Cloth Diapers or Disposable?
kiwimeg posted 29 Mar 08
Does anyone here use cloth diapers? Which do you recommend? How do you care for them? Has anyone tried the disposable diaper pads you can get now?
Does anyone here use cloth diapers? Which do you recommend? How do you care for them? Has anyone tried the disposable diaper pads you can get now?
ha! notice the silence? there are crickets chirping in here. Nobody uses cloth diapers because they are so much work but they don't want to have to say that they use disposable because those are bad for the environment - am I right?
I use disposables - I don't think they're any worse for the environment than cloth. The trees used for the filling are grown for that very purpose. It's not like old growth forests are coming down because people are using paper and disposable diapers. The plastic does take forever to break down but starting last year the nation’s largest garbage hauler and landfill operator, made plans to spend roughly $400 million over the next five years building facilities at 60 landfills to convert methane gas to electricity. That does nothing for the plastic that's left, but it is using an abundant resource. So I think that between those two choices, environmentally, it's a toss.
Hi, as a working mom, I prefer to use disposables. Cloth diapers have to be changed frequently and I as a super bz mom don't have time for that. Let us concentrate to spend quality time with kids, not bz changing their cloth diapers!
Disposables are the worst environmental hazards. But yes, cloth diapers take work, and precious time that many parents don't have. You have to follow your conscience, but should own up to the facts - that is, not pretend that disposables are not one of the worst culprits in our garbage piles.
What did I do? I found eco-friendly disposables. It's a compromise, also water is a valuable resource where I live.
The other compromise is cloth diapers with disposable pads or liners, as you mention. The pads are much smaller than full disposable diapers.
It's always about making an informed choice. Try here for a start: http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm
Good luck making the choice.
"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - W. Dyer
Just wrote a post about the recent resurgence of cloth diapering. The top reason that I have found for choosing cloth diapers is the money saved over using disposable diapers. Another reason that I have heard parents give for turning back to cloth diapers is the green factor.
Read more about the benefits of cloth diapers and see my theory how you can save close to $500 a year by using cloth diapers. Of course feel free to leave any comments you have.