When a parent considers using
cloth diapers they inevitably must wade through the mass of
misinformation that abounds many times, wherever cloth diaper
discussions occur. No doubt these inexperienced parents hear
that cloth diapers are unsanitary, that they perpetuate
unpleasant odors, leak profusely, and require a lot of back
breaking work. These parents though, can take comfort in the
fact that these are all cloth diaper myths. You can get the
facts here…
Myth #1 - Cloth Diapers Are
Expensive…
It is estimated that using
disposable diapers can cost you between two and three thousand
dollars per child, from birth to potty training. That is an
astounding amount of money to spend on what is essentially
garbage. Cloth diapers, however, are much cheaper in the long
run, even if the initial investment is more. Assuming that you
will not be sewing your own diapers…it is entirely possible to
cloth diaper a child for 3 years for $100-300 dollars. These
diapers will likely last for one or more subsequent children as
well. Do the math…the numbers don’t lie.
Myth #2 - Cloth Diapers Smell…
Cloth diapers do not smell any
more then a disposable diaper does. The smell that emanates from
a cloth diaper thrown in a diaper pail can not be more offensive
then a soiled disposable diaper thrown in a garbage can.
Innovative new diaper pails and odor controlling accoutrements
in a variety of sweet smelling fragrances have eliminated this
problem entirely. Odors are also held at bay by using a dry pail
method for storing soiled diapers, where diapers are not left to
sit in stagnant and possibly malodorous water. With these new
advances, there are no reasons why cloth diapers need to
“smell”.
Myth #3 - Cloth Diapers Are
Hard to Care For…
Many cloth diapering parents have
adopted a dry pail method of storage. This means that they
simply remove a soiled diaper, dispose of any solid waste by
dumping it in the toilet, and then toss the diaper in a diaper
pail until laundry day. While some cloth diaper users may still
rinse diapers in a toilet or sink before putting them in the
pail or perhaps soak them in a wet pail before laundering, these
methods are not necessary. A no rinse, dry pail method has been
proven to be just as effective.
Using cloth diapers will usually
only mean another 1-3 loads of laundry a week. This should not
represent a significant difference in workload on laundry days.
Putting cloth diapers outside on a line to dry will not only
alleviate some of this work, but it will also help conserve
energy and work to “sun” out any stains that washing did not get
rid of. All things considered, it is no more difficult to clean
cloth diapers then it is to clean any other clothing types.
Myth #4 - Cloth Diapers Are
Not Sanitary…
Cloth diapers need to be clean,
plain and simple. They do not need to be absolutely sterile.
Most adults probably do not find it necessary to sterilize their
underpants, so laundering cloth diapers should be sufficient to
ensure that they are clean and ready for use. Diapers should be
washed with hot water and then dried in a dryer or on the line
outside. Both of these drying mechanisms, providing either heat
from the dryer or heat from the sun, will actually help to
sterilize the diapers and kill any lingering bacteria that may
be present. They should sufficiently clean and acceptable to
diaper your baby with.
Myth #5 - Washing Cloth
Diapers Wastes Electricity and Water
This argument is truly baffling.
Washing cloth diapers does require water and energy usage, yes.
However, advancing technology in washing machines and dryers has
helped tremendously to keep the energy and water usage to a
minimum. Even if you are washing cloth diapers with the oldest
and most archaic washing and drying machines, the water and
energy output in washing a few loads of diapers a week is
infinitesimal compared to the energy wasted on disposable
diapers.
Just consider the energy and
fossil fuels used to cut down and transport thousands of trees
to make the paper pulp used in a disposable diaper, not to
mention the devastation this causes to our national forests.
Water and energy are then used to create this paper pulp and
bleach it. Even more energy is used to make the outer plastic
shells and then assemble the diaper. These diapers are then
packaged in plastic wrappings and put in cardboard boxes, which
also had to be specially made for transporting these diapers. It
doesn’t end there, however; these diapers are then transported
from the factory all over the country and all over the world
using trains, trucks, and cargo planes, so that they can be
delivered to the stores that sell them to the public. No doubt,
more energy is wasted by the consumer who must drive to and from
these stores to make their purchase. To make matters worse,
these consumers use up theses diapers and throw them away,
essentially throwing their money in the garbage as well. The
garbage must then be transported to a landfill using even more
energy and fuel. This energy consumption is never ending. Cloth
diaper users reduce, reuse, and recycle. Can any disposable
diaper users claim that?
Myth #6 - Cloth Diapers Leak…
Cloth diapers today come in many
different styles and are made with a wondrous array of fabric
and absorbency levels. Even parents of children who are very
heavy wetters are sure to find a diaper that works for them if
they search hard enough. Parents must consider though that
disposable diapers are made with chemicals that allow them to be
super absorbent and act as a high-volume portable toilet. Yes,
disposable diapers may hold in more urine but is that really a
good thing? The holding capacity of disposable diapers seems to
be breeding laziness and unrealistic expectations in many
parents. We should not lulled into the thinking that a diaper
should last through several urinations before it is changed,
simply because it inconvenient to change diapers every 2-3 hours
or less. When a diaper is soiled or wet it needs to be
changed…end of story. If diapers are changed immediately after
they become soiled or wet, then leaks are rarely a problem.
© The
Diaper Jungle
