The great diaper debate - cloth or disposable.
Most people's first thought: "Easy - disposable. Poop is gross, I don't want to touch it."
Yes, poop is gross...landfills are also gross and that is where disposable diapers, filled with poop, sit for 500 years. We haven't even had disposable diapers for 500 years...so, essentially every disposable diaper that has ever been used up to this point is just lying around in our landfills.
Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each...
Disposable Diapers
-easy to deal with...you can just throw them away without having to deal with the messy insides
-easier to travel with...you won't always have access to a washing machine
-essentially "leak-free
-far more expensive in the long run...if it is $100.00/month for diapers...you are looking at $2,000.00-$3,000.00 altogether for an item that you simply throw away (spending money to throw something away!)
-filled with toxins and materials that are potentially harmful...even though there have not been any long-term studies on the effects of these toxins...it is always safe to steer clear of such things.
-terrible, TERRIBLE for the environment...reading well-documented statistics on this is frightening.
Cloth (Reusable Diapers)
-obviously, environmentally friendly...yes, you'll be using your washing machine a lot, but many washing machines are energy-conservative and you only use half the soap you would with your regular washing
-more comfortable...imagine wearing plastic underwear instead of cloth.
-contrary to popular belief, you don't have to use pins and needles to fix cloth diapers together anymore...there are many different options, like velcro or buttons, out there.
-they are not as difficult to clean as one might think...shake of the "solids" into the toilet (yes, gross...but there are worse things, plus- how is that any more gross than wiping the poop off of your baby's bottom with a wipe)...rinse off any extra "stuff"...and store in a odor-free container until ready to wash...also, most of the diapers will not be poopy diapers, so it really isn't that big of a deal.
-POTTY TRAINING BEGINS EARLIER...this is a big one for me - far too many children are potty trained far too late...wanting to be done with the "hassle" of reusable diapers, one will be encouraged to potty train sooner.
-studies have shown that diaper rash will occur with reusable diapers, but less frequently.
-could potentially "leak-out" if sizing is not done correctly
-spending a large chunk of money at once versus spending it over the span of months...it's harder for me to spend $100.00 at once than it is to spend that over several weeks...
-can be tricky on vacations, day trips, etc.
While I am still debating the issue...I found a brand of reusable diapers - "Charlie Banana" - that have washable and disposable inserts...they come in packs of six for $100.00. Since you need about 23-36 diapers on hand at all times, it would be about $400.00 initially...the small size has different snaps that fit a baby newborn-4 months... http://www.charliebanana.com/
Right now, my gut feeling is to go with the reusable diapers...I can't morally rationalize throwing away money for a product that is so environmentally detrimental. We'll see, my mind is still processing all of the options!
What do you think about it?
i'm pretty sure i'll be using reusable diapers when the time comes. it just makes more sense. the comfort of my baby is more important to me than the extra time & effort it might potentially take. the waste with disposables is incredible. cloth, cloth, cloth!
ReplyDeleteWe have about 8-10 one piece diapers (BumGenius) and about 20 prefolds with Prowrap covers. (You can call Prowrap and purchase their "seconds" at a huge discount.) The prefolds are cheaper and for small babies, those one-size diapers are huge and make them look like hornets. If you breastfeed, the poop is water-soluble and I never had to rinse diapers at all for the first few months.
ReplyDeleteWe spent about $300-$400 on Ezra's diapers, but we used disposable diapers with Elias in NY since we didn't have a washing machine. We easily spent $30-$40 per month on those, so we've saved a ton by switching back to cloth.
The problem I've had with cloth is the ammonia smell. It takes a lot of soaking and baking soda and sometimes sun-drying to get them clean. You can't really go more than a day or two without washing, so you don't really need 24 diapers once they get past 6 months or so.
Here is my recommendation:
4 newborn covers with umbilical cord cutout
4-6 small covers
4-6 medium covers
24 prefolds
8 one-size diapers
Rice paper liners (reusable if they are wet, and flushable if they're more than wet--cuts down on the poop-touching.)
I do keep a few disposables on hand for laundry day or trips, but for short trips, a good wet-bag or even a Ziplock bag will contain the smell and mess.
Also, here's a link on making your own diapers:
http://stephsoundoff.blogspot.com/2006/04/faux-fuzzis.html
...and wipes:
http://blog.wantingwhatyouhave.com/2008/01/frugal-strategy-4-make-your-own-baby.html
That's a lot of words I just typed.