Why use Cloth Diapers for your baby? The reasons are endless.
Let’s face it, we all know cloth diapers are better for the environment. In our disposable society anything that can be reused again and again is a clear winner. We are also a society that strongly appreciates 'value' and 'convenience'. Cloth diapers come out on top for these requirements, but did you know there are many reasons why more and more parents are choosing cloth diapers today? Here are some of the top reason why cloth diapers are being considered by parents worldwide for their babies. Once you actually give cloth diapers a try, you will discover many more.
Cloth diapers have come a long way.
Cloth diapers are more economical.
Babies are healthier in cloth diapers.
Cloth diapers are more reliable and less messy than disposable diapers.
Cloth is more comfortable.
Using cloth diapers is quick and EASY.
Using cloth diapers is FUN.
Babies look adorable in cloth diapers.
Potty training is easier with cloth diapers.
Cloth diapers are better for the environment.
Cloth diapers have come a long way.
Chances are you wouldn’t even recognize cloth diapers today. Reusable diapers have evolved to such an extent over the last decade that many rival throwaway diapers. Modern cloth diapers are just as easy to use, change and wash as disposable diapers. In fact, if you were to put an all-in-one cloth diaper next to a disposable, you would find very little difference in bulk, size and function.
Cloth diapers are more economical.
Disposable diapers become very expensive when you consider a 2-3 year diapering period. They can only be used once and they are then tossed away. They can not be used for another child, let alone 3 or 4 children. You can use cloth diapers on one baby for 3 years for less than $400. That’s a savings of at least $2500 per child (considering the average family spends $2800-3000* in disposable diapers over 3 years). Now, how much would you save if you had 2 or 3 more babies? Yes folks, that could mean a savings of more than $8000! By the way, remember that initial $400 you spent on cloth diapers? Due to their excellent resale value, you may be able to get as much as half of the money spent on cloth diapers back on an auction site. Try doing that with your used disposables.
With the recent state of the economy many customers are choosing cloth diapers to trim the family budget. Cloth diapers are worth taking a second look! If you were to take that $2500 you've saved by choosing cloth diapers and invest it in a very modest 5% GIC, in 18 years that $2500 would be worth twice as much at $5,064.54. I don't know about you, but I'll take doubling my money over throwing it away any day.
If you invested that $2500 in a more aggressive stock fund at a 10% return in 18 years you would have $13,899.79. Just in time for college. Check out the handy, dandy calculator used to do our calculations at Money Chimp.
You baby will also be in training pants for quite some time - anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. No need to waste more money on throwaway pull-ups. Save even more with cloth training pants which also make great first underwear for a long time. Your cloth training pants can be passed on to another child or sold when you're little one has grown out of them.
*(Cost based on .44 cents per diaper - $14.96 per 34 pack of disposable diapers with price comparison of Pampers Swaddlers diapers, mid-range diapers - with diapers being changed an average of 8 times per day for 30 days. This is a conservative calculation. For sanitary reasons it is suggested that a baby should be changed more often. Cloth diapers are REAL cotton diapers and will require approximately 10-12 changes per day.)
Babies are healthier in cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers contain many chemicals, poisons (TBT tributyl tin), dioxins (which are highly carcinogenic) and even perfumes and dyes that may all be harmful to your baby and lead to diaper rash. The majority of babies in cloth diapers tend to have less diaper rash as cloth diapers are more breathable and have none of the chemicals or bleaches found in disposables. The gel that is used in disposable diapers to absorb and hold in moisture is known as Sodium Polyacrylate. A quick look at the Material Safety Data Sheet for this substance is not reassuring (scroll down to #3 - Hazard Identification, and further down for Safe Handling Procedures).
From "A Tale of Two Diapers", the OSHA Material Safety Data Sheet on Superabsorbent Polymer states, preexisting skin or breathing disorders may become aggravated through prolonged exposure. A study in the September 1999 issue of Archives of Environmental Health found that laboratory mice exposed to various brands of throwaway diapers suffered eye, nose, and throat irritation, including bronchoconstriction similar to that resulting from an asthma attack. The lead author of the study advised asthmatic mothers to avoid exposure to the chemicals found in most throwaway diapers.
There are also many studies that have been done to show a direct link between using disposable diapers and the increase in childhood asthma as well as an increase in infertility in boys (Mothering Article - Link to Asthma and Disposable Diapers ). Considering we have alternatives that are so easy to use today, why take the risk?
Cloth diapers are more reliable and less messy than disposable diapers.
Yes, we are talking about leaks - both the liquid and the solid kind. Although with a newborn the 'solid' leaks aren't, well, very solid. With correctly fitted cloth diapers the majority of moms experience less leaking than you get with using disposable diapers. Modern cloth diapers and cloth diaper covers are so customizable that you have the ability to get a perfect fit on your baby each and every time. Think you will have too much washing to do using cloth? We're certain you'll find it’s no more (maybe even less) than with disposable diapers. It's a little known secret that the “blow-outs” that occur from leaky solids are actually contained better in cloth diapers. Disposable diapers have a slippery surface to them which causes a "slip and slide" effect with messy, leaky solids. It's not pretty! The textured fabric that cloth diapers are constructed of provides the perfect surface for leaky messes to cling to.
Cloth is more comfortable.
Would you like to wear paper underwear all day? Why would you think your baby thinks any differently? Soft cotton next to a babies tender skin is much more comfortable than paper and plastic. Babies also tend to be changed more frequently in cloth diapers, as opposed to single use disposable diapers, because moms are more aware of when baby is actually wet. Just because a disposable diaper “feels” dry, does not mean a baby is not sitting in urine. It just happens to be dry, crystallized urine. With advancements in fabric, new microfleece liners used in many cloth diapers today mean your baby will not have wetness against their skin. The liquid is wicked away to an absorbent fabric underneath which helps keep baby feeling dry.
Using cloth diapers is quick and EASY.
The concept of convenience is a marketing tactic that disposable manufacturers having been using for years. They don't want you to know how easy cloth diapering really can be. Consider the amount of money spent year after year by disposable diaper manufacturer's to keep you thinking of them first (it's a multi-BILLION dollar a year industry). With modern cloth diapers and the many innovative cloth diaper accessories available today, cloth diapering CAN be easy. We're parents too, juggling our own business (working 50+ hours a week), multiple children, a home and more. If using cloth diapers took that much more time it really wouldn't be something we could do. Cloth diapers are easy to use!
Using cloth diapers takes no more time than using disposables. Seriously.
- Change the diaper. (same as disposables - cloth diapers come with Velcro tabs now!)
- Put the diaper in a pail. (much better than in the trash - same amount of time)
- Put the diapers in the washing machine. Let your MACHINE do the rest. (the alternative - take out an extra trash bag, week after week)
It takes no more time to change your baby using cloth diapers and run a load of laundry each week (which you will likely be doing with a new baby, just the same) than it does to change your baby using a throwaway diaper, take the garbage out every few days due to the mass of waste that will accumulate, and replenish your disposable diapers on a weekly basis. This includes the hassle of remembering to pick up diapers week after week and late night trips to the store when you accidentally run out of them (and you will at least once!). Buy diapers once with cloth and be done with it for months.
Using cloth diapers can also mean your child will be OUT of diapers faster (saving you time and money all over again). Cloth diapers help your child associate feeling wet with the act of needing to use a potty. When it comes time to help your child through this process, you'll be glad you have been using cloth diapers.
Using cloth diapers is Fun.
Yes, we said FUN! With all the choices in cloth diapers, fabrics, fun prints and colors to choose from, and the fact that we can do away with pins and wet, messy diaper pails, using cloth diapers can actually be fun. Setting up your cloth diapering layette is just as much fun (maybe more so!) as picking out bedding and blankets. The majority of parents that are using cloth diapers love discussing how much they enjoy using them. Moms love to talk about cloth diapers! I don’t know anyone who feels this way about disposable diapers...do you?
Babies look adorable in cloth diapers.
Not only are cloth diapers dependable, they are also classic and cute. Cloth diapers can be a fashion statement. Modern moms love to shop for cloth diapers. Have you ever noticed how professional photographers use cloth diapers on their baby models? Traditional cloth diapers look better on a baby than a paper and plastic bottom. There are so many choices in cloth diapers today. With all the styles and colors, babies look adorable in cloth. Show your little one off in a soft, comfy, adorable cloth diaper.
Potty training is easier with cloth diapers.
Here's something you may not already know. You will likely change less diapers in the long run, if you are using cloth diapers with your baby. It is a little known fact that cloth diapers help children potty train faster and with less effort on the part of the parent. Again, cloth diapers are saving our families time.
As children are actually aware of the sensation of urinating, the average child that is cloth diapered typically potty learns faster than their disposable diapered friends. Potty training can be easy, fun and more economical with both cloth diapers and cloth training pants.
Cloth diapers are better for the environment.
Over four million disposable diapers are discarded in Canada each and every day. That's close to 1.5 BILLION diapers that end up in our landfills yearly. In the first two years, the average baby will require between 5000 to 7000 diaper changes. In the United States an estimated 27.4 BILLION diapers are tossed away each year. That makes the total diaper waste in North America close to 29 BILLION DIAPERS per YEAR (source Environment Canada and Wikipedia). That's a lot of diapers ending up in our landfills each year.
Now consider all those diapers in our landfills - how long does it take a disposable diaper to decompose? It is estimated about 250-500 years. Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills. Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp. (Diaper Facts from the Real Diaper Association.)
The disposable and cloth diaper debate has been ongoing. Many studies have been done funded by disposable diaper companies, with fewer that have been "independent". For a picture of the disposable diaper industry’s ongoing efforts to undermine the cloth diapering industry, view a timeline as posted in The Politics of Diapers: A Timeline of Recovered History. This article covers the history of the disposable diaper industry from 1961-2000, where many of more of these studies are cited.
Cloth diapers are less taxing on the environment even when taking the amount of water and energy used to make and wash them. Read our article on Ways to Lessen your Environmental Impact when Using Cloth Diapers for more suggestions.
Want to learn more about using cloth diapers?
Continue on with our Cloth Diapering Tutorial using the following links:
- Beginner's Most Frequently Asked Questions
- Why Parents are Choosing Cloth Diapers
- Which Witch is Which? (aka What’s What in Cloth)
- How to Choose a Cloth Diapering System
- Washing & Caring for Cloth Diapers (trust us, it's easy!)
- Getting Started with Cloth Diapers ~ What do I need?
- Cloth Diapering Tips & Tricks
Cloth diapering does not have to be an all or nothing endeavor. Some parents use cloth full-time and some use cloth part-time. It takes very little money and resources to give cloth a try, and with our convenience cloth diapers, the transition from disposables to cloth does not have to be difficult. Let Parenting By Nature help get you started! It really is much easier than most parents realize. Contact us today to get started with cloth diapers!