Cloth Diapering and the Environment
“Going green” seems to be the mantra of today’s society. We are being more frugal with energy, cutting down on waste, and reusing whatever we can. When you add a new baby to your life, you suddenly realize that being “green” is not going to be as easy as you might wish. Babies come with lots of “stuff,” and that stuff creates lots of waste. If you want to be a green parent, one thing you might be considering is cloth diapering. Before you make the investment into cloth diapers, read the pros and cons of this diapering option.
Pros of Cloth Diapering
Cloth diapers are less harmful to the environment, because they create less waste. Disposable diapers never break down completely, so every time you throw away a disposable diaper, you are adding something to the landfills that will always be there. There is no waste materials to add to landfills with a cloth diaper.
Using cloth diapers can actually save you money. You can limit your monetary investment into cloth diapers by purchasing a brand which has a one size fits all sizing scheme. Parents who use disposable diapers tend to run out at the worst times and need to run to the store to get additional supplies. You do not have to run to the store to get clean diapers, just your laundry room.
Some parents notice their children show an interest in potty training earlier when using cloth diapers. Disposable diapers do a great job of keeping wetness away from the skin, but this can make potty training difficult. The child does not feel “wet” when the diaper is wet, so learning when it is time to go is hard. With cloth diapers, the child feels wetness on his skin when the diaper is wet, which can push him towards potty training early.
Cons of Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers can cost a bundle to purchase initially. There are many different vendors, and you can even buy the diapers and covers used, but some of the best diapers cost as much as $300 to $500 to get a beginning set. This can cause many parents to turn away, even though they will spend much more than that over their child’s lifetime if they are buying disposables time and time again.
While cloth diapers do keep the landfills more clear, they are not completely environmentally friendly as might be thought. It does take a bit more energy to wash and dry these diapers. They have to be washed in hot water, which takes a lot of energy. This also adds to the cost factor, as it increases your utility bills.
Some parents find cloth diapers difficult to manage while out in public. Transporting soiled cloth diapers can be daunting, but there are products which can be used to help parents with this task. It is particularly difficult to manage while traveling when you may not have access to a washing machine. Don’t forget the good news! You can use disposables during those infrequent times you do not have access to a washing machine or dryer and still use cloth the majority of the time if you want.
So are cloth diapers for you? It is up to you to decide. Before you decide, do some research into the cleaning and care of cloth diapers to help you determine whether or not you might enjoy clothe diapering. If you feel like you can manage it, then you can do your part to help protect the environment by diapering your baby with cloth.
David Cummings
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/cloth-diapering-and-the-environment-750243.html
cloth diapering?
i am about to have my little girl in a month and would like to use cloth diapers (environment and all that goodness) but i have no clue about cloth diapering. if anyone has information about the different cloth diapers, how many to get, of which kind (for easiest use, most leakproof, best bargain etc) also tips and any information is greatly appreciated thank you.
I honestly do not know about different types of cloth diapers. I used cloth on my boys and I would do it again. I liked it because you knew when they were wet and they were changed often. (I did use plastic pants underneath.) I think it aids a great deal in toilet training since they know when they are wet. I probably had 36 to start but you change so often and wash all the time so I really can’t tell you haow many you need. But you certainly don’t want them to sit around dirty for long. Good luck.
References :
If you ask the nurse these questions before taking your baby home from the hospital, you will be pleasantly surprised at how readily she or he can answer your questions. Moreover, the nurse can show ya how to use ‘em, too. Ask as soon as you’ve gotten through the birthing process and have had a chance to cuddle with your tiny treasure, get a bit of a nap and have something to eat.
References :
I have not seen cloth diapers for years….but if you can find them. Make sure you have at least 50 or less depending on how often you want to do laundry. you will be always wahing them out…..I know its nice for the enviroment but seriously i would go with the regular ones
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a mother
there is nothing easy about cloth diapers,get a lot 4 or 5 dozon at first,diaper pail and rubber pants.it a cheap way at first but your get tired fast , and switch to pampers or some thing like that , congrats on the new one ,my GOD bless the babe and keep it save and in good health and spirit. aman and amen
References :
OOh only a month!! Best get that stash together quick, mama! I answered a question similar to this one recently… However it was for twins… Just assume that for one baby you need about 2 dozen to 3 dozen diapers to start, and about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 dozen covers…
Cloth Diapers and Twins?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=An7sxtHoE2uZXFHhV5sXOV7ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071103150238AAo9eOX&show=7#profile-info-81100fbb7e69c894448fcf6c2ebe5c96aa
And just because…
I would recommend fitted diapers, or pre-fold diapers. Don’t get the ones at Wal Mart or Target (Gerber brand) as they are really lame and not very absorbent. I had the best luck when I made my own fitted diapers, as I couldn’t really afford the fancy-pants brand-new ones… However I purchased the covers on eBay… I found "ProRap" and "Junior Joy Nappies" to have the best covers.
Anyways, please check that link…
Also check out CafeMom.com, as there are "cloth diaper" groups on there… You can find SOOOO much info on cloth diapering there!!
EDIT TO ADD:
Here’s some more info.
I started with 2 1/2 dozen pre-fold diapers, and about half that many covers.
The pre-folds are basically a rectangle with a thicker strip down the middle, you fold them in a triangle-shape of sorts and wrap it around the baby, pointy end towards belly-button, wide end at the back. Then you pin or use another fastening device in front… And put the waterproof cover around that. The cover is alot more "evolved" than the plastic pants of days past. It’s like a disposable diaper shape with velcro or similar tabs, and it "covers" the cloth diaper and keeps your baby’s clothes/sheets/you dry. Also holds in big poops better than disposies, from my experience.
Anyways, you change baby as soon as she’s wet/dirty. You can tell alot easier with cloth than disposables too.
You’ll have two covered buckets – one "wet" and one "dry". The wet bucket has a solution of your choice (some kind of cleaner, like borax, vinegar, baking soda, "diaper soaker" etc) and this is where you throw poopy dipes, after you shake off solids in the toilet. The pee dipes you throw in the dry bucket. After 2-3 days, you dump the whole mess of both buckets in the washer, I use a good cup of Borax and some baby detergent (no softener, it impedes the absorbency) and wash on the longest cycle, with hot water. Then rinse/spin an extra time and dry on high heat (but NOT your covers! You can let those air dry or "tumble low").
As for stains, I got the persistent ones out with sunlight at first. Then I quit caring >.< and it’s only mild yellowish stains in the creases, so they don’t look GROSS or anything.
And I really find them more convenient than disposies… When we go out, I just put a few diapers in the bag, as well as a gallon ziplock bag. Change baby, put whole diaper in bag, squeeze & zip, deal with at the house.
One thing about cloth diapers is sometimes they are a little bulkier than disposables and your baby may need a size larger clothes. Maybe.
My son never got diaper rash from cloth dipes. Did from disposies though… Oh and I KNOW I saved money using cloth, because I’m pg again, and I can use all of my son’s old dipes on the new baby!
References :
Cloth diapered my son!
There are tons of website that can give you all the information you need. Just do a web search on "cloth diapers". A few recommended sites:
http://www.kellyscloset.com
http://www.cottonbabies.com
http://www.diaperjunction.com
http://www.diaperpin.com
http://www.softclothbunz.com
There are basically four different types of cloth diapers available today:
1. Prefold- your basic piece of cloth that needs to be folded and used with a cover; the cheapest option
2. Fitted or Contoured- looks more like a disposable in cut and shape but needs a cover
3. Pocket- No cover needed but needs to be stuffed with an innner absorbant layer; good for heavy wetters because you can stuff as much as you want
4. All-In-Ones- Exactly like a disposable but washable/reusable; the most expensive option
There doesn’t seem to be one "right" kind or best kind of cloth diaper. It all depends on the person doing the diapering, the baby’s size, the babies age, etc. etc.
Buy a few different kinds and try them out before buying a whole stash.
References :
http://diaperpin.com/howto.asp
http://community.livejournal.com/clothdiapering
I want to use cloth with my children, too, but it seems so overwhelming. So many options! The first link there is a good comprehensive overview, the second a forum to ask all the dumb questions that we all have.
Good luck!
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I wanted to use cloth diapers with my first and it was just so much easier to use disposable. That was a long time ago but I do see that they now have what looks like plastic pants but so much more comfortable. It opens up like a diaper, you secure the cloth diaper in it and close it with the velcro tabs. So neat!! Still easier for me to use disposable though
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I have been cloth diapering my daughter since she was born, she is now 18 months old. It has been surprisingly easy and I have never regretted it for a minute. I decided about half way through my pregnancy that I wanted to cloth diaper and did some research and the diapers that seamed to get the best user ratings and valus for money were MotherEase One Size diaper system with air flow covers. I built up a diaper stash of +50 one size diapers and four covers in each of the sizes by the time my daughter was born. I use my own reusable wipes from baby wash cloths and flannette squares and I wet them in a simple water and a few drops of detergent solution, I am already doing the wash for diapers so this is no extra work. From birth until my daughter started eating solids all I did was take her wet or soilded diapers and throw them in the diaper pail no rinsing of pretreating required and when I had a full load. Now all that is needed is to remove solids from soiled diapers before I toss them into the diaper pail. I pre rinse in cold and then wash in a hot cycle with apure enviromentally friendly detergent that has no extras. I used to use Tide Free but found that even it built up on the diapers. After the wash I toss in about a 1/2 cup of vinegar and run a rinse cycle. I hang or machine dry. Stains are easily remmoved by hang drying out in the sun with stuborn stains treated with lemon juice before drying in the sun. I thin my family is shocked that I am still cloth diapering but really when you consider the lessened enviromental impact, lower cost, and the health benefits to my daughter it is worth it 110%. Also when you factor in that I never have to worry about running out to the store in the middle of the night because I have run out of diapers and the extra labor required in shopping and hauling diapers home from the store cloth diapering requires less not more work then using disposables. Oh and we use a water proof canoe bag to store our wet and dirty diapers in until we get home when we are out.
Happy Cloth Diapering
References :
http://www.motherease.com there is a message board on the site where you can ask cloth diapering questions