One Thing I Really Wish People Would Stop Buying!

[K8-EEE]

...is disposable diapers. Whenever I suggest cloth diapers to new parents they look at me like I'm from another planet.

But I used them with my kids and not only are they WAY cheaper, even with a diaper service, but the kids are potty trained a year earlier than the other kids. Probably because cloth diapers do what chem treated paper doesn't; they get WET when the baby wets so there's a cause and effect thing going there.

Also, while I did buy a few throw away diapers for travelling and long day trips, I just couldn't see having my babies spend 100% of their time with these chemicals next to their skin, plus the environmental nightmare aspect of it of course.

The most amazing thing about really good cotton flannel diapers is that they are indestructible. My youngest is 10 now and I'm still using them for cleaning. Dy-Dee diaper service even sells their used diapers for cleaning rags and while it seems odd to buy used diapers, once you start using them you'll be hooked!

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

1. cloth diapers make excellent dusting rags

All three of us were potty trained pretty early, and my mom probably *still* has those cloth diapers for cleaning rags, I recall using them to dust and clean.

I won't be having any kids, but my mom would be the first to agree, cloth diapers are better to use for economical reasons, better for the kid's development and more environmentally sound by a longshot!

[lizzieforkerry]

2. We don't have diaper service in our area

It is very hard to get in the 'burbs! *sigh*

[politicat]

3. My sister had to put my nephew in disposables when he started daycare.

After my BIL was deployed to Iraq, my sister had to stop being a stay at home mom (this was mostly planned, but they were hoping to wait another few months to help my nephew finish toilet training and my sister finish her degree). His daycare - the only one in the area - refused to deal with cloth diapers and so she had to make the partial switch.

I know a lot of moms use them for the convenience, but there are times when it's not the parents' fault. They try and try and still can't make it past the prejudice. (Some people think cloth is the way of the poor and backwards, I suppose.)

Pcat

[wildeyed]

4. You are right.

I did cloth with my first, but with the second, I fell off the wagon after the first year. Just got sooooo busy. I am planning to switch back to cloth soon. I recently stopped working part time, so I should have more time and less money. Plus I have all the supplies, already, so it will be really inexpensive to go back to cloth.

[K8-EEE]

7. It's easier when they're older...

Newborns poop constantly! Wet diapers aren't as bad as the poopy ones.

Hey I admit that with my second one, I started putting her to bed in disposables hoping she would sleep through the night. It didn't seem to make any difference though.

It SEEMS easier using disposables but, they kids are in diapers FOREVER sometimes...because they never feel wet. Have you noticed how BIG they are making them these days and of course, the Pull-Ups and other paper underwear. It's like they want to keep kids in disposable products for YEARS ON END...

[wildeyed]

9. My first was a 'heavy wetter'

which made cloth more difficult as she got older. My second is more of an average wetter, so it shouldn't be as difficult once I change him back over to cloth.

I have used a service, laundered my own and used disposables, so I have seen the full spectrum of diapering options.

As far as environment issues, I think that disposables are the worst, diaper service the best and home laundering in between. Disposables use up non-renewable resources and clog landfills. Cloth uses water (renewable resource) and puts soap and chemicals into the water supply. Diaper services tend to be more economical in their use of water and soap than home laundering.

Cost issues, I think that home laundering is cheapest (especially if you line dry), with disposables and diaper services being about the same.

Convenience, disposables in a landslide. Service is second and home laundering the hardest. But doing the easiest thing is not necessarily the best thing. It would be easier to eat at McDonald's every night than it is to cook, but most of us don't do that. Because McDonald's is yucky.

You have motivated me to get back to the cloth diapers! I will go upstairs and sort them out later. My husband will not be pleased, though, he likes the disposables.

[NMDemDist2]

5. i thought of this thread yesterday as i saw a young woman at the

warehouse store in line with only two HUGE boxes of disposable diapers

if i had been next to her I (shudder LOL) might have said something

[K8-EEE]

6. OMG, For A Newborn's First Three Months....

We're talking....how many diapers? Like 10 changes a day. Seriously, hundreds of diapers in the dump for JUST ONE BABY. And the fact poop should really not be en mass in the dumps; it's spreading a lot of disease amoung birds especially.

When you use cloth diapers, you dunk them in the toilet and then they're washed do poop doesn't just amass in our landfills -- bad enough without being ensconsed in plastic!

People go, but isn't it horrible for the kids to have wet diapers? No because DUH you CHANGE THEM WHEN THEY GET WET!

Just because the chem diapers FEEL dry, they're STILL wet -- they still are exposed to the amonia when they're not changed. You gotta change newborns constantly no matter what diapers you use.

[eridani]

8. It depends--what is the water situation in your area?

There is a significant ecological cost in washing diapers as well.

[wildeyed]

10. This is true.

Diapering babies is not great for the planet, regardless of the system you choose. If you live in an drought area, disposable might be better. I have seen a more environmentally friendly, chemical free disposable at the health food store.

For me, cloth diapers were a small economic rebellion. Parents spend a HUGE amount of money on diapers. And it all goes to a few large corporations. I wanted to give the money to local business and small business, which is what using cloth does.

What would be great is if someone came up with a system for composting baby diapers. I guess you would use the same covers that you use with cloth diapers, but have a disposable absorbency layer. The absorbency layer would be used, stored in a special container after use and then pick up by a special service who would compost the waste. Maybe someday......

[K8-EEE]

11. They Use Water In The Manufacture Of Single-Use Diapers Too

It takes water to make diapers, they are made out of paper & chems & plastic all which use water.

Diaper services are the most economical in the use of water; but not everyone has access to them, I used Dy-Dee here in Los Angeles and they were GREAT! Also my kids both loved using them as sort of "binkies" or whatever your family calls them; you know how babies like to hold blankets? It's easier if they do that with the flannel diapers, there's always a clean one and you can use them to put over your shoulder too for burping...I just really enjoyed using them.

I did use disposables for long car trips or overnights and grandmas etc -- but I didn't buy them often.

[LeftyMom]

13. It actually takes more water

to produce a disposable than to wash cloth. (Or so I've read.)

[K8-EEE]

17. With The Diaper Services, That's For Sure

They have a system that uses very hot water but not a lot of it, the machines are only for washing diapers and I did read that they were more energy efficient and use less resources including water than the machines that manufacture diapers.

Home laundry, if you have a machine that does auto-pre-soak and will was a low level load with water saving features,I don't imagine it's any more irresponsible than washing you clothes.

I used the service for the first year and home laundered for the second year for both kids. I kept the pail on he back porch and washed them in hot water and borax every night. It really wasn't so bad and they both potty trained very early.

[DemBones DemBones]

12. I agree completely. But of course I also think that

all babies should be breastfed for as long as they want to be and all moms should be able to stay home and take care of their babies. Moms going back to work all too often means weaning baby from the breast and putting baby in disposable diapers, not to even mention all the good things about staying home with young children.

Disposables are very useful when traveling with a baby but people have really bought into an unnecessary expense when using them all the time.

Worst of all are the people who toss used, usually poopy, disposables out car windows or leave them on the back of toilets in public restrooms. Yuck! Whatever happened to consideration for others?

[sandnsea]

14. Tushies

I was thinking about getting a little set of green baby things for my daughter. But I'm not sure about how they compare to the other products on the market, either in quality or price. Any input would be appreciated. I highly doubt she's going to use cotton and our water has tons of chemicals in it anyway.

http://www.kokogm.com/Green_Market/DiapersWipes.html

[Ilsa]

15. Mistake. n/t

[crispini]

16. You know, when I lived in Thailand, they had a really

simple way of handling this. First, you need to understand that all of their houses have wood or concrete floors. And, it's a tropical climate. Diaper = rash, really fast. So, they often just carried their babies around bare-arsed, and kind of held the child away from them when it was peeing. Then they'd just clean up the pee. Same with poop.

Clearly not practical here, of course, unless you had hardwood or concrete floors everywhere. But interesting nonetheless. And brilliantly simple.

[phylny]

18. My husband remembers being on his tour of duty in Korea

and suddenly seeing a baby's butt hanging out the window. Poop, pee, splat, done.

He still grins about the phenomenon to this day.

[LeftyMom]

21. People do something similar here

It's called Elimination Communication (EC) but most of the EC'ing families I know use diapers for backup at least for the first few months.

[marlakay]

19. I used them on both of my kids but the disposable ones

are so easy and most new moms work that it will be hard even with a diaper service. Most all daycare uses it and says you have to provide them with disposable ones.

I agree they are bad, but its like going back to cooking over an open fire. Its one invention that really does make things easier even though awful for the environment.

[OnionPatch]

20. I switched to cloth

when my daughter was about 4 months old thinking it would be better for the environment.

We added a hand shower to the tub that reached the toilet so diapers would be easier to rinse out. We bought special no-smell diaper pails. I found patterns and made my own diapers and bought wraps online. I had to haul diapers up and down icy, winter steps to the laundry room several times a day. Still it was a really satisfying feeling.... until I read somewhere on the Sierra Club website that in arid western areas where water is a concern and landfill space isn't, it's probably better for the environment to just use the disposables. :wtf:

Well, at least the harmful chemicals weren't against my baby's skin anymore.