The Great Diaper Debate
When I was pregnant with my first son there were so many decisions ahead of me that I felt like I was swimming in them! Names, bedroom colours, type of crib, and so on and so on, but there was one decision that I made pretty readily – I knew I wanted to cloth diaper.
Cloth or Plastic?
I know when I was a child that my mother had my sisters and me in cloth diapers, it was the same for my cousins – it was normal! What I wasn’t prepared for was the strange backlash when I started discussing my decision to cloth diaper with my friends, coworkers and other young moms. “Won’t that be an awful lot of work?” was the most common question, usually followed immediately with “but it won’t last, you’ll have them in paper soon enough.” How discouraging! Those who felt a little stronger about the paper diaper side of the great diaper debate would let me know how many resources I’d be wasting by washing and drying my own diapers instead of just tossing out disposables – although Environment Canada states that “effluents from the disposable diaper manufacturing process (plastic, pulp and bleached paper) are more damaging to the environment than the cotton, bamboo and hemp growing and manufacturing process used for cloth diapers”, and as well “Washing a load of diapers once or twice a week is roughly equivalent to flushing a toilet five times a day… cloth diapers that are home washable and reusable are eligible for the Ecologo and Environment Canada has recognized them as a superior choice to disposable diapers”. Others were convinced that it was completely unhealthy to wash cloth diapers in the same washing machine as our other clothes (it’s not), and then there was the cost.
The Investment Pays Off
My biggest stumbling point in any green item is always the cost – I’ll admit that it’s a constant challenge to try and be “green” and frugal; the two do not seem to go hand in hand. When I decided to really go for it and researched cloth diapers to decide which style to go with – as there are many: all-in-ones, snaps, pre-folds, diaper service and so on – I realized that I was looking at a pretty hefty original purchase price – but that it would pan out in the long run. I ended up using several different brands of cloth diaper, mostly Mother Ease cotton sized diapers, and Bummis diaper covers. I also use BabyKangaroo all-in-ones for if we’re out for the day as they’re as convenient as a disposable! Now that I’ve had my second child and we’re into diapers with no cost output I’m seeing the savings of going with cloth.
Inspired Research
My inspiration came partly from my mother, as well as a book titled Ecoholic: Your Guide to the Most Environmentally Friendly Information, Products and Services in Canada
It All Comes Out in the Wash
Now that I’ve been cloth diapering for a couple of years I feel like an old-hand at it and don’t worry what other people think. Looking at my clothesline full of cloth diapers swaying in the summer sun and breeze is comforting and gives me a sense of some small accomplishment. Every time I pick up one of my sons in a cloth diaper and give my pudgy-bottom babies a squeeze I know that I’m making changes that will hopefully make this planet a better place for them to live in. And I hope that when my neighbours see my diapers drying on the line that it might inspire them to take some small action … and not just to build a bigger fence.
Fast diaper facts from Environment Canada
- Even when using disposable diapers, the contents should be emptied into the toilet so that the waste can be properly treated.
- In the first two years, the average baby will require between 5000 to 7000 diaper changes.
- Disposable diapers in landfills can prevent water from soaking in to the ground.
- Washing a load of diapers once or twice a week is roughly equivalent to flushing a toilet five times a day.
- Cloth diapers encourage babies to potty train faster than disposables, because with disposable diapers, the babies seldom feel any wetness or discomfort.
- Using too much detergent when washing cloth diapers can cause build-up, reducing the absorbency.
- Over four million disposable diapers are discarded in Canada per day.
Places to buy cloth diapers and accessories
- www.bynature.ca
- www.ecobabies.ca
- www.theclothdiapershop.com
- www.cheekymonkey.ca
- Go to your local baby gear store and ask!
Author Bio: Patricia Browne and her hubby live in Durham Region, Ontario with their 2 boys and 1 fur-boy. She also makes handmade beaded jewellery which you can check out at www.bypatriciabrowne.weebly.com.
