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> New Baby Checklist > Baby Diaper Choices |
Baby Diapers: How to Use Cloth or Disposable for Affordable and Eco-Friendly Baby Care
The most important consideration in diaper choice is your baby’s health. Many babies cannot wear disposable diapers: the plastic causes rashes; perfumes or chemicals purporting to contribute to “skin care” and the general airless quality of disposable diapers increases diaper rash and allergies. One industry study found that rashes increased from 7% to over 60% when disposable diapers were used!
Disposable diapers can cause sores, staph infections and
fungal infections in babies: disposables trap heat,
increasing bacterial growth. A study in the Journal of
Pediatrics found that more than 50% of babies wearing
disposable diapers had rashes, 16% of them severe. Some
disposables contain a super-absorbent gel called sodium
polyacrylate, which is deadly to pets and causes allergic
reactions in people; dioxin has found its way into diapers,
as it’s used to bleach the paper components. Parents who
want healthier babies have preferred to ditch plastic
“high-tech” disposables in favor of safer products.
Organic and Biodegradable Disposable Diapers
You can find organic disposable diapers and covers made with
unbleached wood pulp from sustainable forests. Biodegradable
disposables can be composted, saving millions of tons of waste
currently going into landfills. The average disposable diaper
takes about 500 years to break down in a landfill. With diapers
the third largest type of landfill waste, an intelligent
government would require all diapers to be made of biodegradable
materials.
Affordable Cloth Diapers are Eco-Friendly and Chemical
Free
The cost difference between “traditional” disposable diapers
(which came along in the early ‘60’s, and outgrowth of the
Baby Boom) and organic, chemical free diapers is about
20-25%. Using cloth cotton or fleece diapers (which have
seen improvements in recent years) puts the solid waste into
the municipal sewage disposal systems, where human waste
belongs. With 5,000 diapers per child used before potty
training, the human waste entering landfills is counted in
millions of tons. While sewage systems may not be the ideal,
at least there is some waste treatment; that’s not happening
in landfills.
Better Absorbency in Today’s Cloth Diapers
Modern cloth diapers have increased in absorbency, and
manufacturers have done away with the need for pins: diapers
are fitted with Velcro, elastic or straps. Diapers are made
of absorbent fabrics, so diaper covers are often a
must-have. They can’t be called inexpensive, but when you
compare the cost to the number of disposable diapers needed
every day, they seem more affordable. Cloth diapers are more
work: they must be emptied, placed in hampers or diaper
pails and laundered. Washing cloth diapers takes time, and
some daycares refuse to use them. You may start to feel like
your whole life consists of changing dirty diapers and
cleaning baby’s bottom! But, if you’re a new parent and
still have some energy left for environmental conservation,
the single most important thing you can do is switch to
cloth diapers or biodegradable disposables.
Consider signing up with an environmentally aware,
eco-friendly diaper service and allow your friends and
family to spend their money on something that will make your
life much easier. Many diaper services charge around $25 a
week (price depends on where you live). They pick up and
launder the cloth diapers, dropping off clean, fresh ones
every week. What a wonderful gift for new parents!
How to Protect Your Baby, Save Money, and Help the
Environment
- If you must use disposables for day care or travel, use
biodegradable ones.
- Choose natural cloth diapers for home use and launder
them yourself.
- Ignore laundry products with heavy fragrances, or
supposedly “herbal” additions: they waste your money, add
chemicals to your household and may cause allergic reactions.
Continue reading more baby information about
Baby Bottles
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