Cloth Diapers: Better for the Environment, Better for Your Baby, and Better for You

For centuries mothers have used cloth diapers on their children as it was the only means available to them. In the 1940's the first disposable diaper was created and continued to evolve and change until it became the common diaper we all know today. While many mothers praised the disposable diaper for its absorbance and freedom, many feel that there is a hidden price to pay for the convenience of just tossing out the dirty diapers.

As we move forward we are beginning to understand the impact that our lives have on the environment, and in turn the impact that the environment has on our lives. Reports on pollution and global warming are gaining support and making people stop to think about how they are affecting the earth. As many people begin adapting their lives to try to combat the harmful effects that the typical household has on the earth cloth diapers are making a huge comeback. Disposable diapers are being put in the spotlight for their negative effects on the environment.

Because cloth diapers are not thrown out but instead washed again and again choosing to use cloth diapers is in effect daily recycling. Rather than creating more garbage cloth diapers save resources and energy. The small amount of water used to wash diapers does little to compare to the enormous amount of resources used to manufacture disposable diapers. The average child will use nearly 6000 disposable diapers in the roughly 2.5 years spent in diapers which can cost four to five trees per child to make, not to mention the added cost of the plastic for the liner and the chemicals used to both bleach the wood pulp and to create the super absorbent inside. After the cost of manufacturing the diapers we next have the cost of disposing of the diapers. The same child diapered for 2.5 years will generate two tons of waste in just diapers alone. These diapers then take nearly 500 years to fully decompose, all the while releasing the chemicals in them into the ground and into animals such as birds and rats who can be found eating at many landfills. Cloth diapers, on the other hand, are rarely thrown out. Often diapers are reused for more than one child or resold to other families to use for their children. Even after a cloth diaper has lost its usefulness as a diaper it can still be used as a cleaning rag, a burp rag, padding, and much more.

The impact of disposable diapers can also be seen on our children. Remember the 6000 diapers that the average child will wear? Those disposable diapers are filled with various chemicals in order to make them more absorbent and stronger. Day after day these chemicals are in constant contact with children with dangerous effects. Chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate are used because of its ability to absorb up to 100 times its weight in water, yet is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome, has been linked to allergic reaction, and is lethal if inhaled. Dioxin, a chemical byproduct from bleaching the wood pulp, is also found in diapers and is considered a toxic cancer causing agent by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dyes, fragrances, and other chemicals fill the disposable diapers and are linked to severe skin irritations, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting, and chemical burns.

As more studies come out we are seeing more and more health problems link with disposable diapers. In 1999 the Archives of Environmental Health reported that mice exposed to disposable diapers experienced bronchoconstriction similar to that of an asthma attack. These mice also experienced eye, nose, and throat irritation from the contact with the diapers. A German study in 2000 shown that the fertility rates in European men had a marked decrease beginning in 1975, which is shortly after disposable diapers became common. The study had also shown that boys in disposable diapers have a higher scrotal temperature than boys in cloth diapers; the higher temperatures can cause infertility in developing boys.

Aside from the environmental impact and health effects of disposable diapers, there is also a matter of cost. Purchasing the average child's 6000 disposable diapers can cost around $2000. That does not include the cost of gas to go to the store to buy the diapers and time spent buying the diapers. Paid out in small amounts over time it may not seem like much at the time, but the cost can add up. Using cloth diapers, however, can cost considerably less. Though prices vary depending on what style of diapers you use and what system, the average cost is between $500 and $900 to diaper a single child for 2.5 years. That cost can be considerably lower if you buy second hand cloth diapers or are crafty enough to make your own.

The time a child spends in diapers can be lower as well. Because of the chemicals used in disposable diapers to absorb wetness a child will feel dry despite urine being in the diaper. With cloth diapers, however, when a child urinates she will immediately feel wet. Because of this children often want to move on from diapers sooner and are better able to understand their body's cues. This can lead to earlier potty training, and an easier time of it.

Weighing the convenience of disposable diapers against the harmful and dangerous effects that they can have on our environment and our health makes it easy to see why more and more parents are making the switch to cloth. As the trend grows countless new styles of cloth diapers are being offered, many as easy or easier to use as their plastic counterparts. Even the basic white diaper is becoming a thing of the past as people are diapering their children with style and flare. Despite its short lived rein as the popular choice for parents the dangers of the disposable diaper are coming to light and cloth diapers are being seen as the safe choice for the environment, for our children, and for us.