Cloth diapers vs. Disposables: The debate. www.naturalEbaby.com, kissaluv diaper on a NB    When it comes to diapering your baby, you want the best.  But let's face it, most of us choose the best in convenience products because that's all we know, and that's what we're bombarded with everyday.  Advertising plays a big role in what we choose as consumers, and I have yet to see a commercial of a baby sporting a cloth diaper!  I believe it is important that we educate ourselves the best way we can before making purchases.  Advertisements always promote their product and never give a true representation of the facts behind making an informed decision.  It’s a lot easier to just watch a commercial or read a simple ad and decide to buy the product than it is to read books, search the internet, and ask people before making a purchase.  Time always seems to be against us.  Keep in mind that disposable diapers are very new and have been around for only about 25-30 years.  That’s not a long time for science to weigh the pros and cons.  It often takes a lot longer for the scientific community to determine if a product is truly beneficial or if it has negative side effects.  And negative side effects take time to show their ugly heads! Well, this article is an attempt to inform you about your choices as a parent when it comes to diapering your child.    The thought of using cloth diapers for most of us is not appealing, especially if we talk to our mothers or grandmothers who used them.  However, cloth diapering has come a long way since then.  We have diaper services in city centres, and for rural living, buying cloth diaper products is easy and the quality has improved dramatically over the past few years.  There are the traditional Chinese Prefolds available as always, but there are now also beautifully fitted diapers and All-in-one’s (AIOs) that eliminate the need for diaper cover or wraps.  These are the “Mercedes” of cloth diapers and are said to be more absorbent than disposables and look and feel much more comfortable.  After all, cotton against your baby’s tender parts is obviously more comfortable than plastic or a paper-like material.  Laundering for cloth diapers is also easier because, well we have washing machines, and secondly there are loads of products and methods available to make it easy. Some cloth diapers on the market: http://cottonmamma.com  www.mother-ease.com   www.naturalEbaby.com   www.mother-ease.com, AIO Why consider cloth? When I first looked into cloth diapers, it was because I had read an article about the possible link between infertility in men and disposable diapers.7  A recent study was done using disposable diapers and cotton diapers and the results showed that the temperature inside the disposable diaper was 1.8 degrees hotter than in cloth diapers.  The concern is that since testicals are outside of the body to keep them cooler than body temp, that this increase in temperature could be the explanation for the rise in infertility (this is a speculation, although it is logical).10 I also read that manufacturers are supposed to tell the public to rinse soiled disposable diapers in the toilet and make sure they are "matter" free before disposing of them.  Apparently some have it written on the packages in fine print.  Have you ever heard that?  I asked several mothers and they had never heard of such a thing.   Why are we supposed to wash them?  Well, for the same reason we use toilets.  Human feces contains a lot of bacteria and stuff we don't want in the environment.  But if parents don't know they are supposed to 'rinse and flush', then where do all the soiled diapers end up?  In the environment via your local dump.    Disposing disposables: Any parent knows that the amount of diapers you use in a day is unbelievable.  It is estimated that over about 2.5 years, each child requires about 5,019 (5-6 changes a day) to 6,500 diapers (7-8 diaper changes a day).  That's a lot of waste!  Why do I have two sets of averages?  Well because disposable wearing babies tend to be changed less often than their cloth diapered counterparts due to the absorbancy in disposables, although adding a diaper liner in an AIO is just as absorbant.  This absorbancy in disposables appears to be an advantage, but in fact is probably a contributing factor to the dramatic increase in diaper rash incidence in disposable diapered babies versus cloth diapered ones (see stats below). It has been said that it takes about 100 years for a diaper to decompose, so what happens when little critters such as mice, birds, insects, and pets get into diapers in the dump and then start a journey around the city.  It means the spread of germs, viruses, and possible infectious diseases.  The reason we have sewer systems and septic tanks is to avoid such a thing, but disposable diapers are reintroducing human fecal matter into the environment once again.  In fact, this practice of dumping feces into public dumps is an illegal practice that violates the World Health Organization policies.  Sometimes having modern convenience doesn't mean we are experiencing progress as a society! For these reasons, I thought I would share what I've learned about the advantages and disadvantages of both cloth and disposable diapers.  It is important for us as parents to be informed about our choices.   Disposable diapers Disadvantages: What are they made of?  They are made of mostly fluffy pulp wood fibres that are chemically treated and whitened using chlorine bleaching agents.1  The making of this pulp causes dangerous organochloride by-products to be released into the environment which end up in our water sources.  This by-product also remains in small quantities in the diaper itself.  A common one is called Dioxin which is toxic in very small amounts and has been linked to birth defects, miscarriage, cancer, and genetic damage. 1  Also, it takes 1 cup of crude oil to make just one disposable diaper. 3 Environment: Sodium polyacrylate is also found in diapers to absorb urine and turn it into a gel.  This helps keep liquid away from your baby's bottom and absorbs 100 times its weight in liquid.  It has also been associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome in tampon use, diaper rash, bleeding perennial and scrotal tissue (because it pulls liquid so strongly).  Disposable diapers are said to be the third largest source of solid waste. It is estimated that about 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone. 8 Rash:  7% of babies in cloth diapers experience diaper rash, compared to 78% of babies in disposables. 4 Asthma: One study featured in Mothering magazine links disposable diapers to asthma.  One diaper taken out of a package was placed in a middle size room and even in that large space caused asthma-like symptoms in mice.  The trouble here is that most children's rooms are middle to small sized.  The emissions from diapers contained primarily tolune, xylene, ethylbenzene, styrene, and isopropylbenzene, all bronchial irritants.  Asthma in North America has become a rapidly rising problem among children.  Could diapers be a contributor?  I don't really want to test this theory with my second child, but I wish I knew this when my first child was born.  He has mild allergies and I wonder if his diapers made things worse, especially in the winter when windows remain closed.  One important note is that one brand, Tender Care disposable diapers, did not cause asthma conditions in lab mice (they are said to be environmentally friendly and can be bought at some health food stores in the USA).  So that might be an option if you get that brand where you live, I know I don't. Comfort: One website points out that if a child is wearing diapers for 3 years, then they are in essence wearing bleached pulp, plastic, and acrylic acid polymer salts (Sodium polyacrylate) for those three years.  If given the choice, I would definately want to wear cotton instead.  So now I'm wondering why I keep putting my child in disposables. Wood splinters: One mother reports having found wood splinters ranging from 1/4" to 3/4' in length in 7 diapers over a 2 month period in two popular brands of diapers. 6  Her concern wasn't just finding the splinters, but diapering a baby in the night and not noticing the splinters.  I'm not impressed so far. Cost $$: They are expensive.  It costs about $2200 over a period of 2.5 years. 11 Advantages:  Convenient: So what about convenience?  Well disposables are definitely convenient since you can just toss them; but there's a health and environmental cost to pay.  We don’t have to wash them so that also saves time. Usually quite leak-proof.  Since urine gels in the diaper, wetness is not kept against your babies' bottom.  Poopy explosions do happen though, and I can say that from experience!    Cloth Diapers Disadvantages: Very few! Laundering: The biggest disadvantage is home-laundering.  No-one likes doing it, but there are ways of making it easier and more convenient.  Many feel it would be time consuming, and can be, but many women claim that they have a system in place where they spend about 15 minutes laundering (not including washer and dryer times), every few days.  Aside: I read a good article on www.borntolove.com about dry pailing in a cloth bag that was odour free! Daycares: Many daycares refuse cloth diapers, so if you choose to use them at home, you'll have to buy disposables for daycare use.  Although some may agree to use AIOs. Environment:  Dr.Spock says it best “Most cotton also requires heavy amounts of pesticides to grow, and diaper services may use harsh chemicals or chlorine for washing, none of which is good for the environment. Diaper-service trucks use gas to deliver their wares and disgorge pollutants into the air as they tootle around town. (You can buy organic cotton diapers to solve the pesticide problem, but they're more expensive. If you forgo the diaper service, washing your own diapers in environmentally friendly detergents and drying them on a clothesline will reduce their ecological costs.)"9  However, the new parents guide states that the amount of water used to launder cloth diapers is about the same as an adult flushing the toilet (on a per week basis).  So if age is not considered, every baby is then entitled to the same use of our water to dispose of human waste. Advantages: The environmental advantages speak for themselves.  Health advantages are also self-explanatory.  None of the disadvantages of disposable material is associated with cloth diapering. Convenience: I have stumbled over various websites that make "all-in-one" diapers (cloth inner, liner, and leak-proof outer all in one) which parents say are the best diapers they have ever used and are more leak proof than disposables.  These sites include mother-ease.com, borntolove.com, earthbaby.com, itsybitsybunz.com, naturalEbaby.com, and there's plenty more if you do a search online.  Many clothe diapers are now form fitted to reduce leaks and have various inserts and even disposable liners to increase dryness.  I had no idea that cloth diapers had become so sophisticated! No more trips to the grocery store in the middle of the night getting diapers!! Toilet training faster!: Toilet training is said to occur 6months to a year earlier because a child feels when they are wet.  I speak from experience when I say that this makes things easier.  My son knew he could pee and be comfortable in a diaper and not in underpants.  And by the way, many of these stores sell training pants for toddlers that are wonderful.  I bought two pairs from mother-ease and loved them.  They are cotton inside and a polyester leak-proof material outside and they are comfortable and breathable for my toddler.  Once I started using these and/or just underwear instead of pull-ups, my little one potty trained within a week.  They also make an overnight “bedwetter” underpant that aborbs up to 15 ounces.  It costs about $30 CAND but that’s a one-time cost!  It beats the cost of pull-ups.  (see mother-ease.com) Cost: Prefold diapers are as little as $1.00 per diaper and can be used through various children.  Fitted clothe diapers are more expensive, but over a 2.5 year period, buying these with liners and covers, as well as laundering, costs about $1000 less than disposables.  That’s a lot of money!!  And it’s free for subsequent children (most last depending on the brand and how you launder).  Many diaper stores carry previously used cloth diapers which cost a lot less but may last only through one maybe two children.  The main advantage is that once you've bought for your first child, you will diaper your second or subsequent children for free (less laundering costs).  Also if you sell you used diapers, they often sell very well for close to full value if you’ve bought good quality ones (ex: mother-ease, kissaluvs) Diaper service: Diaper services also make cloth diapers easy to use because they'll come and pick them up and present you with a fresh stash.  However, these diapers aren't usually all-in-one (AIO) diapers so you usually have to purchase covers (usually only about 6 per stage of baby's growth) and liners, and they are often prefolds.  So if cloth diapering is for you, you may want to purchase a few AIO diapers from an online manufacturer for outings, traveling, and ease of use.  Most of the websites listed above have information on how to make cloth diapering easy.  Including how to keep your diaper pail or wet bag odour free.12 Several very interesting articles that compare costs of purchasing disposables vs. cloth and washing costs:  http://www.borntolove.com/expensive.html http://www.borntolove.com/column5.html http://www.naturalebaby.com/cloth-vs-paper-costs.htm http://www.mother-ease.com/infoC.html    I could write a lot more, but I think this is a fair amount of information. The bottom line (no pun intended)? It is important for parents to be informed of their choices and what is current in research.  Often products are introduced and side effects are only discovered later, after people suffer from them!  That's the nature of scientific research in our day.  So parents need to keep themselves informed so that their choices are based on factual information instead of the media (I admit, I'm guilty too!). The choices in cloth diapers can be overwhelming, however with some research and a bit a perserverence, you’ll be able to decide which diapering system is best for you.  A good site to compare popular brands is www.epinions.com.  Other parenting and baby sites that have discussion boards provide some info as well.  My conclusion?  I think I’m going to attempt cloth for baby #2 (almost here!!), and I feel good about the savings, the comfort, the environment, and yes the convenience.  So far I’ve bought mother-ease sandy’s and kissaluvs size 0 for newborns.  I’m going to dry pail for a convenient washing system, because I refuse to have diaper water in a diaper pail in our bathroom (yuk!). 12  I’ll let you know how it goes! I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful in making an informed decision about diapering your baby.   by: Patricia Rider   References:   1. http://www.mother-ease.com/infoE.html 2.  http://www.mother-ease.com/infoA.html 3. http://www.earthbaby.com/ 4. http://www.earthbaby.com/diaperfaq.html 5. http://www.mothering.com/10-0-0/html/10-3-0/10-3-danda98.shtml 6. http://hometown.aol.com/roald311/myhomepage/rant.html 7. http://www.drgreene.com/21_353.html 8. http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm 9. http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,5308,00.html 10. http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,4562,00.html 11. http://www.naturalebaby.com/cloth-vs-paper-costs.htm 12. http://www.borntolove.com/?twPgX=p2&twArtY=GFGHER16569WSQ12RT 13.  www.itsybitsybunz.com 14.  www.epinions.com 15.  http://www.wahmboutique.com/catalog/toptens.php (a good article on the advantages of cloth diapers)