THE JOY OF CLOTH DIAPERS
THE JOY OF CLOTH DIAPERS
Of more serious concern are the toxic chemicals present in disposable diapers. Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer,birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves.6)And what about the material that makes "superabsorbent" diapers soabsorbent? If you've ever used disposable diapers, you've probably noticed beads of clear gel on your baby's genitals after a diaper change. Super absorbent diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, which absorbs up to 100 times its weight in water. Sodium polyacrylate is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its linkto toxic shock syndrome.7) No studies have been done on the long-termeffects of this chemical being in contact with a baby's reproductive organs 24 hours a day for upwards of two years.
Neither type of diaper can claim to be more sanitary. In the early 1990s, right around the time many states were considering offering incentives to hospitals and daycare centers to switch to cloth diapers,disposable diaper manufacturers attempted to prove that cloth diapers contribute more to the spread of bacteria. In fact, it is the caregiver's hand-washing habits, and not the type of diapers, that is the deciding factor. "The research in this area was funded by specialinterests," points out Janet Primomo, RN, PhD, associate professor of nursing at the University of Washington, Tacoma. "It's not a question of whether cloth or disposables are more sanitary-it all depends on practices and procedures, such as hand washing habits and what kind of storage containers are used."
There is, however, a more serious threat of contamination from disposable diapers, because of human sewage going into landfills. Thedisposal of human waste in residential garbage is technically prohibited, and instructions on disposable diaper packaging recommend that you shake out any fecal matter into the toilet before disposing ofit; but in practice this is almost never done. Live viruses in thefeces, such as the polio vaccine, can live in landfills for a long period, and if there were ever any leakage, could potential lycontaminate a community's drinking water. So far, there has been no evidence of contamination-this is more of a concern in Third World countries, where landfills aren't as well constructed, and disposable diapers are being marketed aggressively.
What About the Inconvenience of Cloth Diapering? It's true that the thought of rinsing, soaking, and laundering dozens ofcloth diapers a week is overwhelming to most new parents. But if you'rea parent, you're doing laundry around the clock anyway, and what's a fewmore loads a week? However, it's not for everyone-and that's where diaper services come in. Many parents don't realize that with a diaper service there's no rinsing or soaking involved. You don't even need to flush solids away-you simply throw the soiled diaper directly into a diaper pail lined with a garbage liner. Once a week, you put the bag of dirties out, and a bag of fresh, clean diapers is delivered to your door. Can that really be considered less convenient than throwing a disposable diaper in the trash and taking an extra garbage can out tothe curb each week? In fact, with a diaper service there's the added convenience of not having to remember to buy diapers-you simply never run out.
Yes, you do have to rinse out the occasional soiled diaper cover, and tote back soiled diapers from an outing. But this is really no more inconvenient than sorting glass and cardboard for recycling, and most ofus don't think twice about that. And you don't have to be a purist. Ipersonally feel that disposable diapers (preferably the chemical-freevariety) have their place when I'm traveling and not close to laundering facilities.
Even home laundering diapers isn't necessarily as time-consuming as you may think. Ginny Caldwell of happy baby argues that it takes less time to dump a load of cloth diapers into the washing machine and transfer themto the dryer than it does to shop for disposables, load them into thecar, unload them at home, and take out an extra garbage can once a week.
But Isn't a Diaper Service Expensive?Although a diaper service seems like a luxury, in fact it can costconsiderably less than using disposables-and home-laundered cloth diapers are, of course, the cheapest alternative of all. Each week, many parents think nothing of buying a pack of disposables,whose cost is often hidden in the grocery bill. But when you add it upover the entire diapering period, the costs are substantial. The figure,of course, depends on the number of diaper changes a day (as pointed outearlier, babies in disposables are often changed less frequently-at the expense of the baby's health) and the age at toilet training. But assuming an average two and a half-year diapering period, and an average of eight to ten diaper changes a day (based on every hour for newborns,every two hours for toddlers) this translates to 7,000 to 9,000 diapersover the diapering period. At an average price of $.24 per disposabled iaper (premium diapers cost closer to $.33 apiece), the price tag for disposable diapering is around $2,000, plus several hundred dollars for garbage disposal costs of an additional can per week.
By contrast, diaper services charge anywhere from $10.00 to $15.00 aweek, depending on the part of the country you're in. This works out to$1,300 to $2,000 over two and a half years, for clean diapers delivered to your door each week, the use of wraps in whatever size you need atthe time, and a diaper pail. If you have more than one child in diapers,the price drops considerably (usually by 75 percent) for the second child.
Home diapering, on the other hand, can be done for as little as $400, or as much as $1,200, depending on the type of products you buy. Well-made products should last for subsequent children. Diapers can range anywherefrom $20.00 a dozen for diaper service-quality prefolds, up to $60.00 oreven $100 a dozen for fitted, contoured diapers with snaps or organic cotton diapers. You'll need somewhere between three and five dozen.Covers range from $4.00 to $18.00 apiece, depending on the quality andmaterial, and you'll need up to 25 (about five in each size range).Figuring in detergents and energy costs of about $.60 per load, theaverage parent will spend well under $1,000-usually more like $500-for home diapering.
An Added Benefit: Earlier Potty-TrainingAnother advantage to cloth diapers is that they usually lead to earliertoilet training because the child actually knows when he or she is wet.Now that many children go straight from disposable diapers to disposable pull-ups, it's not uncommon to see four and five year olds who still aren't completely potty-trained wearing pull-ups to school. This has anobvious impact on the child's self-esteem, not to mention the added impact on landfills.
"We get customers calling up to start a diaper service when their childis three and a half and not yet toilet trained," says Brian Smithson, president of the National Association of Diaper Services. In fact,several diaper services around the country are, as an incentive,starting to offer the service free after the 30th month if your child is not toilet trained by then.
"We live in a fast-paced society where people don't want to deal with the 'yuck' factor," adds Smithson. "Parents look at a diaper as a container that doesn't leak and can be left on for eight hours, instead of looking at it as clothing worn on the most sensitive parts of the body. Shouldn't we be changing babies when they wet?" Adds Erica, owner of Ease Diapers, "A diaper is not meant to be used as a toilet."
The "Bottom" LineAside from the environmental and health arguments, many parents feel, asI do, that cotton is a purer, softer, simpler choice than paper and plastic, and that if their babies could vote, they'd choose cloth themselves. In fact, my four year old, who has tried pull-ups at nightand inevitably wakes up with an itchy rash, has made it clear to me thatshe prefers cotton. Many cloth diaper companies are now offering adultsizes, as incontinent adults look for alternatives to the feeling of amushy mass of paper wadded between their legs.The bottom line is that choosing cloth diapers doesn't have to be adaunting prospect-it's simple, it's convenient, it's inexpensive. Andit's the best choice you can make for the health of your baby, and ofthe planet.
Written by: Jane McConnell
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