Green Living: Earth Friendly Diapers

While many people know about cloth diapers, other earth friendly diapers are making their way onto today's market. There is also a controversy about third world methods of baby waste, and the other controversy of cloth versus traditional disposables is becoming a hot topic on forums, gDiapers came up with a healthy alternative to these other methods.

My sister opted for cloth nappies. She simply ordered a couple weeks worth from the diaper cleaning company, washed them, and started using them. While I agree with her that I do not want the chemicals form the diaper cleaning agency on my baby, I also don't want the hassle of cleaning those dirty cloth nappies, soaking them in solution, and scraping off the poo. Not did I want to waste my time and effort or the energy usage from running the washing machine, first to clean the diaper and second to disinfect it before cleaning my cloths. I had neither the time nor patience, especially since I work full time.

I also knew that I did not want to fill up the landfills with non-biodegradable diapers that take up to 500 years to disintegrate into soil. Not did I want to place petroleum and unnatural products filled with chemicals onto my babies bum. Those disposable diapers off of supermarket shelves are literally filled with toxic chemicals and preservatives. It's no wonder that our children are coming down with cancerous tumors and other ailments.

When I did my research into the chemicals used in manufacturing both disposable diapers and cloths diapers as well as those put off by the products while in use, I freaked. There had to be a better solution.

I also thought of the ecological imprint the diapers had on the environment. Both cloth and disposable diapers waste about the same amount of energy. That means that they both use just about the same amount of coal and fossil fuels between their manufacturing and their use.

Eco-Friendly Diapers

While out shopping with a friend she had the brilliant idea to take me down to a natural food supermarket. Now she knows that I love shopping at these yuppy places. Not because I am an argyle wearing, tree hugging yuppie, but because I like taking the forward approach in life. That is, preventing the use of toxic and ecologically unsound living by making choices about what I use.

I came across gdiapers. I looked them over and didn't see anything remarkable about them. I sat the bag back on the shelf and moved on in my shopping search for a better laundry soap. (7^th generation is the best I have found so far!) it was then that she pointed them out to me and mentioned how great it was that a company finally came out with a flushable solution to nappies.

Flushable?

That's right, a flushable, biodegradable, compostable solution. I started my research. After browsing the online website and then some forums about gDiapers I was convinced. You should see them work. In less than a week they decomposed into the ground with no trace left. When flushed, they break down before your eyes into a pulpy flushable mass.

Here's how these earth friendly diapers work. If you want to flush them, which you should do with the poopy ones, simply tear apart the liner and drop it into the toilet. Stir it with the handy stick and flush. No toilet nearby? Relax, tossing these into a sealed bag for flushing at home is not problem. However, you can also feel free to drop them into any public toilet or trash-can. They really will biodegrade in just a few days.

And as far as the just wet ones go, you can compost that right into your compost pile. The human urine is generally hygienic and is healthy for your plants. You can feel free to toss them into the toilet too if composting is not your thing.

gDiapers are a simple concept. There is an organic nylon inner liner that holds the liner, and outer little g-pants. There is no plastic involved. And the Velcro closures are safe for the babies compares to the safety pins of cloth diapers. The inner liner is flushable and the outer liner washable by hand or in the wash. The outer pant is also washable and comes in many different colors.

A cost comparison I did showed me that I could actually save by buying little g's. For one thing the liners take up less space, so buying a large package of refills is quite comparable to regular disposables. And I would not have to purchase all that extra soap, water, and energy to wash the cloth ones myself.

I have since heard of other earth friendly diapers on the market. I have not tried them, so I advise all concerned mothers, fathers, care givers, babysitters, and day care providers to do their research into the production and ingredients as well as perform a cost analysis on the diapers they purchase. Take careful consideration into what chemicals you are putting onto your baby's extra sensitive bodies and lungs, and also those you are putting back into the environment.