Disposable vs. Cloth Diapers: The Real Difference
Disposable vs. Cloth Diapers:
The Real Difference
As a parent, you want to make sure that you’re giving your baby only the very best. When it comes to diapers, you may be trying to decide whether or not to use disposable diapers or go with cloth diapers. Here’s a breakdown of common concerns about both disposable and cloth diapers.Health
Every parent wants to ensure that their child starts life healthy, free of toxins that can harm him. A baby spends most of his day in diapers. But choosing to use a disposable diaper exposes your child to chemicals which can be toxic. Among these chemicals are dioxin, a cancer causing chemical which has been banned in many countries and tributyl-tin (TBT), a chemical that can cause hormonal imbalances. The trim fit of modern disposable diapers is due to a compound called sodium polyacrylate. This super absorbent material has been banned from use in tampons due to its association with toxic shock syndrome.Monetary and Environmental Costs
Disposable diapers are touted for their convenience. Use them once, throw them away. Easy, right? But even if the cost per diaper seems to be less than cloth, the cost is continual and really adds up over time. The cost for diapering a baby in disposable diapers from birth through potty training at approximately 3 years of age averages a whopping $2,600.The average baby in a disposable diapers will go through about 8,000 diapers from birth until potty training. Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in municipal landfills and constitutes more than 2% of the total waste in municipal landfills . These disposable diapers can take anywhere from 250 to even 500 years to biodegrade! A diaper thrown into the trash today would biodegrade sometime around the year 2500.
In contrast,the average cost of cloth diapering ranges from about $800 to $1,600 over the same period, including washing and drying. Though cloth diapering seems to cost more in the beginning, it saves a great deal of money during the time your baby is in diapers. The savings becomes even more dramatic when a family uses cloth diaper for subsequent children.
Simple to Use and Care For
When you mention cloth diapers to many people, they instantly imagine the cloth diapers of yesteryear — huge flat diapers that you need to be an expert to fold, held together by pins, covered by rubber pants, prone to leaks, etc. Yuck! Why go through all that trouble when disposable diapers are so simple? Just wrap it around the baby and go!Cloth diapers have come a long way from their predecessors. Pockets and all in one diapers are just as easy as their disposable counterparts! No pins or folding. Just velcro or snap around your baby and go! For those who prefer to use more traditional flat or prefold diapers, a rubber closure called a Snappi makes closing these diapers fast and safe, with no fear of getting pricked by diaper pins! Cloth diapers are easy to clean, too. They are machine washable and can be either line dried or tumble dried.
Fashion
Aside from a few printed characters on the waist, disposable diapers are drab and just do not have a lot of personality. But today’s cloth diapers come in all colors, including fun prints. Whether you choose to use all-in-ones, pockets or fitteds and prefolds with covers, you are sure to find a fun color combo to love. Cloth diapers are really cute and are a great way to add a little pizazz to your little one’s wardrobe!When comparing disposable and cloth diapers, it is clear to see that cloth diapers have a distinct advantage over disposables. With cloth, there is no worry of health concerns due to harmful chemicals. Cloth diapers will not take up space in landfills and harm the environment yet they are just as simple and convenient to use as disposables. All this and they’re cute to boot! Check out cloth diapers – they are a wonderful alternative to disposables in all the best ways!
