More Great Diaper Debates: Disposable and Biodegradable Diapers

The most popular method of caring for our babies bottoms is disposable diapers. These are the ones everyone recognizes, and name brands include Huggies, Luv's, Pampers, Playschool and many generic or store brand disposable diapers. They are made of:

Polyethylene Film: stop leaking out of the diaper.
Tissue: This is used to help the manufacturing process, as a carrier for the pad. It comes from the Kraft paper process.
Hot Melts: used to glue the different components of the diaper, such as the pad and the elastics and are made of a mixture of resins, and oils.
Hydrophobic Non-woven: It is used as a top sheet for the leg cuffs, it will not allow water to pass trough. It is made of polypropylene without any treatment.
Hydrophilic Non-woven: It is the main top sheet in contact with the baby skin; it allows the liquids to flow into the diaper core. The difference between the two non-woven's is the surfactant treatment used in the process.
Elastics: Used to improve the fit of the diaper and are usually made of polyurethane foam, rubber or lycras.
Lateral Tapes: made of polypropylene and hot melt and used to hold the diaper in place once it is on the baby.
Frontal Tape: Used for repositioning without tearing of the tabs.
Cellulose: Used to create the "pad" of the diaper. It is the absorbent material.

Advantages: Convenient, easy to use, less frequent changing.

Disadvantages: Landfills, disposable diapers do not break down. As a result not only are they building up in landfills but whatever waste is contained in the diaper remains there. Dogs and other animals are attracted to your trash, smelly trash in the house. Less frequent changing can lead to diaper rash as the material appears to be dry, but is really wet. The toxins contained in these ingredients seep into the eco-system causing long term damage.
Note, one way of environmentally using disposable diapers includes emptying whatever waste you can before you toss it into the trash.

However there is also an alternative to disposable diapers. These are Biodegradable Disposable Diapers. Biodegradable diapers would include the name brands of Seventh Generation, Nature Babycare, and Tushies.

Seventh Generation is also the manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products. This may be how many recognize the name. Diapers by this manufacturer are chlorine free, hypo-allergenic, fragrance and latex free. For more information about this diaper read, this product review by AC Content Producer, Juniper.

Nature Babycare diapers are chlorine-free, do not contribute to dioxin pollution, uses 100 % natural based back sheet and 100 % natural distribution layer, with no plastic. There are oil based plastics against baby's skin. No latex, fragrance, or TBT (tributyl tin) are used in these diapers and they have been awarded the Awarded the Eco Label "Good Environmental Choice" of Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) and were the Winner of the 06-07 Silver Award for "Best Disposable Diaper," featured in Mother & Baby Magazine, a leading UK baby magazine. They have only recently become available in the United States.

Tushies are rapidly becoming one of the US most popular biodegradable diapers. They are not animal tested, contain no animal ingredients or by-products, they are made in the US with domestic raw materials, are certified Non-Chlorine, using bleached wood pulp from Scandinavian sustainable, renewable, family-owned forests.

Advantages: Biodegradable diapers have all the advantages of disposable diapers and very few of the disadvantages.

Disadvantages: Some may argue that since this type of diaper is new, and not many studies have been conducted to prove their benefits to a baby's health and the environment that they are not a good alternative to cloth diapers. Many biodegradable brands are not high quality, not absorbent or may contain fluid absorbing gel that is just as harmful to the environment as many of the ingredients in disposable diapers.

Bottom Line: Remember no matter what your choice in diapers; the most important thing is caring for your child or newborn, so make your choice based on what works for you and your lifestyle. If it no longer works for you, then change it. There are many that strongly advocate cloth diapers; however, it is important to also choose the best option for your child and family as well as the environment.

If you find that you have chosen to use a diaper that may not be considered environmentally friendly be sure to consider some extra steps you can take in your home to offset the environmental disadvantages that some diaper choices make. For example if you choose disposable diapers, try using wash cloths instead of wipes for cleaning. If you choose cloth diapers and now have additional water and detergents used, try making sure you set your washing machine and dryer properly for the size loads you have to save energy; try to use products like Purex or Arm and Hammer Essentials to wash your clothing. Being environmentally conscious does not always mean making the "right" choice of the most politically correct one. But at least with this information you may be better able to make an informed decision and do what you are capable of doing, what you can afford, what works for you and your family. If you choose to use an item in one area of your life that is not eco-friendly or not always the most green decision; then be sure to take extra steps in other areas to be more eco-friendly in ways that you can.

For advantages and disadvantages of cloth vs disposable diapers, please visit The Great Diaper Debate: Diapers and the Environment