New parenthood brings many considerations and challenges as well as great joy. One decision to be made is the type of diaper to be used. While many parents opt for the ease of disposable diapers, others are returning to cloth diapers.
Environmentally and economically, cloth diapers are the way to go. While they require more effort – including an extra load of laundry every 3-4 days – there are many benefits. Below are some points to consider before deciding which diaper is ideal for your child:
Benefits
- excluding the additional water used to wash the diapers, there is no waste. In addition, cloth diapers can be hung to dry, further reducing the need to use energy. (Though improvements are being made, disposable diapers are currently partially compostable, still containing material that remains in landfill sites for hundreds of years).
- allows the skin to breath and contains no harsh chemicals, such as sodium polyacrylate and chlorine.
- cost-effective: long-term savings (initial cost: several hundred dollars, depending on what cloth diaper is selected – cheapest option are pre-folds)
- rashes clear up faster
- reusable for future siblings (hence more long-term savings…)
- may potty-train more easily as the child can feel and respond to the moisture of the cloth diaper more readily
- today, diaper covers allow for wrapping your baby without the use of pins: an added plus.
- there are many options for cloth diapers – with differing levels of convenience and financial investment. Organic cotton is also available. [Some related websites: www.parentingbynature.com, www.ecobotts.ca, www.betterbabybums.com]
Cons
- require changing approximately every 2 hours
- may leak
- more bulky (may need larger size clothing)
- need to wash diapers immediately after becoming soiled and then again after 3-4 days (while this can be outsourced to a local diaper washing service, I find it is quite workable to manage from home). Using liners will make it easier to clean.
- difficult to travel with cloth diapers (can be messy)
- some daycares may not accept cloth diapers
- overall less convenient (trade-off between cost/environment v.s. convenience)
With pre-fold cloth diapers, consider having approximately 36 on hand to last for 3-4 days between washes. Use a natural laundry detergent (e.g. NatureClean) to minimize residue build up as well as harsh chemicals, and avoid fabric softeners.
Options
There are also ‘green’ options for disposable diapers. Seventh Generation, the most readily available choice (in Toronto), offers chlorine-free, fragrance and latex free hypoallergenic diapers. However, it does contain an absorbent polymer (gel) that is commonly used in most disposables to draw away moisture from the body. A ‘greener’ choice is Nature Babycare Disposables which do not use any oil-based plastics (corn-based materials are used instead).
Many parents opt for a disposable diaper over night (to limit nighttime diaper changes), while using cloth diapers during the day. This is the option I use, and find it meets our needs perfectly. Like anything, once a routine is established, it becomes manageable. Even the added effort of cleaning cloth diapers can be nicely worked into daily tasks. Be flexible: become informed and make the best choices to suit your needs.