Why cloth diaper?

I knew even before I got pregnant that I wanted to cloth diaper. I was allergic to EVERYTHING as a baby, so my mom had to cloth diaper me. Back then, it was a pain in the butt and very messy. Now a days, cloth diapers have become very user friendly. In fact, there are more varies of cloth than of disposable! This became a huge problem when I started researching all the different kinds and styles. I was drowning in a sea of choices. I didn't know where to begin, so I began asking lots of questions. I hope this will be helpful to those who are considering going cloth.

What's the cost?

The following figures were calculated using an average price of name brand and store brand disposable diapers and wipes at a Walmart Super Center in Sterling, IL on 5/18/04. The number of diapers was calculated averaging the number of times a baby goes to the bathroom per day at different stages. Even though disposable diapers have a super absorbent core, they still should be changed every time the baby wets to prevent the growth of bacteria, which causes diaper rash. The low end of the diapers per day range was used in figuring all totals.
Disposable Diapers

0-3 months 10-12 diapers/day 90 x 10 = 900	Size 1 $.17/diaper $153.00
3-12 months 8-10 diapers/day 270 x 8 = 2160	Size 3 $.21/diaper $453.60
12-30 months 7-8 diapers/day 540 x 7 = 3780	Size 5 $.25/diaper $945.00
Total number of diapers 6840	Total Cost for Disposables $1551.60

Add another $200.00 for disposable wipes for a total of $1751.60 for 30 months of disposable diapers and wipes. This is per child.
The price for cloth diapers was figured using Infant size CPF diapers for the first 6 months and Premium CPFs from about 6 months until potty training. Plus the cost of 6 size small covers, 4 medium covers, and 4 large wrap style covers at $9.50 each. This should be enough diapers to do laundry every 3 days.

Cloth diapers - Most Economical Chinese Prefold Diapers with wrap style covers

0-6 months 36 CPFs 6 small size covers	$60.00 $57.00 total $117.00
6-30 months 24 CPFs 4 medium size covers 4 large size covers	$56.00 $38.00 38.00 total $132.00
	Total Cost for Cloth Diapers and Covers $249.00

The following chart shows that you can use even premium pocket style diapers and still save significantly over the cost of disposable diapers. It compares the cost of bumGenius One-Size diapers ($16.95 each when buying 12 or more diapers at once). BumGenius fit most babies from birth to potty training. This should be plenty of diapers and inserts to do laundry every 3 days.
Cloth Diapers - bumGenius One-Size (fits 8-35 lbs)

36 bumGenius $16.95 ea.	$610.20
	Total Cost for Premium Diapering System $610.20

Add $24.00 for 24 Cloth Wipes and Cloth Diapers cost you $273.00-$634.20 and they can be used for subsequent children as well.

Total Savings $1117.40-$1478.60

What are the health concerns?

The greatest concern for parents is to keep their baby’s skin dry, healthy and free from diaper rash. Many things can cause diaper rash. Prolonged wetness, lack of air circulation, soap, chemical and dye allergies, ammonia formed by bacteria that interacts with urine left sitting against the skin and the growth of microbes in the diaper area can all be irritating and cause rashes.

Some concerns about disposable diapers have been about dyes, sodium polyacrylate (the super absorbent gel), and dioxin, which is a by-product of bleaching paper. Sodium polyacrylate has been linked in the past to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions and is very harmful and potentially lethal to pets. Some dyes and dioxin according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver. The (FDA) Food & Drug Administration has received reports that fragrances in disposables caused headaches, dizziness and rashes. Problems reported to the Consumer Protection Agency regarding disposables include, chemical burns, noxious chemical and insecticide odors, babies pulling disposables apart and putting pieces of plastic into their noses and mouth, choking on tab papers and linings, plastic melting onto the skin, and ink staining the skin. Plastic tabs can also tear skin if the diaper is not properly put on the baby.

According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 54 % of one-month old babies using disposable diapers had rashes, 16 % having severe rashes. A study done by a disposable diapers manufacturing company (we won’t name the company, but it's one of the largest manufacturers) shows that the incidence of diaper rash increased from 7.1% to 61% with the increased use of throwaway disposable diapers.

Keep in mind that each baby is different; some parents will find their baby does perfectly fine with disposables while other parents may find their baby has some type of reaction to disposables.

On the other hand cloth diapers can cause rashes by not being changed enough or properly cleaned and sanitized after becoming soiled.

It is all a matter of personal preference, how your baby is reacting to a particular diaper and how you feel about other factors that come into play when deciding between cloth and disposables.

The best way to prevent diaper rash is to change diapers, cloth or disposable, frequently. While disposable diapers can hold large quantities of urine, this slight wetness is still against your baby’s skin, which can lead to rashes. Cloth diapers should be changed every time your baby wets and then the diaper should be properly cleaned so all bacteria that may be in the cloth is killed.


How does it effect the Environment?

There has been much debate over the impact of disposable diapers and cloth diapers on the environment. The pro-disposable diaper advocates say that the extra water used to wash cloth diapers is just as much of an abuse to the environment as the production and disposal of disposable diapers. But taking into consideration the following estimates you will probably agree that disposable diapers are much more harmful to the environment than cloth diapers.

It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone. Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing.

The untreated waste placed in landfills by dirty disposable diapers is also a possible danger to contaminating ground water. Pro-disposable advocates say that cleaning cloth diapers uses more energy and contributes to the load on sanitary sewer systems and potential water pollution. This view really makes no sense if you think about it. The amount of water used per week to wash cloth diapers at home is about the same amount consumed by an adult flushing the toilet four or five times daily for a week. Also, the greater amount of water and energy being used by diaper service companies to wash large amounts of cloth diapers multiple times; the per diaper impact on energy and water supplies is actually less than home washing.

Finally, when flushing solids from a cloth diaper down the toilet and washing the diapers in a washing machine, the contaminated, dirty water from both toilet and washing machine go into the sewer systems where they are properly treated at waste water plants. This treated waste water is much more environmentally friendly than dumping untreated soiled disposable diapers into a landfill.


How convenient are they?

With the newer style of cloth diapers that are on the market, disposable diapers are not much more convenient that cloth diapers. The new multiple layer, Velcro fastening cloth diapers are just as easy to put on and take off as disposables. Cloth diapers do not really need to be presoaked, or even rinsed out. Flushable liners can be used with cloth diapers that let you lift the soiled liner off the cloth and flush the liner and the poop down the toilet. If you don’t use liners, you can just dump the older baby’s solids down the toilet. Cloth diapers usually only add about 2 extra loads of laundry a week to your schedule.

Disposable diapers are more convenient when traveling because you can just throw the dirty diapers away without carrying them around for washing. Disposables also require fewer changes because of the super absorbent materials; but taking into consideration the increased risks of rash and the extra impact on the environment, your decision should be made with much thought.


What are the different types of cloth diapers?

　

Flats are a square piece of material with the same absorbency across the whole diaper. Most are a single layer, some are double. Flats wash easy and dry fast (great for hand washing and hang drying). Pins are simple to use with flats but a snappi will work as well. Flats are very trim but have to be changed often.

Prefolds are also a square piece of material but have a center strip of extra absorbency. You may see 4-8-4 or 2-6-2 indicators by different prefolds. This refers to the layers in each "section". On each of the outer sides would be 4 layers and in the middle would be 8, for example. Prefolds can be fastened with pins, snappi or trifolded and laid in a cover. They also are easy to handwash and dry. Cost is very low. New, high quality prefolds can be purchased for around $2.00 each. Prefolds are very versatile in that you can also use them as pocket stuffers.

Fitteds are a cloth diaper that also requires a cover but has elastic and fasteners on the diaper. Fitteds come in every material and cover imaginable. They can be fastened with snaps or aplix (velcro). The most common questioned asked by new cloth diaper parents is "why spend money on a cute fitted when it just has to be covered?" Valid question that I myself asked. It can be answered in a couple of ways: 1) we all like pretty underwear 2) you can let your little one go coverless and change them often. Fitteds are "easy" to make (easy meaning you can use materials you have in your house) and are therefore the biggest category of diaper made by WAHMs. Fitteds take longer to dry and need to be thoroughly washed and rinsed to prevent buildup.

Pockets are a simple 2 layer diaper. The outer layer is waterproof and the inner is a soft material for next to baby. A pocket is left at the top of the diaper for you to put in the absorbency between the outer and inner layers. You are free to adjust the thickness depending on your baby’s needs. Prefolds cause more bulk but are absorbent, whereas microfiber is super trim. The choices for inserts is limitless. You could even use a towel or receiving blanket if your left in a pinch. Pockets can also be used as covers or swim diapers. They dry fast and for the most part wash up easy. Buildup can occur on the inner layer and "material" can get trapped inside the pocket when washing.

All In Ones are the cloth diaper most similar to a disposable. Everything you need is there in the diaper- no stuffing, no cover required. All In Ones look very different across different brands. Some have the soaker sewn in, others have it partially attached outside the diaper to allow for quick-drying (you will see this referred to as QD). All In Ones can be very trim but others are quite bulky. AIO are easy to use for anyone (daycares, babysitters, dads!) but do have some washing drawbacks. They take longer to dry and can trap detergent and urine smells inside the soaker if not rinsed very well.



How do you care for them?

Each type of cloth diaper requires differant care. Basically, all cloth diapers need to be taken apart, rinsed out, and washed. After you use them for awhile, you'll find your own rythum when it comes to diaper care. It's not hard, if you know what to do. I found this guide online to all things cloth diaper: http://ultimateguidetoclothdiapers.com/#1

If you use flushable liners one top of the diaper, it will catch the poop and you won't have to worry about poopy stains.