Cloth Diapers: Health-Conscious, Thrifty, and Eco-Friendly

Everybody knows that disposable diapers are bad for the environment.  They also cost a ton of money and they may irritate your baby’s sensitive skin.  And yet, despite all the negatives associated with purchasing disposable diapers, people continue to buy them.  Why?  Well, the main argument seems to be that it’s simply easier to throw a diaper away.  But this may not necessarily be true.  The idea of getting down and dirty with an entire pail full of used nappies is not very appealing, but considering that women did it for hundreds of years before disposable options came along, there must be a method to the madness.  Regardless of what you may think you know about cloth diapers, there are a lot of reasons to give up disposables and make the switch.

1. Get service.  You may not realize that there are diaper cleaning laundry services that will not only clean cloth diapers, but will in fact rent them out to you so that when your baby has outgrown them, you don’t have a closet full of cotton triangles to contend with.  These services generally cost $20-30 per month, meaning that they will most likely cost you less than disposable diapers (among other benefits).
2. DIY.  Save even more money by washing cloth diapers yourself.  And don’t think you have to wash them by hand, either.  If you have a washing machine, all you have to do is throw them in.  Of course, really messy diapers may need to be sprayed a bit with some sort of hose attachment, but overall, it’s just as easy to toss them in the wash as it is to toss them in the trash.
3. Save money.  The average two year old has already gone through about 10,000 diapers.  If you consider that disposable options will cost you about $20-25 for 100, then you could be spending upwards of 1,000 per year on diapers.  That’s a lot of greenbacks that could better put into a savings account for college.
4. It’s the healthy choice.  Disposable diapers are made with a lot of synthetic products, not to mention dyes, fragrances, and other chemicals that can harm your baby’s most sensitive parts.  Have you noticed that they make your child’s urine turn into gelatin?  That’s a chemical process.  Cloth diapers, on the other hand, are cotton (you can even get organic cotton, if you like), which is safe, natural, and probably a lot healthier for your child.  And if you’re worried about your baby stewing in a dirty diaper, just remember that urine is sterile and solids aren’t absorbed by disposable diapers any better than cloth.  As long as you change the diaper regularly, you’ll probably notice an improvement in diaper rash and other irritations.
5. Landfills.  Approximately 18 billion diapers go into landfills every year and in case you didn’t know, they aren’t terribly biodegradable.  In terms of non-recyclable waste, diapers are one of the worst offenders, so do something good for your baby, yourself, and the environment by investing in cloth diapers.

Jennifer Kardish is a writer for Cloth Diapers. The website is devoted to educating parents on the benefits, both eco and health related of cloth diapers for your baby.

Image source: ecochildsplay.com

Tagged as: cloth diapers, Diapers, disposable diapers, ecofriendly, health conscious