Clynt and I started cloth diapering Corbin exactly (give or take a couple of days) a year ago when i decided to quit my job and be a stay at home mom (yes, that means that it has been a year since I did that too =) ). Their are so many things that led us to that decision, but the initial thing was the environment. Did you know that it t is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone. Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing.
So, since Clynt and I are both eco conscious, we decided that many of the statistics that we read were absolutely crazy. So we ventured on a journey of finding more out about cloth diapers. As we did so, we came across many facts that made the decision quite easy.
For one, the chemicals in disposables are not so great for our little ones. Don't believe me, check out these facts: Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria. In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.
Another reason is because of the cost savings. I mean really, think about it. If you are lucky and have your little one completely potty trained by 2, and you assume that you spend $20 a week on diapers (could be on the low end, really). That is 52 weeks a year which would be $1040 a year on diapers. 2 years would be $2080, and that is if your child is potty trained by two otherwise you can add in the cost of pull-ups. And if you have more than one kid, ouch! My cloth diaper set for Corbin cost me about $300, and I have spent about $200 on Garrett's newborn set (remember I didn't do newborn with Corbin). I can reuse Corbin's when Garrett is old enough. So, all in all, I have spent about $500 to last 4 years in cloth diapers. Now, I do spend some money here and their on some cute upgrades and stuff, but still, you get the point.
Those are the 3 main reasons but their are a couple more real quick. 1) they help potty train faster. The concept is simply that they can feel they are wet, so they want to use the potty earlier. 2) They are SUPER cute and adorable! 3) Most babies have fewer rashes, and 4) the are so much fun.
So many people think of cloth diapers entail lots of diaper snaps and lots of washing and touching of nasty diapers. Let me tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. For starters, their are so many different types of cloth diapers now, the only time you have to fold diapers is if you decide to do prefolds, which we don't do. I use diapers that work like woman's pads somewhat. I just snap out the "pad" and snap a new one in it when I change a diaper. For newborn diapers, i use a diaper that just snaps and closes just like a disposable diaper almost. And then I add a cover to some of them to make them cuter and let them last a little longer. Some of them you don't need a cover with and it is just like a disposable diaper. Anyways, you get the point, it's not any more work at all. And as for the washing thing, I have a diaper sprayer on the back of my toilet that the hubs made and so when I have a poopy diaper, I take it to the toilet, spray it off, and then put in it in the wet bag (I have a hanging one and one in the diaper bag). I never touch any of his poop. If it is just a wet diaper, it just goes straight to the wet bag. Then every 3rd day or so, I just dump out the wet bag, and throw it in, then wash. It's as simple as that. Nothing big.
Okay, that's enough for now. I just wanted to have a long post to have on my Cloth Diaper tab on the new blog. Maybe I will post pictures of my stash soon! =)
