Here is a link to a great article which brings to light many of the reasons Andy and I have chosen to use cloth: http://diaperjungle.com/why-use-cloth-diapers.html For anyone who does not wish to read the entire article, here are a few excerpts from it that I consider important and somewhat shocking facts regarding disposable diapers:
“Most parents go through 6 to 8 thousand diapers per child, from birth to about age three. If we take an average of what those diapers cost, that equates to between 2000 and 3000 dollars per baby. Once those children are potty trained those diapers are gone. They can’t be re-used. So a significant chunk of our hard earned money has gone to buying what is essentially garbage. In comparison, enough cloth diapers to last for three years will usually cost between 3 to 8 hundred dollars. At a minimum that is about a 1200 dollar savings. But wait Consider, too, that those cloth diapers may last for one or more successive children and your savings doubles and even triples. Of course, it is difficult to make any hard and fast statements in this regard because of the varying costs of diapers, electricity, water, and detergents. Yes, cloth diapers will usually mean an extra one to three loads of laundry a week, but if everyone were to weigh the extra costs of their electricity, water usage, and detergent, I think they would be pleasantly surprised. These costs are infinitesimal compared to the cost of expensive disposable diapers.”
“Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, skin diseases, and genetic damage, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers. Trace quantities may even exist in the diapers themselves! Dioxin is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of cancer related chemicals.”
“Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.”
“Disposable diapers also contain sodium polyacrylate. If you have ever seen the gel-like, super absorbant crystals in a disposable, then you have seen this first hand. Sodium polyacrylate is the same substance that was removed from tampons because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. No studies have been done on the long-term effects of this chemical being in contact with a baby's reproductive organs 24 hours a day for upwards of two years.”
“According to the Sustainability Institute, eighty percent of the diaperings in the United States are done with disposables. That comes to 18 BILLION diapers a year, just in the U.S. alone! These throw-away diapers require thousands of tons of plastic and hundreds of thousands of trees to manufacture. After a few hours of active service, these used diapers are trucked away, primarily to landfills, where they sit as neatly wrapped packages of excrement, entombed or mummified, undegraded for several hundred years. The idea of a "disposable" diaper is a myth; the ramifications of which will stay with us for centuries to come. They are the third largest single product in the waste stream behind newspapers and beverage containers. The urine and feces in disposable diapers enter landfills untreated, possibly contaminating the ground water supply.”
And with that, we were sold!
The choices in the world of “CDing” are innumerable. I remember the rectangular cotton diapers and waterproof rubber pants that I wore as a little girl, and initially thought that these were still the only choice. They are not. Many people DO still use that system… For one thing, it is the most cost effective route. That type of diaper is called a prefold: A rectangle of cotton with more layers in the middle than on the side. We will be using some prefolds, here is a picture of one:
Another great thing... no more pins! They make this nifty thinger-jinger now called a snappi! It is stretchy, and has small plastic hooks on each of the three ends much like an ace bandage fastener. Here is a picture of our lion (what we use to test out all of Camryn's diapers and baby gear as it roughly newborn size) wearing a prefold fastened with a snappi:
Cool, huh?
In addition to prefolds, we will be using fitteds, pockets, and all-in-ones. Fitteds are a diaper made of an absorbent material (cotton, bamboo, etc), with elastic around the legs and waist, and snap or Velcro closures. Like the prefolds, they require a waterproof cover. Here is what fitteds look like, inside and out:
The cute patterns are just a bonus...you can get fitted diapers with almost any print of knit cotton fabric on the outside. They are adorable! The absorbent layers on the inside (the loose flaps of material you see in the picture) usually snap out of the diaper to cut down on the drying time. If everything was sewn together, the center of the diaper would be much thicker and harder to dry.
Pockets are a diaper “shell” with a waterproof outer layer, a fabric inner layer, and an opening between them where an absorbent “insert” is placed. Like the fitteds, pockets have snap or Velcro closures, but with the waterproof outer layer, a separate cover is not required. Here is a picture showing a closed pocket diaper, the inside of one, and what the insert looks like:
All-in-ones (AIOs for short) are just that… all in one. Literally the same as a disposable diaper, except that you wash them rather than throwing them away. They are all one piece, and again, close with snaps or Velcro and no cover required. Here is a visual of the outside and the inside:
Believe it or not, there are as many choices for covers as there are for the diapers themselves. The three types we will be using are polyurethane laminate (PUL), fleece, and wool. PUL covers are fabric with a PUL backing. They are most similar to the old fashioned “rubber pants”, though they usually come in a wrap style now with Velcro or snap closures, rather than in a pull-on style. Fleece covers are just that…fleece. It is water resistant and non-absorbent, meaning that if you have it on over a diaper, it tends to keep the moisture on the inside against the diaper, rather than wicking it to the outside and onto clothing, bedding, etc. And lastly, wool. You are probably thinking to yourself “she’s crazy”, and I thought wool-users were crazy too when I first heard about this material being used on a baby! I have since learned that wool is water repellent, breathable, and is not always scratchy! Here is a picture showing examples of different types of covers: PUL (top left), fleece (top right), wool interlock(bottom left) and knit wool (bottom right).
PUL covers are great because, since it has a plastic-like inside, you can wipe it clean (if a damp diaper has been against it) and reuse it a few times before washing it. Fleece is nice because, unlike PUL, it is breathable. This allows some airflow between the baby’s skin and the outside, keeping them cooler and reducing the risk of diaper rash developing. Wool is great for the reasons listed at the end of the previous paragraph. It is breathable like fleece, cooler, and can be used for a good length of time before it requires washing. Here is a link to a great little article on using wool as a diaper cover: http://www.fuzbaby.com/articles/diaper-article_wool-science.htmWool interlock covers are soft and stretchy… I think this is going to be my favorite type of cover. People also use knitted wool as covers…shorts, pants, skirts, bloomers, you name it! There are some really adorable knit wool garments out there, often made by work-at-home moms, that are just to die for. I like these too, especially all of the beautiful colors they come in. In fact, I am having Camryn’s “coming home outfit” custom knit out of hand-dyed wool by a work-at-home mom as we speak.
We are starting out with a variety of CDing systems, and we are looking forward to figuring out what works best for us. My guess is that different systems will work best for different circumstances (for example, pockets and AIOs at daycare and for grandparents, prefolds and wool for me when I want Camryn’s bum to air out a bit, etc). You can expect updates and action shots as we learn and grow as a cloth-diapering family.
Any questions? :-P
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