Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free

Thursday, April 23, 2009

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10 Benefits To Using Cloth Diapers

1) Your family will save almost $2500+ per child vs using disposables. The average family spends $2,694.54 for 7,349 disposable, single-use diapers. *1

2) Your family will NOT produce 1 ton of waste that would go into landfills. It is estimated that 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are added to landfills EVERY day. *2

3) Your baby will have less diaper rash.

4) Your baby won't be exposed to sodium polyacralate (the shiny crystals in the diaper that can stick to babies skin causing skin reactions) *3

5) Your family doesn't have to put 1-2 bags of disposable diaper trash out on the curb for trash day.

6) Using cloth diapers vs using disposable diapers will reduce your babies chances of getting asthma. The Archives of Environmental Health tested 6 leading cloth diapers and 6 leading disposable diapers and discovered that the emissions from one disposable diaper were high enough to produce asthma-like symptoms in mice.*4

7) Your family is reducing their carbon footprint by using cloth diapers. The manufacturing of disposables takes over 1 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000+ of metric tons of plastic each year. *5

8) Using cloth diapers will help facilitate quicker potty training. During potty training time children who have been in cloth will recognize sooner when they are wet vs a baby in disposable diapers.

9) Cloth Diapers are just as easy to use as disposables. With the modern age of cloth diapers and brand such as bumGenius and Fuzzi Bunz there are now options that are much, much easier than 30 years ago!

10) No more trips to the store late at night when you are out of disposables. Just pop a load into the machine and you have instant diapers. Just think of the gas savings! NO more trips to the store!


- By Kelly


Sources:
1. Natural Family Online.
2. Earth Easy
3. Caldwell, Ginny. "Diapers. Disposable or Cotton?," Eco-Baby Catalogue
4. The Archives of Environmental Health, Acute Respiratory Effects of Diaper Emissions, Archives of Environmental Health, 54, October 1999
5. Earth Easy

40 comments:

Ashley said...

I wish there was a thumbs up icon. Great info, wish everyone knew how bad disposables really are.

The adventure of a redneck mommy. said...

im going to copy this post and email it to ALL My family who thinks ive lost my mind since switching to cloth. thank you for posting it...

Upstatemamma said...

This is all very true but I think the amount of savings may be slightly exaggerated. Then again I may just think tha because Big Brother potty trained at 18 months and so my opinion of when diapering stops is younger than some. :)

lsnellings said...

The reduced diaper rash is enough of a reason for me!! Everything else is just icing! :)

Denise said...

The immediate reduction in the amount of garbage was the very first thing I noticed!! I'm so glad I switched to cloth!!

Amy said...

I like reason 10 the most actually!

Anonymous said...

Great list! People who don't cloth diaper don't see a benefit, even if I try to explain SOME of why I cloth diaper. I should show them this list!!!

Angela said...

#10 it my big one... I hated being out of diapers and not noticing till I used the last diaper.

Coupon Mama said...

You also save time as a mommy because you don't have to hauls kids to the store and look for deals on sposies if you're like me! Great article! I'm loving the4 picture of the baby in BG babylegs and the ribbit BG diaper.

Any advice on how to make the BG velcro last longer. Mine is fine, but mine is also new. Whenever I see other people with BG diapers for sale online their velcro always looks ratty.

Brittany said...

And I thought I was just saving money! I had never heard of the chemical's possibly causing athsma! Now I am even more glad I am going to CD!

EdenSky said...

you forgot: Cuuute!

Katrina said...

Great list. It's missing my favorite benefit...cloth diapers are so much cuter than disposables! :)

hosiewosie said...

just wanted to know what ya'll think of using disposables every now and then, like once a month during a rash or vacations w/ no machines... can it still have harmful effects such as asthma? maybe that's a hard question to answer...

Suzy said...

I never knew the info about disposables and asthma, very interesting

Brinn said...

I absolutely love that there are so many potential benefits to CDing! And compared to multiple trips to the store, or storing HUGE quantities of disposable diapers in your home, cloth diapering may even end up being easier!

I'm not sure I can agree with the savings estimate though... based on the research quoted, you'd spend an average of 36 cents/dipe... and I've priced it out at more like an average of 26 cents/dipe when you buy through babies R us. Don't get me wrong, you'll still save lots of money, just not quite as much as that higher quote would lead you to believe.

Verdict - go CDing!!! I am so on board!

Minnie said...

And another benefit is that CD's are SOOOOOO much cuter than sposies! :)

Amanda G

AScott said...

Poor asthma mice. :(

I agree with all these points, especially no more trips to the store!

Sarah said...

I have been cloth diapering on the weekends and when I can during the week. I don't have enough stash! I ordered enough to do it full time last week and I have been checking fedex more than 2 times a day! haha!

Aisha said...

no more trips to the store...but many online trips to Kelly's closet to feed the diaper addictions:-)

the monkeys' mama said...

Such a great post to forward to my non CDing friends! Thanks!

Sara said...

Great post. I had not known the link btw asthma and disposables ~ CRAZY! Now wonder why so many kids suffer from asthma today!

Kristin said...

I have noticed that my daughter is much more sensitive to being wet when she is wearing prefolds vs pocket diapers...makes total sense and is good to remember when potty training!

Rebecca said...

Amen! Well said! Ditto! :)

brietta said...

I love all the benefits, but #10 is THE BEST!!!!! :)

Serena Michelle said...

hosiewosie: There are a number of mamas who cloth diaper part time... whether they use disposables while on vacation, for overnight, going outside the house, clearing up a terrible rash, etc...

So, yes, you may certainly use disposables as needed. If/when using disposables you may consider the more "healthy" options which don't use chlorine or other toxic chemicals... but that's just an option and not necessary. I used the name brand ("P") with my girls and they're okay and healthy! ;)

Essentially you have all the facts and information and you make an informed decision based on your own needs!

Serena Michelle said...

Coupon Mama: Hi!

In order to keep your BG's looking in tip-top condition for as new as possible I'd recommend line drying them whenever possible (an occasional run through the dryer might be necessary from time to time to "reset" the velcro though).

Unfortunately, it's the nature of the loop to get a bit fuzzy... so if you see it getting unruly you may consider "shaving" the fly-away strings/fibers. Also, cleaning out the teeth of the velcro with a pick would be great too!

I hope this helps!
-Serena

Talina said...

Someone alreayd said it but Amen! I am going to link to this post too..

I just blogged about cloth diapering and not all my readers really get it. These benefits might open their eyes!

Anna said...

I love using cloth! I love that I never have to worry about running out of diapers. And at 6mo, my daughter still hasn't had any diaper rash!

saygeronimo said...

Quicker potty training is one of the main reasons I started cloth diapering!

Kristen said...

Great info! I was reading Shape magazine at the gym and the article was pretty discouraging about cloth (washing resources they claim are just as bad)-- but it seemed more like an ad for those expensive biodegradable diapers. Maybe I'd try those if my money was "biodegradable (disposable ;)" but for now, your top 10 are good enough for me!

TheClothDiaperWhisperer said...

There are so many more reasons than 10 to cloth diaper!
hosiewosie- I think occasional use of disposables when the times are deemed necessary are just fine-it's the prolonged use of disposables which can lead to the most harm.
Yes, even I have used disposables on my now 10 month old before. On my recent vacation I had no choice as they were no laundry facilities at all (not even a laundry-mat). Now granted- the guilt I had probably caused me more anxiety than anything! LOL
I am SO glad to have him back in cloth. I can tell you too- my little guy DID get a bad rash with disposables and with cloth he hardly ever gets a rash.

Marlene McGarrity said...

I had no idea that babies used 7,349 disposable diapers! Well that explains why landfills are full of them. I figure if I can do my part with cloth diapers, then it will be worth it.

But it's actually fun to pick and choose which cloth diapers to get.

Unknown said...

anytime i think i cant love cloth diapers more, im proven wrong.

dirtydiaperlaundry.com said...

These are great! Of course, the cute fluff should be in there somewhere as well. The savings probably don't count if you constantly buy more cute cloth diapers! I am disgusted by the crystals in the diapers. I had to fly for a few days and we opted for sposies. They were sticking to my son's skin. How can people think that is safe?

Heather S said...

Great info!! I knew it all, but put together in one place is AMAZING! Thanks for showing what Cloth can really do for a family!

AwkwardMoments said...

Excellent Post. I have posted this on my FAcebook page and am going to print it out for a Cloth Diaper demonstration I am helping with for a Mom's Group I am in. There has beenan interest in how to start using cloth diapers in the group!

Slee said...

i am finding more and more that #3 is oh so true!
at 12 weeks we have had a tiny tiny bit of diaper rash now, but about half an hour total of nekkie time, (fifteen minutes two days in a row) and it magically disappeared without any change in our routine!
Go Cloth Diapers

Megan said...

Thanks for helping me learn about CDing to save money and be kinder on the bum and the environment!

Emma Wilson said...

By far one of the best and informing posts about cloth diapering and health of the children. I wanted to do disposable diapers with my first daughter and, after reading your instructions, I would definitely prefer the most reliable cloth diaper.

Unknown said...

Thank you!! I have a two year old who is struggling with potty training and an 11m so we go through a lot of disposables. I never knew about all the harmful chemicals and honestly didn't think about what happened after you throw them away, I don't know anyone who cloth diapers but i am starting! Found this great store semi local with great deals on diaper wraps and prefolds! So far its going great, and I don't see it being any more of a challenge than disposable. And my two year old is recognizing that she's wet or soiled now! Yay! Also I heard that the chemicals are not only associated with asthma but TSS!!!? Yikes! No thank you! Anyway thanks so much for the info!!!