When deciding between cloth and disposable diapers consider this: For every year that she uses diapers, your baby will spend over 8,000 hours in a diaper and you will need to use at least 2,500 diapers to accomplish that. (Based on 7 changes a day) The environment, your budget and possibly even your baby's health are significantly impacted by your diapering choice.
Your Baby's Health
If the difference between cotton and disposable diapers doesn't seem like it would make much impact on your baby's health, consider this information:
-The chemical used to make disposable diapers super absorbent, sodium polyacrylate, was removed from tampons in 1995 due to its link to toxic shock syndrome. and can cause allergic reactions.
-Dioxin which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is the most toxic of all chemicals linked to cancer, is a by-product of bleaching paper. Dioxin is so toxic that even the smallest detectable quantities have been known to cause immune system suppression, liver disease, and genetic problems in lab animals.
-There are also potentially irritating, or even health damaging, dyes and fragrances used in the production of disposable diapers.
-The long term effect of any of these chemical being in close contact with a baby's skin and genitals for as long as 18 months to 3 years has not been studied.
Diaper Rash
Many people have bought into the myth that diposable diapers cause less diaper rash than cloth. Not so. Diaper rash is usually caused by several things: food allergies, soap or chemical allergies or lack of air circulation to the tender skin of the bottom. Ammonia formed by bacteria that interacts with urine left sitting against the skin can also be very irritating and cause rashes.
-The best way to prevent rash is to change diapers, cloth or disposable, frequently. Despite the highly absorbant quality of disposable diapers, urine and bacteria are still present in the diaper and hence laying against your baby's bottom. Even though a disposable diaper can hold a days worth of urine and probably more, disposables should also be changed frequently. There goes the concept that you don't have to change them as frequently.
-According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 54% of one-month old babies using disposable diapers had rashes and 16% had severe rashes.
-Diaper moguls Procter & Gamble's own studies have show that the occurence of diaper rash increases from 7.1 percent to 61 percent with the increased use of disposable diapers.
The Health of the Environment
I have encountered much debate about the environmental impact of cloth and disposable diapers. The proponents of disposable diapers say that the extra water used to wash cloth, is just as much of an abuse to the environment as the production and disposal of cloth. Hogwash.
-It is estimated that around 5 million tons of untreated waste, is deposited into landfills via disposables every year. The potential of ground water contamination is strong.
-Add all of those diapers up, and the numbers are staggering. In 1990 alone, 18 billion disposable diapers were thrown into
-It takes 82,000 pounds of plastic and over 250,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone.
-In order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air and sun. How likely is this? In addition, it is estimated that it will take at least 500 years for this decomposition to take place. The plastic components of disposables may never decompose. use up to five times more energy than reusable cloth diapers.
-The amount of water used per week to wash disposable diapers at home is about the same amount consumed by an adult flushing the toilet five or six times daily for a week.
-Even though a diaper service washes diapers multiple times and uses a a great quantity of water, the per diaper impact on energy and water supplies is actually less than home washing.
It's Cheaper
Using disposables will cost at least $1200 per child. (Based on a price of 25 cents per diaper, for the cheaper brands, 7 diapers a day, for 2 years) The cost of cloth, will range between $250 and $700 (for fancier all-in-one systems) and this should even include the water and electricity to wash and dry at home. You can then use all of your purchased diapers and supplies for other children that may follow. Can't do that with disposables! Even a diaper sevice will save some money over disposables, but the cost benefits do lessen.
It's NOT that time-consuming!
Diapers do not need to be presoaked, or even rinsed out. Banish the vision of bending over the toilet bowl swishing around a poopy diaper from your head! I use flushable diaper liners, lift them off and flush the liner and the poop down the toilet. Even if you don't have liners, you can just dump older baby's solids into the toilet. (You are supposed to dump the poop out of disposables too). If it won't dump out don't sweat it, just put the diaper poop and all into the diaper pail. Cloth diapers add about 2 loads of laundry a week on average. With the advent of diaper wraps, you don't even need to use pins. Cloth diapers are as easy as disposables to put on and remove. Besides, a little bit more effort is worth it when you consider all of the negative ramifications of disposable diapers.
Out and About
It's easy enough to tuck plastic bags into your diaper bag to store dirty diapers in until you get home. Often, cloth diapering families (including us) will use disposable diapers for trips and vacations. We have done both. When we are visiting family it's easy enough to store and wash cloth, but we have used disposable diapers on other trips.
References
EPA documents: "Positive Steps Towards Waste Reduction", and "Integrated Risk Assessment for Dioxins and Furans from Chlorine Bleaching in Pulp and Paper Mills"
"The Joy of Cloth Diapers"
by Jane McConnell
Mothering Magazine, May/June 1998
"Diaper Rash: Managing and Controlling a Common Problem in Infants and Toddlers"
Gaunder and Plummerm , Journal of Pediatric Health Care 1987: pages 26-34.
"A Review of Procter & Gamble's Environmental Balances for Disposable and Re-usable Nappies"
The Landbank Consultancy Limited, 1991.
William Sears M.D.
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