Home -> Links/Info -> I actually enjoy diaper changes

I actually enjoy diaper changes
© By Anthea Halpryn

Those 5 little words from a cloth diapering friend of mine, changed my view of diapering forever.

Most people wonder what’s best, midwife or hospital, breast or bottle, store brand or Huggies diapers. In this age of ultra-convenience, most people overlook one of the most practical, economical, safest and easiest methods of diapering, cloth diapers. In a world made smaller by the internet, where you now have access to products and businesses that you could never reach before, cloth diapers are making a big comeback. Why?

Cost:

Some people say it’s simple economics. Each disposable diaper change will cost you from about 20-25 cents for small sizes, to 34 cents or more for the large sizes. The ‘Supreme’ styles can cost you as much as 50 cents per diaper. It’s hard to imagine how much you’re spending on disposable diapers when the cost is worked into your grocery bill! Think about it, in the 1st year of your child’s life you could be changing up to 12 diapers per day. That works out to $1,092 and that’s just in the 1st year! After that the diapers get significantly more expensive as the child grows. By the time your child is 2 ½ years old you will have purchased approximately 6,235 diapers. By the time your child is potty trained you will have literally spent thousands of dollars on plastic diapers.

On the other hand, if you use cloth diapers from day one, you will spend anywhere from $500.00-$1,000.00 total. That is from birth to potty training and includes the cost of washing the diapers at an average of 60 cents per load. That’s less then 1/3 of what you would spend on disposable diapers. Look at it this way; the cost of washing your diapers for a year comes out to slightly more than the cost purchasing disposable diapers for one month!

There are added benefits too. Cloth diapered children usually potty train earlier then disposable diapered children. Another advantage with cloth is that you only have to invest in diapers once. If you take good care of your diapers by not using bleach and harsh detergents you can reuse your diapers for your next child, pass them on to your friends or neighbors, or donate them to needy families or shelters.

Health/Environment:

Others chose cloth diapers because of health and safety concerns. Did you know that disposable diapers contain some really questionable ingredients that frankly, I don’t want to expose my children to? The highly toxic hazardous waste, Dioxin, which is a paper bleaching by-product of the disposable diaper manufacturing process, had been shown to cause birth defects, skin diseases, liver damage and cancer. Then there is sodium polyacrylate. This is the same ingredient that was removed from tampons over 10 years ago because of its links to toxic shock syndrome. That’s what they use to make disposables ultra-absorbent. Did you ever see those gel beads you have to clean off your baby’s bottom? Well that’s the sodium polycrylate. The long-term health effects of exposure to sodium polycrylate, 24 hours a day for 2+ years are unknown. It’s a risk I’m not willing to take.

Let’s take a look at the environmental impact of plastic diapers. According to the EPA, it takes about a ¼ MILLION trees and nearly 82,000 tons of plastic to manufacture disposable diapers.18 BILLION diapers make their way into landfills each year. As I mentioned earlier in this article you will use approximately 6,235 disposable diapers over 2 ½ years. Imagine a pile of 6 thousand diapers, then imagine 6 thousand more for each of your friend’s children, neighbor’s kids. Now think of how many babies are born in the US each year (and these figures are steadily rising). Now take into account that the billions of diapers thrown in landfills each year won’t decompose in your lifetime, or your kid’s lifetime. Plastic diapers can take as long as 500 years to decompose. Your great-great-great-great-great-great grandkids will still have the same diapers in their landfills that your kids wore.

Is Cloth Easy?

I think so. You do have to change them about every 2-3 hours during the day and you also have to wash them about 2-3 times a week. I find that it’s not much more time then you would spend taking dirty diapers to the trash outside a few times a week. Folding the washed diapers isn’t necessary so it’s just a matter of a few minutes to throw them into the washer and dryer or hang drying them in the backyard. When they are done toss them into a basket near your changing area.

The bottom line is that cloth diapering gives you a certain sense of satisfaction that just isn’t there with disposable diapering. It’s cheaper, it’s more convenient, it’s a lot healthier for my children and for the environment. I laugh as I watch the latest ad campaigns for plastic diapers. Each company tries to make their brand “more like cloth”, or “cloth-like outer layer” Ever wonder why they try harder and harder to imitate cloth? Give cloth a try and you’ll see.

Anthea Halpryn is a wife and SAHM of 3children. She is the owner of SAHM Cloth Diapers. SAHM Cloth Diapers has been serving the community for over 5 years and has been featured by the Web Design and Developers Association as Small Business of the Month. For more information please visit her site at www.sahmdiapers.com

For more environmental information go to www.epa.gov