny’s or Fuzzi Bunz, just to name a couple of mainstream brands and get familiar with what they look like today. No one spends hours slaving over washing diapers. Do you slave over washing your underwear? No, and it’s the same for cloth diapers. Dump them in, wash with detergent, line dry or dry them in the dryer, and fold. No big deal at all. I cloth diapered my boys who are now 5 and 8, and I also make cloth diapers for a living as a seamstress now. I love them. I will use them on the next baby as well. They are a great alternative to disposables, cost less, better for environment, better for baby, and are soooo cute. Would you wear paper underwear? I doubt it. Baby deserves to be comfortable in cotton too!!
[Reply]
Cassiopia reply on March 11, 2009 4:43 pm:
BumGenius, GoodMama, Sustainable Babyish, Swaddlebees, First Class Baby, Rumparooz, etc, etc, etc..
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 4:39 am
I dont use washable baby diapers
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I have used both cloth and disposable. My first child was born in 2001. At the time there were cloth diapers with velcro closures available …sounded like a great idea. They were sized, as a result , I had to purchase four different sizes over the cost of my first childs development and covers becaused they soaked through. I washed them myself in Drift (sp?) detergent. All in all the cost savings was break even according to my calculations. Certainly by the second child however, I would have been ahead economically. That didn’t work out because my second child started getting severe rashes that disappeared with disposables. I never went back to it, becuase I had to retund to work after having our second child due to threatened layoffs at my husbands employer. Cloth diapers are not a doable thing for a working Mom …even if the daycare approves. I found going out to be a problem …you don’t avfterall throw them away …that means a zip lock baggy so you can bring it home with you to wash. By the way …the velcro doesn’t hold up at all on the diapers …just the covers …and yes I washed them folded inside out and secured as recommended.
I do take great comfort in knowing I can diaper any baby any time (I held on to them) and do still use them occasionally to fill in when supplies are low,etc.
If I were to do it again, I would get the flat diapers and pins (if you can find the large pins with plastic covers on the end) The flat diapers aren’t size specific and will go the life of the child, however the birdseye ain’t what it used to be …they shred now …probably due to the dryer use which when I was a kid the mom’s hung them out …not practical where I live now.
I recommend a little of both …perhaps cloth at night but even that I can’t take credit for now …on my fourth kid …too much other laundry to do. And for that I strongly recommend 2 washers and dryer in any new home planning a decent size family. I’m not there but it’s a dream. The dryer is where the huge cost is and BTW …I had to replace both new washer and dryer after 7 years ,,,burned the motor out a couple of times while under warranty ….todays appliances aren’t as tough as they used to be.
[Reply]
Cassiopia reply on March 11, 2009 4:41 pm:
When using cloth, it is VERY important to wash with detergents that are FREE of any perfumes or additives. Dreft has a lot of both, and is a vehemently advised against in the cloth diapering world. I use either Tide Free and Clear or Purex Free and Clear. Chances are your cloth diapers had severe build up. That can be remedied by a hot wash with Dawn (yup, original, dish-washing Dawn), a little goes a long way, and it’s grease-cutting ingredients pull the additional soap out of diapers that are causing rashes, leaking, or repelling. Then they need to be rinsed WELL (as in, when you look in the washer during a rinse, you DON’T see any soap bubbles). That solves the problem about 90% of the time. I would try that with your diapers if you still have them and see if it works (easiest way to tell is to smell them out of the wash. If you smell “nothing,” then you’re good to go!). As far as going out, your best bet is to get a bag that is specially designed for cloth diapers. Mine cost $8 and I’ve used it religiously for over a year now:) When it gets dirty, just toss it in the wash with the diapers!
[Reply]
Marisa reply on March 11, 2009 7:56 pm:
I wonder if you had such trouble with leaking because of the Dreft. Cloth diapers shouldn’t be washed in detergents with softeners, etc. because it can affect their absorbency.
It sounds like you were using the Gerber (birdseye) prefolds, too. Real diaper service prefolds do actually come in sizes (newborn, infant, toddler) and they hold up far far better than the Gerber ones. I used Gerber in the beginning too, before I found places to order the diaper service quality ones — and I would have given up on them too!!
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Use disposable – acknowledging that they’re not good for the environment, we use 7th Generation exclusively (non-bleached….non-scented)
Primary reasons –
1. Daycare won’t use cloth or g-diaper-type.
2. Don’t want to deal with all that cloth entails (at the beginning, wife indicated to do cloth diapering, we’d need a 2nd washing machine(!)).
3. Figure unbleached/unscented and allegedly faster “biodegrading” is better than scented, bleached, and non-biodegrading (noting that *anything* headed to a landfill doesn’t really biodegrade anyway….bcz it’s buried, with no access to air)
Tried g-diapers early on – but too close to #2 above….
If I were a single parent, I’d probably do g-diapers…but as someone previously mentioned, pick your battles.
We do farmer’s markets, local / natural / organic (where necessary), baby clothes (and mine) + baby toys from thirft stores / consignment sales / craigslist (cheaper + generally chemical free), etc.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 9:37 am
We used both in the beginning, but the disposable diapers won out because of convenience, with less water and other chemicals needed to keep them clean. Disposable diapers can be discarded almost anywhere. Cloth diapers have to be carried around after being soiled.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 9:41 am
We recently switched to gDiapers from disposables. We do use some cloth inserts in the g’s and the rest of the time use the flushable inserts. It makes much more sense to me to put my daughter’s solid waste in the toilet than into the trash. It can be properly treated at the waste water treatment plant, rather than going into the landfill. The used inserts without feces can be composted.
We switched mainly because no matter what brand of disposable we used, there she was getting frequent rashes. Since the switch, and her bum is in a breathable diaper…no more rashes.
Sure there is a higher initial cost if you go with hybrid or cloth diapers, but the flushable g inserts are no more expensive than name brand disposables, and they are so much better for the environment. I for one will gladly pay a few cents more to not have her diapers be around for my great great great grandchildren to deal with.
The diaper stink is gone from our house now. And there was a definite stink around her diaper can before. It takes no more time to throw a cloth diaper into a wetbag than it does to throw a disposable into the trash. With a family of 4, soon to be 5, what really is one more load of laundry?
I am actually saving money on detergent now. The traditional, and more expensive, detergents are not recommended to use on cloth diapers as they can cause a build up, and affect the absorbency of the cloth. Not to mention, cause diaper rash. I looked into what brands were best for the diapers, and found that the free and clear version I was already using was fine to continue. It wasnt the best, but it was 3 out of 4 star rating. However, I found a green detergent that is actually cheaper and highly recommended for cloth diapers. It is 1/2 the cost of the one I was using, and completely natural.
As far as daycares go, there should be no more handling of waste with cloth than with disposable. If you use All in One cloth, then the whole thing is removed and put in the bag, same as you would do with the disposable. No one that I know who uses cloth dunks them in the toilet or even uses the wet pail method. Shake off any solids into the toilet, to carry baby poo away to where poo belongs, and put the diaper and cloth wipes into the bag. Some daycares even require and individual wet bag for each diaper. These are waterproof bags, so nothing is going to leak out.
Sure disposable is easier, but so are paper plates and plastic forks. No one can argue successfully that those are better for the environment. Cloth diapers take no more time than separating your recycling. Convenience is not always the right way to go.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Honestly, it’s annoying to read the replies some people are leaving. You will not convince the others that YOU are more right. It’s a matter of what works for the family. If cloth works for you, great, but don’t try to tell someone who’s dead set on disposables that it’s sooooo wrong to use them.
We use disposables and try to focus our efforts in other areas – drive our cars less, use less energy, less water, and so on. And we would have been doing that even if we didn’t have the baby.
What I’m trying to say is that you can be environment-aware in so many ways that will cumulatively reduce your impact so much more than obsessing about your diapers. Baby rearing is difficult enough. Put your efforts into loving your baby and staying sane for him/her.
[Reply]
Breanna reply on March 16, 2009 6:00 pm:
It just gets really annoying when people are so misinformed about cloth. Repeatedly reading how they are going to give your baby diaper rash, they are unsanitary, need to be soaked in bleach, etc. is pretty trying. When I told people I wanted to use cloth 99% said it was a horrible idea and would never work, and NONE of them had ever used them! Luckily my mother-in-law cloth diapered all her children and loved cloth, so she helped me get into it. After my sister saw how easy it was for me to do it, and I emailed her all the resources she needed to use cloth, she ended up using cloth too! Several of my friends were unaware that you can even use cloth diapers, and are now interested in trying them on their kids. Most of the people I know who have cloth diapered (in the past 15 years, ie: post Velcro and diaper sprayers) love them, and usually want other people to at least try it. It gets frustrating when people are so adamantly against something they have never tried, researched, or even pondered using; they are misinformed and spread the misinformation. I’ll be happy when Imsie-Vimsie, Wonder Wraps and Indian prefolds are found in the diaper isle and aren’t so taboo.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Today’s cloth are a lot different. We use Fuzzibunz, which are a “pocket diaper”. They are fleece on the inside and laminated cloth on the outside. They snap closed (no pins) and the laminated cloth and elastic bands means no leaks. Because it is a pocket, I can stuff the inside with as many layers as I want. I get fewer leaks and never get blow outs like I’ve heard about from other parents, because the back seam is elastic and holds icky messes inside the diaper (as opposed to disposables with a flat back that allow the mess up the back)…
I probably didn’t save much money with the first kid, because I had to buy all the diapers and inserts and energy and water cost to clean them, but I am on my second kid and have no costs other than water and energy for washing them.
There are LOTS of diaper blogs that talk about cloth diapers and washing techniques so you don’t end up with rash. Mostly, it’s the detergent used to clean them. We use Charlie’s Soap which is really a simple coconut detergent with nothing else (no brighteners or enzymes). This simple detergent cleans great and rinses clean so there is no residue left on the diapers…
The new technologies in diapers these days are really great and make things simple! It has never been easier to cloth diaper!
Oh, and a little about me? I have 2 kids under two and work full-time. It isn’t that much time…
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am
We use fleece lined, all in one cloth diapers and love them. Going into my pregnancy, I wasn’t committed to disposables or cloth, but after seeing how easy they are to use, we are complete converts. The soiled diapers don’t smell (especially for a breastfed baby) and it is no big deal to put the used diapers in a plastic bag to then go into the wash when we get home. Baby’s diaper rash was bad with disposables and has not happened again since moving to cloth. Time spent in the laundry room (3-4 minutes per load, 2-3 times a week) is no big deal and much preferred to having to go out and buy disposables. We use a really simple laundry detergent that is enviro safe. In all I have a happy babe, happy parents who chat over folding diapers, and feel like I am doing good by not putting chemically treated disposables on my babe or into a landfill.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I’ve tried cloth diapers to no effect with my kids. It turned into a hassle unworthy of the time we invested. I was raised with my numerous sibblings with cloth diapers, but the savings in time and aggravations and mess was what drove us back to disposable.
Plus now that I’m up there in years, the disposable will be so much more convenient for me in my later years. Cloth might leak through to my street clothes.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I use cloth and disposables. When using disposables I try to use more environmentally friendly brands, such as 7th Generation or G Diapers (which biodegrade in 2 wks and are flushable). When I am at home with my son I have him in cloth diapers. I love using them. I did a lot of research on them to find the best ones. I use different ones, but my faves are All In Ones by Bum Genius. They are pricey, but so worth the cost. When he poops, I dump the poop in the toilet and at the end of the week wash my diapers in my washer and hang dry. They are so easy to use and water proof too. I love how natural and safe the cloth diapers are for my son, how eco-friendly they are, and how much money I am saving by using them! I highly recommend researching all the many cloth diaper options there are out there.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
I use disposable because our day care provider prefers that we bring disposable diapers. If I were at home with the little one, I would prefer to use cloth diapers.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Thanks for everyone’s input. My wife and I are expecting in ~2.5 months, so we’re starting to investigate this stuff. We both make a lot of environmental decisions around the house, and in our lifestyle, but I like to think we are pretty practical and look at the whole picture (life-cycle analysis, relative costs to other actions, etc.).
From what I remember in a case study we looked at in college, this question might be a wash. In that case, we’ll probably give both a try, use what feels right, and make changes depending on particular situations.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
After spending a lot of time researching and discussing this topic before my baby was born, I came to the conclusion that it must be determined locally.
Cloth Diapers –
In CA, we have a drought and significant water shortage so washing them myself would be a big strain on an already strained water system. Diaper services use chlorine bleach and as many have said above are a cause of diaper rash and is not a chemical I want near my baby. Additionally, for health and safety reasons, cloth diapers are not allowed to be used in daycares receiving CA state funding.
Disposables –
Disposables still have sodium polyacrylate gels or granules which raise additional, albeit still debatable, concerns over the safety. Although now you can find TBT-free, dioxin-free, fragrance-free, chlorine-free, unbleached versions and more choices with no plastic and more biodegradability than ever before. The biggest benefit to disposables are the variety of sizes that help to make sure baby stays dry as much as possible.
Hybrid Diapers –
Most have flushable and biodegradable liners but tend to be tough on old plumbing and septics systems. Many have one-size fits all features but I have found that they frequently leak around the legs because they are not sized low enough for newborns and so I used disposables until she was about 10lbs. The diaper covers are too easy for older babies to remove themselves so be wary if you have one of those active kids. Some outer covers are made with petroleum-derived liner or waterproofing materials but they are also the ones that tend to work the best. None that I have found are made from organic materials, except ones made from bamboo but it still requires another waterproof outer layer. They also require a significant investment per diaper so you may want to test with your plumbing before committing completely.
[Reply]
Myra reply on March 11, 2009 7:04 pm:
I completely agree with Tracy. I have used all three and beleive there are costs and benefits to both. When we were living in a hot climate with passive solar hotwater and could bleach and dry them in the sun, I used cloth. When we were living where we had no easy access to a washing machine I used disposable. Now with my youngest we are using mainly hybrid diapers because 1) we can not dry and bleach them in the sun here and all the diaper services here are very expensive and use clorine bleach 2) he hates cloth and wakes up with the slightest wetness 3) we can compost the wet inserts in our backyard composter and flush the poopy inserts even with our old plumbing
Disposables are convenient for travel and when the laundry still isn’t done, but I have trouble justifying the waste going into landfills.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Both my husband and I use only cloth diapers on our daughter. The biggest reason has been health. We simply do not trust that amount of chemicals against such sensitive places on our children for the average amount of time that a child is in diapers. My daughter has NEVER had a diaper rash. We do not use pins, prefolds or rubber pants, her diapers are all inclusive and breathe so she is not uncomfortable. The second reason is savings. We do one extra load of laundry per week, and with the choice of diapers we have made, we will be able to diaper our subsequent children without spending any additional money. What person using disposables can say they bought diapers once and never needed to again, even though they had many children?
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I suppose there will be alot of new borns wearing diapers now that the economy is in such dispair.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
We use cloth diapers and have since the birth of our second child, with no exceptions.
Yes, it is more work. Yes, the initial start-up cost can be staggering. But the environmental benefits, and health benefits to my child, are far too important for me to say that a few moments of my time are more valuable.
That’s what’s gotten us to the point where we are anyway. This consumer driven, all about convenience, what makes MY life easier mentality is what’s polluting our air and filling our landfills and poisoning our food sources.
Yes, my time is important. But my time is not more important than the well-being of the planet.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I cloth because:
1) It’s better on my son’s skin. We switched to cloth after the chemicals in his disposables mixing with urine/poop caused a bad rash that blistered and turned into a staph infection. He was hospitalized for 4 days while he was treated for MRSA. Because he was too sensitive to use disposables.
2) It’s better for the environment. This one’s obvious. A single disposable diaper takes 250-500 years to decompose. Count how many you use in a single month. 80 disposables? Times 12? Times 36 if your baby doesn’t potty train until they’re over 3. That’s disgusting.
3) My babysitter uses them and loves them. All she does is wrap up the dirty diapers and wipes and stick them in reusable & sealable wetbags and when I go home at night I dump the waste into the toilet, throw them in the dry pail and I’m done!
4) I spent about $300 on my diaper stash that will last me through my next children. $300 vs. thousands on disposables? Detergent costs me $10 every 2 months.
Cloth is way different than it was when our parents used them. They make them to look just like disposables, with snaps or velcro to secure them. They have adorable prints, and they have very trim diapers to fit in jeans. I’m a single parent and I go to school full time, and really, it’s so much more convenient to cloth because I don’t have to make late night trips to the store for diapers or wipes, and like someone above said, it takes 60 seconds a week to throw them in the washer, maybe 120 seconds to use the dryer.
Plus, if you read the packaging on disposable diapers, you’re supposed to dunk the diapers in the toilet and remove the waste because poop is a biohazard. How many of you actually follow these rules?
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I am having my first child this summer and plan on using cloth diapers. I feel that it is better for the environment, gentler and more natural on my baby, user friendly and affordable. The daycare center we have chosen are fine with cloth and we will provide a daily supply of clean diapers along with a diaper bag for dirties. I take these home daily for cleaning.
It really is not that big a deal to CD and I have several friends that do it.
Surprisingly, after I made my decision to cloth diaper, I found out that my mom did it for my sister and I over 30yrs ago and for similar reasons.
Cheers.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
I used disposable diapers on my oldest son and switched him to cloth when it got too expensive and he wasn’t potty trained until he was nearly 4. I was already using cloth with my oldest son and decided to use cloth on my youngest to keep expenses low.
I stay with cloth because my younger son skin does not tolerate disposable diapers or wipes. He gets bleeding rashes from the disposable diapers. I stay with cloth because I find it easier than disposable diapers and I like all of the money I save. I also stay with it because I do not want to stick anymore disposable diapers in landfills.
I spent almost $2000 to diaper my eldest son and about $400 to diaper my youngest for his entire time in diapers. I have bumgenius diapers and they’re a one-size fits all diaper. They’re nice, with velcro and no pins. Best of all, I can proudly say that I don’t stick my son in paper diapers.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I’ve used cloth diapers on my children, and disposables when required (not often). Daycare was more than happy to use cloth diapers. Send them in daily, take them home at night, washing every other day, even with two parents working outside the home full time.
With cloth diapers, my children had far fewer rashes; my only problem came at potty training time as I couldn’t find a washable pullup style diaper that worked for my kids. We swapped to a ‘friendlier’ paper diaper with minimal dyes, chemicals, and perfumes, but rashes were rampant. A speedy time spent potty training got us back into cloth (standard underwear) shortly thereafter.
[Reply]
March 11th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
For both my kids, I used cloth diapers and a service. My main reason was because they are better for the environment than disposables and they are better for kids bottoms. My kids never had a diaper rash. They’ve come out with some nice diaperwraps for cloth diapers – no need for pins or tape – and in the summer its comfortable and looks nicer than a plastic diaper. Love the cloth diapers!
[Reply]
March 12th, 2009 at 9:25 am
I have used bot cloth and disposable diapers for two children 7 years apart. I liked the idea of cloth diapers in the late 80s and used a diaper service because I didn’t have a washing machine. But they need to be changed quite often and the day care person I used once my child turned 2 wasn’t really happy with me and after we moved from the area she made a rule against them. Cloth diapers are difficult to deal with if using a laundromat. If using a diaper service that sterilizes the diapers it can get pricey.
I started out using cloth diapers with a service for my second child in the mid 90s. The service was getting very expensive, I didn’t have a washing machine and I was able to save quite a bit of money on disposable diapers between store specials and using coupons. The thing that made me convert to disposable diapers completely was the diaper rashes. No matter how often I changed the baby and believe me it was as soon as he was wet, I couldn’t get rid of the diaper rashes. They had nothing to do with the cleaning solution that was used by the service. I changed to only disposable diapers when he was about a year old. The day care that I used after that also did not allow cloth diapers. They were a very caring and excellent day care but needed to devote the time to the children and not be pulled away to deal with cloth diapers.
To sum it up, I’ve used both and even though I prefer cloth diapers for aesthetic and green reasons, sometimes disposable diapers need to be used and it’s good to have a choice.
[Reply]
March 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
My kids are all grown now but we used disposable diapers for all 3 of them. The convenience of disposable diapers is clear, and from a sanitary standpoint it is much easier to keep the waste away from the living environment with the disposable diapers.
When you get to the environmental advantages of one vs the other, you end up balancing a solid waste problem vs a water quality/water usage problem, I did not see a clear advantage either way. A waste is a terrible thing to mind.
I feel no guilt for using disposable diapers.
[Reply]
March 12th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I have used cloth diapers for both my daughters, and will use them on my son due in July. There are many good reasons to use cloth diapers, for example far less waste, and less strain on the budget.
However, to really cloth diaper, you will need for a good washing machine in your home. Therefore, living in an apartment, you would have to be a very dedicated environmentalist to pull off that heroic task.
I once read an article in a professional magazine about the use of super absorbant polymers, and their major role in disposable diapers. I was a little shocked at my profession’s excitement about this growing use, and how we have just been given the magic bullet of growth, especially, since by profession we are ethically obligated to consider “greener” alternatives.
Anyhow, either way, cloth are great, and if you can purcahse the nice pocket stuff type, with bottons, have a great washer and dryer at home, I strongly suggest you use cloth. The convenience of disposable at the current time is nice, but in the future, when there are less resources, and space to put those dirty diapers, you just might be thanking those of use that did cloth diaper our babies!
PS. I use disposables when we go out, so I’m not totally guilt-free, but its been less of a strain on our budget to use disposables for only going out, and in these financially strained times, anything to save a penny!
[Reply]
March 12th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
We use cloth for a couple different reasons
1) Less waste in Landfill
2) We had major blow outs and leaks with disposables and to this day I haven’t had but 1 with my cloth.
3) I don’t want all those chemicals and my childrens bottoms
4) No diaper rash
Yes they have to be washed and you have to include the cost of water and laundering in but if your using a HE washing machine and dryer you save there also. I have also noticed that we have cut the amount of trash we take to the dumpster by 1/3 just by not using disposable diapers on 2 children.
[Reply]
March 15th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Many yeas ago I used cloth diapers. It was not a problem for me because it save me many dollars. I washed my diapers with “Trend” or Ivory Flakes.
I never had a problem because I felt that it was better to use cloth diapers for my kids and I had to use so many per day. Therefore, I always kept from 24 to 32 dozens of diapers on hand. Just in case some of my diapers became “fragile” after an enormous amount of use. To me this was less costly because I could use them over and over again. I washed my diapers daily. I always remove the soil from the diapers before washing them and I kept a pale that I always soaked the soiled diapers daily with Borax or Washing Baking Soda before washing them. This always kept the diapers conditioned for the baby skin and I my babies never had a diaper rash.
[Reply]
March 15th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I used disposable diapers because the daycare center required them and also because I was a single mother of 3 who worked a lot and did not have time to launder diapers. I was not environmentally savvy at that time.
[Reply]
March 16th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I use disposables for most of the same reasons I read in this blog. Esentially, my daycare requires them. As a full time working mom as well as a full time grad student, the thought of attempting to fit in additional load of laundry for cloth diapers is daunting.
I haven’t had any issues with diaper rash and disposables. Nor did my daughter have to “sit” in wetness or other stuff very long. She did not like the feel.
I do admit that I have cloth diapers around my house and that they make for wonderful burp rags. I also use them to dry my daughter’s hair after washing it. They are fairly absorbant!
[Reply]
March 16th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
All of my children are way beyond diapers now but when they were in diapers, I used both cloth and disposable.
I used a diaper service for the cloth diapers. I found this to be the most economical and convienient solution of all. I did not invest in the diapers so I didn’t have the up-front cost. The diaper service dropped off clean diapers and picked up the soiled ones. Their diapers were always the best quality and extremely clean. I didn’t have the hastle of washing them and trying to get stains out. I was working part time and didn’t have the time.
I used disposables when I had to take the children to daycare or away from home activities. This was easier and filled the needs of the situation. It was more expensive than the cloth diapers but there are some situations where hauling around soiled cloth diapers was just not an option.
I tried to minimize my use of disposables whenever possible due to the cost to me and the environment.
[Reply]
March 16th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
disposable diapers gave a horrible rash on my first baby. it also made him sweat alot since we live in a tropical island. since using diaper cloth I hardly take my child to the doctor for skin problems. I now have four kids. They all used diaper cloths. I saved thousands of dollars on diapers and my children were always happy. also the trash can doesn´t smell terrible and there is more space. Its time we think green.
[Reply]
March 17th, 2009 at 10:18 am
I wrote and direct an environmental education program for early elementary age students. I use disposable diapers as an example of what not to do. Even though it is difficult for youngsters to get the concept of “long time”, I tell them that if Christopher Columbus had disposable diapers on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, they would still be in landfills to this day. Most such products do not get any exposure to sunlight and air which are necessary for the decomposition of throw-away diapers. They are a huge problem for landfills and the environment. In addition, I understand it requires petroleum in the manufacture of such a product. Are we not trying to lessen our dependence on petroleum for other countries? I used cloth diapers for my children (now 27-36 years old) and had no difficulty dealing with the process. I appreciate the health regulations associated with day care providers and others, however, if the child is home with you, I encourage you to consider cloth diapers at least part of the time.
[Reply]
March 18th, 2009 at 1:49 am
I am going to start by saying that in the past I have used disposables and am using them now, but by the weekend my twins will be back in cloth diapers and I am excited. Thought it would just be easier to put them back in disposables until I got so sick of the tabs occasionally coming undone and finding their diapers at their ankles and thats without them touching the tabs plus the constant leakage of poop no matter what brand. I will be saving money going back to cloth and not to mention with disposables they are in two completely differents sizes so I can’t buy them in bulk. Now on the landfill ordeal, have any of you ever driven past a landfill? It’s amazing how fast items add up in a landfill and the stinch is horrible. I feel bad that I ever had my kids in disposables, causing them diaper rashes, and one of my sons eczema to stay flared at his waist where the top of the diaper sits so it stays irritated.
[Reply]
March 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I use cloth diapers and have been using them for 3 years now. My son just potty trained and my daughter is still in diapers. I use them because they are better for the enviroment. Less waste in a landfill, less production waste, shipping etc. to pollute the earth. As for sanitation, the germs in diaper are either handled through the toilet or they leech into the ground in the landfill and pollute our water. I choose to flush. In addition, we save roughly the equivalent of a months diapers for both our kids in a savings account. It will equall about $5000 by the time they are 18 if I only deposit $100 monthly for the first two years of their lives and then stop.
[Reply]
Joe Leighton reply on November 28, 2009 4:27 am:
Need more like you, Nicole.
Cloth diapers would make my wife wish she way infertile.
[Reply]
March 20th, 2009 at 10:26 am
From age 3 to current 1 year old girl has been trained in EC (elinination communitication) also known as a ‘diaper free baby’.
[Reply]
March 20th, 2009 at 10:29 am
PS- I meant 3 months to 1 year old. We use Disposable 7th Generation Diapers on car trips and other times she needs padding down there and accident risk times like when I wear her in a baby carrier or at someones house when I don’t take her to the bathroom when she needs to go all the time. I tried cloth diapers but it was not practical for me this time around.
[Reply]
April 1st, 2009 at 11:04 am
I always felt good about cloth diapering. The soft fabric against my babies’ skin, the lack of landfilling, a sense of control and accomplishment, were all reasons I chose to cloth diaper.
Vinegar and good old fashioned sunshine can sanitize and create proper pH for health and comfort. The fun diaper covers they have now make it a snap. Potty training was easy. I would never go back!
[Reply]
April 7th, 2009 at 12:34 am
I live in apartment complex and some of my neighbors use cloth diapers. They launder them – guess where? – in our communal laundry machines!
Disguisting.
If someone wants to be up to the neck in ther kids’ poo – it’s their choice. But I’m sick of the people who want to feel-good-about-myself-cause-I-help-environment while leaving stinky feces-laden laundry machine for the use by their immediate neighbors.
[Reply]
Heather reply on May 5, 2009 9:28 am:
If they wash them correctly there will be nothing in the machine. My machine and my diapers are clean after washing.
Besides, if you had CLOTHES that were soiled with something like feces or vomit, you’d put them in the washer without a second thought.
I use cloth diapers. I am not pushy or evangelist about them; other people can make their own choices. If someone is interested, I will give them info and let them check out my diapers (I use a combination of types, mostly hand-sewn by me or by friends).
But you will never, ever convince me that a baby in a cotton diaper with a wool diaper cover is not safer and better off than a baby in a plastic, chemical-filled disposable diaper. My kids do wear disposables occasionally (when we travel), but using cloth has saved me a ton of money, not only in the price of the diapers but in the price of eczema treatments that they need when they use disposables. I know that there are some less-chemical-laden choices out there (seventh generation,, tushies), but I cannot afford those..
Plus, my kids’ diapers are extremely cute.
[Reply]
November 21st, 2009 at 9:19 pm
i have a 13 year old daughter and used disposables on her when she was a baby and they did the job.she is now a bedwetter and i use only cloth diapers and plastic pants on her at night.disposables are expensive and the cloth diapers work well.i sometimes get up in the night and change her.i make her diaper out of the gerber cloth diapers sewn together and pin it on her with diaper pins.i use blousy fitting plastic pants over her diaper.she hasnt worn out a pair of plastic pants yet.
[Reply]
November 28th, 2009 at 5:05 am
I use disposables baby diapers as its much easier when going through the baby potty training phase. I also think its much more hygienic.
However, my mom still swears by the non-disposable type, she reckons its more easier on the child’s rear as opposed to disposables. Also she has the cost financial point as well… but I still prefer disposables.
[Reply]
December 7th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
We use cloth because of the impact on the environment. We don’t want to add to the landfills. Washing the diapers is not hard, and we only need to wash them in hot water with a very little bit of detergent. We use disposables when he gets diaper rashes or when we don’t get to the laundry before we run out of cloth.
[Reply]
December 16th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I use cloth diapers because they’ve saved us tons of money, are way super cute and we aren’t putting anymore solid waste in to landfills which is great- and the kiddies tushies are not sitting next to nasty chemicals!
Did I mention they’re super cute? OMGoodness, seriously, nothing beats letting your baby run around in adorable squishy goodness.
Laundry is nothing, you dump the solids (like you’re supposed to w/disposables ANYWAY) and I’ve got a few extra loads of laundy a week. No biggie. PLUS, the cloth diapering community is a big sisterhood of those addicted to the cloth- kind of like church, but much more fluffy and cute.
Cloth diapers also have a resell value on the for sale or trade forums, so you can always sell them when you are done, pass them on to a friend, OR keep for the next baby!
They’re definitely worth checking out!
[Reply]
December 17th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
I started looking into cloth when my son was about a year old, but only tried them for a week or two – my husband couldn’t deal with the poo. When I got pregnant w/ my daughter, I decided to use cloth on her, and he agreed (which is good, b/c he changes a lot of diapers in our house!) I really dislike the smell of disposable diapers when they are in the pail (even if I take them out daily) and I wanted to save money. Of course, there are so many adorable options that I’ve spent most of my budget, but many diaper I have are one-size and have good resale value…. you can’t resell a disposable! :) I still think I’ve spent less than it would cost to diaper a baby for 2 years. I have a sprayer to spray the poopy diapers off into the toilet (I promised that this would be my job!). I still keep disposable diapers in the house, but we’ve only purchased 2 small packs in 7 months. Using cloth wipes saves a ton of money too.
[Reply]
December 31st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I use disposable diapers but maybe not for the right reasons. I just use them for the same reason most people use them and the same reason alot of people have already said – I think they are more hygenic and it never crossed my mind to use cloth diapers.
[Reply]
January 27th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
I use cloth diapers because I want the fences and urine go to sewer system which have right treatment to reduce water pollution by pathogen.
[Reply]
January 28th, 2010 at 7:08 am
I used cloth diapers on my 4 from the very start. Disposables would be used on vacations and visits. I was completely satisfied withthe cloth diapers. 2 of mine were bedwetters for some time and I continued with nighttime cloth diapers through the bedwetting years. For awhile all 4 had diapers on at bedtime.
[Reply]
February 10th, 2010 at 1:18 am
The question between cloth and disposable diapers has been debated for sometime. The energy used in making an cleaning each diaper is about the same, but if you sun dry your cloth diapers the energy usage will be less than with the disposables. Also the cost savings will be about $1500 dollars from birth to potty training. Now remember babies that wear cloth diapers usually potty train much earlier than babies wearing disposables so there will be even a bigger savings. If you buy a good quality cloth diaper such as thirsties duo diaper you will be able to use them on another child or re-sell them and save even more. Also there is no toxic chemicals in contact with your babies skin with cloth diapers. Babies are not little adults. There breathing rate and food consumption per weight is much greater than that of and adult. Because of this contact with chemicals has a much greater affect on them than an adult. Cloth diapers also are not like the kinds of diapers your mother used to use. They are as easy as disposables just with a wash involved. Many cloth diaper companies sell disposable liners that can be flushed. So there is very little clean up.
[Reply]
March 8th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I use disposal diapers rather than washable. It is convenient to use unlike the washable ones. It is easy to get wet and that’s disgusting. My baby will have a good nyt sleep if she is always dry. It’s not about economy or environment issue but making your baby comfortable is the most important factor i used disposable diapers.
[Reply]
October 18th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
I used cloth diapers on my son since he was a month old and 8 lbs, and both he and I love them. I do try to find a middle ground because I use disposables for night and for travel. I have used cloth diapers for night too, and they do not leak and yes, they keep him dry as long as he has not soiled the diaper, just as it is with disposables. However, I do not use cloth at night right now because I do not have enough cloth diapers. For travel, disposable are easy and convenient.
Like other people using cloth diapers have said in their posts, many people do not know what modern cloth diapers are all about. They are just like disposables, only, they can be washed and the same diaper can be used on your baby all the way until he/she is potty trained. Think of the savings! And think of the amount of trash you will be eliminating from the environment!
If disposables were more comfortable why don’t we clothe our babies in disposable clothes? Baby clothes are bound to get wet and stained all the time, why not disposables then? Because nothing is more comfortable than cotton next to a baby’s skin.
I also agree with everything that cloth-diaper users have said before – with cloth diapers, we have less leaks, less or no rash, no extra work (it takes me longer to take out the trash), no extra bad odor as compared to disposable diapers.
Everyone just has to find a middle ground with cloth and disposable and we can save a lot of unnecessary trash from going into our landfills.
[Reply]
January 1st, 2011 at 7:33 am
Started cloth diapering with #1 in 1987 and finished cloth diapering with #5 in 2004, Used cloth diapers because we believe in saving our planet and that we saved ourselves money.
Diaper covers changed a lot over those years and we settled on a couple of kinds and mostly used those.
We had a couple of bedwetters who required diapering for bed for awhile after they were daytrained. When they outgrew the fancy covers we had we went with youth size plastic pants for covers. They all stopped needing diapers by age 10.
Our feelings are that cloth diapers geave us no rash problems and seldom had leaks, even with the bedwetters.
Finding your own position on cloth or disposables is just something you have to do.
[Reply]
October 20th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
for green solutions – the option is cloth diapers
[Reply]