Why cloth diapers?
Convince Me To Cloth Diaper
Okay, so when I heard about cloth diapers, I wanted to know WHY should I do that extra work. I didn't care about all the cute prints and fluffy materials. I was more concerned about why you would mess with poo if you could just wipe it up and throw it away.
Well, when I finally decided to research cloth diapering, here's what I came up with. Cloth diapers cost much less overall. It costs about $2500 to diaper your child for 2.5 years with disposable diapers. Compared to around $700 for a mid-grade diapering system. What could your family do with that savings of around $1500?
The most convincing reason to cloth diaper for me was the chemicals in disposables. In May 2000 Greenpeace found TBT (tribulytin) in Pampers Baby Dry in Germany. TBT is one of the most toxic substances ever made. It harms the immune systems and impairs the hormonal system. Small amounts of the carcinogen dioxin have been detected in disposables. Dioxin causes liver disease, genetic damage, and suppresses the immune system. It is a byproduct of bleaching with chlorine gas and is banned in a majority of countries, except the US. Sodium polyacrylate is banned from tampons because of the higher risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome. This chemical is found in the gel balls of the diapers. You sometimes see them on baby's skin when changing him. The skin is the largest organ in the body. It is also very porous, especially when they are babies because their skin is not completely developed, so it will soak up all the chemicals over 2.5 years from the diapers.
Another reason is that babies have less diaper rash. There are numerous reasons for this. One reason is less chemicals, another is the babies are changed more frequently. The materials of cloth diapers are breathable, so air gets to the babies skin. Whereas with disposables there is plastic over your babies skin. Children who are cloth diapered also potty train earlier bc they are used to being dry most of the time. So they will want to potty train sooner.
There is much more info on cloth diapering and many more reasons to. So hopefully this article has you thinking that it is more than just a trend but a better start for your child's health. Oh, and I forgot, if you are concerned about it, diapers account for much of our landfill waste. Also, disposable diapers are not biodegradable. There is also a concern for our water supply thatt, all of the run-off from leaky landfills ends up in the waters supply untreated. So, if you throw away your diapers then you are adding lots of your baby's poo to the landfill and our water supply without it being treated.