Cloth Diapering Information Fact: An investment in a cloth diapering system would be recouped in two months to one year Reasons to use cloth Cloth Diaper Demos Why Use Cloth Diapers???? The main argument against cloth diapers that I have seen is that the laundering of the cloth diapers has a greater impact on the environment than the manufacture and disposal of disposable diapers. Just use your common sense when this argument arises – would anyone argue that we should use disposable clothing, dishes or any other item you may wash? So, here are some of the benefits of using cloth or risks of using disposables: Health Bleached diapers (most commercially available diapers are bleached) contain dioxin which is a by-product of the bleaching process. It is recognized by the EPA as the most toxic carcinogen and is banned in many other countries. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin which is a hormone disrupting chemical and pollutant. That super absorbent gel that puffs up and gets squishy when wet – that’s sodium polyacrylate. A similar substance was banned from tampons when it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis, aka male infertility. Disposable diapers have been recognized as a cause of asthma. Not studied to be safe. The long term effect of these chemicals being in close contact with baby’s skin and genitals has not been studied. Environment You’re literally buying trash. It is estimated that 27.4 billion diapers are consumed (purchased & then thrown away). Flush the poop! Who knew that instructions were needed for disposable diapers. On the package, it is advised that fecal matter be flushed down the toilet before disposing. This is so that the fecal matter is properly treated through the sewage system. Fecal matter in landfills spreads disease by leaching into the ground water and through pests that feed on it. No one knows exactly how long it takes a disposable diaper to breakdown. It is estimated to be 250-500 years. However, decomposition requires air and sunlight which are not available when you’re buried under a heap of trash. Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste. Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth. In 1991, an attempt towards recycling disposable diapers was made in the city of Seattle, involving 800 families, 30 day care centers, a hospital and a Seattle-based recycler for a period of one year. The conclusion made by Procter & Gamble was that recycling disposable diapers was not an economically feasible task on any scale. Cost Disposable diapers are made from petroleum based products and will increase in price as the cost of oil increases. It is doubtful that the price will decrease when oil goes down in cost. The average cost of disposable diapers for one child is $1600 or $66/month. The cost of a cloth diapering system can range from $300-$1000. Plus, cloth diapers can be used on multiple children and repurposed as rags later. Consider it an investment. Convenience While many people like to point out the supposed convenience of disposable diapers, cloth diapering is not inconvenient. It is simply an extra load of laundry every few days. For many families this falls right into the pattern of extra laundry associated with a baby anyway. You always have all the diapers you need – no need to run to the store when you run out at an inconvenient time (like 3 am). Contrary to popular assumption, it is disposable diapers that tend to leak. Leaky diapers lead to more frequent outfit changes which require more laundry. So, you’re washing poop anyway. Reusable, waterproof and washable wet bags make cloth diapering while out and about convenient and easy. Cloth Diaper Demos Mother Nurture offers FREE cloth diaper demos. We’ll go over the basics (types of diapers, benefits of each type, accessories and washing) and answer your questions. Available any time  you want to come in during business hours! The Real Diaper Association  The Real Diaper Association provides support and education to parents all across North America for the use of simple, reusable cloth diapers. The goal of the Real Diaper Association is to put more babies in cloth diapers. To do this we aim to create a cultural shift in understanding cloth diapers-their environmental impact, their ease of use, their accessibility, and their acceptability. The Association will help parents understand that cloth diapers are real diapers. RDA is currently the only resource we recommend for non-biased, evidence-based information about cloth diapering.  They have excellent handouts on using cloth in daycare, fact sheets and much more.

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