Responsible Parenthood: The Diaper Deal

I had two babies in diapers before I was 20. The hospital sent #2 home with several boxes of a nifty new product called “Pampers.” Disposable diapers the baby uses once before they go to the landfill to take up space for 500 years! I thought they were totally cool. Until I got home and tried to fit them on my newborn boy-child.

Perhaps first time mothers don’t know this, but there’s a difference between girl babies and boy babies. My girl had ample hips and chubby legs, never had a problem fitting diapers - cloth or disposables - on her. My boy’s little bottom end came to a point. No hips, spindly legs, and a pee mechanism that didn’t care which way it was pointed. This was before disposable manufacturers figured out that the gaping gaps around the legs weren’t particularly good at catching any of the products diapers traditionally are meant to catch and hold. My boy peed straight out of the leg hole more often than he ever caught the “super-absorbant” part. And he had diarrhea for 3 straight months…

So despite my initial reaction to the idea of disposable diapers, I quickly learned they were useless and went back to old fashioned cloth diapers. Which, despite having poked enough holes in my fingers to donate blood at the Red Cross, actually did work for the purpose diapers were invented to address.

We were too poor for a diaper service, so I washed my own (sometimes in the sink because we didn’t have a washing machine and couldn’t always afford the laundromat) and hung them out to dry in the sun. Which answers the question I see asked a lot in diaper discussions about retained odors in cloth diapers even after washing. A little fresh air and sunshine works wonders, and the UV actually kills any leftover microorganisms (which can contribute greatly to diaper rash).

So as I’m finishing up my projects for pregnant daughter #2 and collecting odds and ends she doesn’t have yet from my local Freecycle Network, I’m also considering buying her some newfangled cloth diapers, wool covers and a nice soaking pail. I’ve been surfing to see what’s up since last we had a newborn in-house. I already knew that cloth diapers are certifiably more “Green” than disposables, and I knew they’re actually better for the baby’s sensitive skin. There are issues to consider - not the least of which is that day cares generally REQUIRE disposables for convenience - so here’s some of the information I’ve found…

Did you know that disposable diapers on plastic take 500 years to biodegrade? That according to the EPA, 20 billion disposable diapers were dumped into landfills in the US last year, creating 3.5 million tons of waste? That’s 10,000 tons - 20 million pounds - per day!

Cloth diapers are healthier for babies. Disposables come complete with chemicals associated with health problems, and increase the incidence of diaper rash - and subsequent infections - due to chemical allergies, poor air flow and longer time between changes.

Cloth diapers laundered at home (my daughter works from home) can save a parent between $800 and $1,600 over the 2.5 years the baby needs them. Using a diaper service is about as expensive as disposables, but many couples will choose that option based on health and environmental reasons.

Now, cloth diapers can be flat, pre-folded or all-in-one. I like prefolds best, and polyester velcro covers. The all-in-ones are easier for changing, but more difficult to clean. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, prefolds and covers still look like the best option. I was delighted to find that there’s been some nifty developments in diaper world since I left it behind, too.

I found a thing called “G-diapers” that consist of an outer shell similar to a diaper wrap, an absorbent - and FLUSHABLE - insert, and a nylon snap-in liner. They come with a “swishstick” for breaking up the disposable insert in the toilet. Of course, you have to tear the pouch open before it goes in the toilet, so you’ll be handling baby-ick just as much as you would if you just used regular cloth diapers. The trick is to soak the soiled diaper in the toilet, then hold it and rinse it thoroughly during the flush before then tossing it into the diaper pail to soak before laundering. Biggest drawback to that are husbands and older children who can’t manage to figure out there’s a diaper soaking before they use and flush the toilet. Plumbers are expensive.

Now, there is still the issue of cotton diapers and chlorine bleach, which releases dioxin. You can get unbleached cotton, but there’s also the issue of the crop itself. Fully half of the world’s pesticides are sprayed on cotton. What else is there? Why… Hemp! There are all sorts of “green” sources out there specializing in hemp diapers and associated products, as well as hemp/unbleached cotton blends and even naturally colored, organically grown cotton - I love the soft greens and blues and beige. Hemp is naturally anti-microbial and has eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of cotton.

So that’s my plan. Granddaughter is due around this time next month, so I’d better get busy ordering!

Links:

Diaper Pin: Is Hemp Really Better?

Growing Greens Hemp Diapers

DiaperCuts: Hemp Products

eartheasy: Cloth Diapers

Cloth Diapering Pros and Cons

Mongabay: Diapers Go Green

DiaperWare: Prefolds and Flats

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Filed under Green Choices, Baby Stuff, Clothing, Family Planning, Healthy Babies |