Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by Lucy Zamary

I have a dirty little secret! I use disposable diapers. And before you start casting stones and calling me names, let me explain. I’ve tried using cloth diapers. But that was the time when I had 2 kids in diapers and 1 in pull-ups. Can you imagine? It was one mess after another and if I wasn’t spending most of my day in the laundry room already, I was ready to spend my evenings in it as well. I couldn’t figure out how to disinfect the diapers without using harmful chemicals, such as bleach. In the end, with my head hanged low, I quit. I made one excuse after another why I never tried again. But mostly, I was terrified of trying again. Here I am, supposedly “trying” to lead this eco friendly living, and I was willing to look the other way about the diapers.

I’ve talked to several moms about switching from disposables to cloth diapers. ALL thought that I was nuts! My mother-in-law made it very clear that all babysitting options will be closed for discussion without the disposables. Even my very, ultra eco-friendly husband had a doubtful look on his face. So I begin to wonder if there were any real benefits of using cloth versus disposables… or am I really just insane?

For the sake of the environment, it is estimated that more than 2 billion tons of UNTREATED urine, feces, plastics and papers are dumped into the landfills. Untreated waste contaminates our ground water. Also, over 80,000 pounds of plastics and 250,000 trees are used to manufacture disposable diapers in the United States alone. If that’s not bad enough, the USA consumes over 27 billion disposable diapers which takes over 500 years for the disposables to decompose in our landfills. Some advocates of disposable diapers argue that the extra water and energy used to wash cloth diapers can do more harm for the environment. However, based on my research, it averages extra 2 loads of laundry per week when using cloth diapers. That doesn’t seem too bad.

 

For the sake of the health of our children, there is no question that the cloth diapers are better. Amongst other chemical toxins used to produce disposable diapers, three stand out the most: dyes, sodium polyacrylate crystals (super absorbent polymer or SAP) and dioxin. Dyes are known to be harmful to the central nerve system, kidneys and liver. The sodium polyacrylate is reported to cause skin irritations, blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies. It can also causes female organ problems, slows healing wounds, fatigue and weight loss to the employees in factories that manufacture it. This ingredient has been banned in tampons as it is linked to toxic shock syndrome. But the biggest concern seems to be the dioxin, a byproduct of chlorine bleaching process. Dioxin is a highly toxic carcinogen. According to the EPA, the smallest amount of dioxin can cause liver disease, immune system complications and genetic damage to lab animals. Proctor and Gamble published a study showing that there is an increase in diaper rash from 7.1% to 61% with the increase usage of disposable diapers. What great news for diaper cream manufacturers.

 

In the end, moms use disposables for the convenience. However, after doing a bit of research, I am eager to give cloth diapers another try. So far, I’ve ordered some traditional cloth diapers with diaper covers, All-in-One diapers and this new thing called gDiapers (a hybrid between traditional cloth and disposables). If you have any suggestions on how I can limit my learning curve during this process, please share your thoughts with me via the comment section below. For instance, how can I disinfect dirty diapers in an eco friendly way? Your comments will be very helpful for other moms like me. I will report my journey throughout the process and my ultimate conclusion in the battle of Cloth vs. Disposables. 

 

To read all my blog posts, go to http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/eco-friendly-living-2  Happy Eco Friendly Living!

 

Future Post Topics: Chemical Free Cleaning, Eco Friendly Products, Certified Organic Products, and more.

Comments for Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 by Kathryn Hatch:
Lucy, I think it is great that you have exposed this diaper information. The diapers that I now use and love on Jonah are called bumGenius 3.0. The best place I have found to purchase them is diapers.com. If someone is ordering for the first time they can key in: KAHA9161 and get $10 off the order. If you purchase 6 or more bumGenius diapers at once there is an additional discount. (I recommend starting off with at least 6, but 20 would be ideal). I purchased Seventh Generation Diapers from here and was happy to take advantage of the free shipping. Have been using these cloth diapers for about 4 or 5 months now and I love them. This diaper is great because it fits newborn to 30lbs. It grows with your child and can be used for multiple children. Each one comes with a new born fiber insert and a regular size insert. I use both overnight and of course the large one during the day for my 20 month old. People should know that no diaper creams should be used with these diapers (which thankfully we don't need anyway) and that you must use a mild detergent. I recomend Shaklee's Laundry Detergent. I do keep some Seventh Generation disposables on hand for an emergency. Diaperswappers.com is a place to find used diapers. But bumGenius dipees go fast and the site is not very user friendly. Stay Healthy!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 by Michelle:
Lucy, this has inspired me to make a change. I have a 1 yr. old and he is doing great with the cloth diapers. I am using Fuzzybuns, what a funny name and had just one leak, but boys will be boys...He was bounceing on his butt with a full load. I should have changed him earlier. I can't blame the cloth, because regular diapers have leaked too. Thank you and I feel like a better mom already! Keep posting!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 by Michelle:
Hi. I've used several different kinds of cloth diapers, and Fuzzi Bunz are my favorite. I've resold all of the other kinds that I've tried. I had 3 in cloth at one point and I've always been ok with using cloth. I have 4 all together. The only extra thing I've had to do is get a few Thirsties diaper covers for nighttime and swimming - instead of swim diapers. I use an extra insert along with the cover for night. Good luck!!
Friday, August 28, 2009 by Christine:
To clean cloth diapers use a washing soda. Get a large pail, disolve about half a cup of washing soda in hot water then fill the rest of the pail with cold water. Rinse out any poop in the toilet then put the diaper in the pail. Every tow to three days do aload of diapers. I use more washing soad in the wash. Then rinse twice. The soda doesn't eat the material like bleach. Washing soda (looks like baking soda but found inthe detergent section) is a must with cloth diapers.
Thursday, October 8, 2009 by Vijay:
Lucy, I really need your help. I am very thanks to you for all this information. My 2 yrs old have very sensitive skin and I have used all kinds of regular diapers (huggies,pampers) and now using coscto brand kirkland. But the problem is she has always diaper rash, all the times and we use very strong creams on her. It is leaving mark on the skin. I was very happy to know about cloth diapers. I have question that how does it work with daycare. Is it dispostable or need to clean every night? How many do I need to buy? I saw that it is $17 each so how many should I buy? Does the daycare lady need to give me back cloth diapers every day back and I should give her back next day or what is suggestion? I went to whole food today and bought some chalorine free diapers which is recommended by peditrician. I love to know about this cloth brand cause it will safe alot of money and will last atleast for few months. you help will be deeply appreciated to this new Mom. Best regards, Vijay
Saturday, October 10, 2009 by Lucy Zamary:
Vijay, thanks for your comment. Read the following post: http://blog.greenenergytv.com/blog/eco-friendly-living-2/0/0/test-results-cloth-vs-disposable-diapers You will find it helpful since I've tried many different kinds of cloth diapers and posted my thoughts on each and every one of them. Also, be sure to read the comment section as I posted my further reviews and there are valuable input from other users as well. As for the number of diapers, I have 26 one size fits all Fuzzi Bunz, but I also have 2 kids in diapers. I use this along with Imse Vimse flushable liners. It will save a lot of washing time. For your day dare provider, you should provide them with clean diapers every morning along with a wet bag where they can store the soiled diapers. I do the washing every other day in the winter time, but everyday in the summer to control the smell. But you might want to try it out at home to see what works best for you. I am so sympathetic to children with diaper rash as my 3 children had it really bad. But I made the switch with my 3rd and my 4th baby has only been using cloth diapers. My daughter's rash was so bad that she had to be on topical steroid cream, an antibiotic as well as an oral anti-fungal medication for adults. Since the switch, we have not had a single issue yet. But I also do have disposables handy when necessary. I recommend Seventh Generations or Earth's Best as they do not use toxic chemicals in their diapers. I like 7th slightly better. Good luck and let me know if I can help further.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 by M A Martin:
If I had babies in diapers, I would use some type of cloth diaper and wash them in hot water, using Shaklee's Basic L (Laundry detergent - I currently use the powdered king) and Shaklee's Basic G (Germicide). As a matter of fact, this is how I wash my sheets when I take them off of the beds. Shaklee is probably the "greenest" company in America. I can't recommend their products enough. I have been using them since 1980.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 by cloth diaper:
Wearing disposable underwear is getting more common every day. disposable diapers are more practical and accepted today. the cloth diaper is also useful . so you can also use one size diapers. thanks.....

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