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Parents of toddlers nowadays can choose from hundreds of products designed to help with potty learning.  There are potty chairs and seats, instructional potty books, and even anatomically correct potty dolls.  There are sticker charts, flushable wipes, and even alarm watches that remind your child that it’s time to try and go potty.

One of the most often used potty training aids is pull-up pants.  They are thin disposable diaper-like pants that are made like underwear so that the child can pull them off and on when it’s time to use the potty.  Some have symbols on them that fade when wet, and some are made with tear-away sides in case of accidents.  But there is some debate as to their effectiveness. Many times they end up being used as a diaper more than pants.

The problem with pull-ups and diapers is that they absorb too well.  They wick away from the child’s skin, and this is a very a good thing for babies.  But toddlers who are potty training can benefit from the motivation and discomfort that a wet diaper provides.

Cloth Diapers Can Help with Potty Learning

Moms who use cloth diapers have a bit of an advantage when it comes to potty training.  Cloth diapers allow the child to feel the wetness and discomfort caused by urination and bowel movements.  Most children learn find this quite unpleasant, and it provides a good incentive to start using the potty.

Another good thing about cloth diapers when it comes to potty training is that they’re more affordable than disposable pull-ups.  So if your toddler has a lot of accidents you will have to wash diapers more often, but that is cheaper in the long run.

Disadvantages of Cloth Diapers for Potty Learning

One problem with cloth diapers as opposed to pull-ups is that they are usually harder for the child to pull down on his own. The velcro and/or snaps can be hard for them to master. So during the learning stages, he may need more help than he would otherwise when going to the potty. There are special cloth training pants though can help with this issue.

Another disadvantage is evidenced when traveling or on the go.  If the child uses the diaper, you will have to find somewhere to store it until you get back home….like a wet bag.  If you’re not prepared, you could be in for a smelly car ride, especially if you’re on a long trip.

Cloth Diapers May Make Potty Learning Faster

Although they can be less convenient than disposables, many moms are choosing to use cloth diapers.  Those who are attempting to potty train often find that their children learn quickly.  In fact, statistics show that toddlers who wear cloth diapers are fully trained six months before those who wear disposable diapers or pull-ups. Wow!

Cloth diapers are affordable and better for the environment and landfills than disposable diapers.  They also provide an advantage to moms who are attempting to potty train their kiddos.  So even though cloth diapers are less convenient than disposables in some ways, using them may result in less time in diapers overall for your kid.

Technorati Tags: cloth diapers, diaper trainers, potty learning, potty training

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If you have been hanging around this site for more than 5 minutes then you already know that using cloth diapers has some big time advantages over disposable diapers.  Cloth diapers can save a ton of cash, and they are the better choice for the environment. Despite all this, parents continue to shell out big bucks for what is essentially garbage (disposable), figuring they just can’t handle the inconvenience of laundering cloth diapers. As a cloth diapering mom of 4 plus years I have to wonder…what inconvenience???Perhaps one of the biggest deterrents to cloth diapering is the diaper laundry.  You would think cloth diapering mamas beat their diapers on rock in a nearby river or something.  In actuality, cleaning those cloth tushie covers is as easy as handling any other kind of laundry.  You throw a load in the washing machine, turn it on, and forget it.  The machine does all the work.  Then you transfer that load to the drier and let it finish the job or hang the diapers on the line and walk away. Personally I never folded diapers or even put them away very often since we used them so much. I just tossed them in nice wicker basket. 

There are a few simple changes to make sure the diapers are thoroughly clean. Put your diapers  in the washing machine and set it to wash a cold cycle.  You can add soap if you want, but the main purpose of the cold wash is to help prevent the soiled diapers from staining.  Plain water works pretty good.  When the cold wash cycle finishes, set the washing machine to wash with hot water.  Then add a your favorite detergent, usually a little less than normal, and let the cycle run.  At the end of the hot wash cycle, you can re-rinse if you like. I usually do…just to make sure there is no soap residue.  Otherwise, take the diapers out and toss them into the drier.  Depending on what kind of diapers you are using, set the drier to run either a regular or cool drying cycle, and turn it on.  Reuse the diapers again and again. Rinse and Repeat.

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make washing cloth diapers as easy as possible and to extend the life of your diapers.

1.  When the diaper is soiled, you don’t have to do anything extra for babies who are still exclusively breastfed.  The washing machine will take care of it.  When the baby is eating solid foods the poop will be more solid and will need to be scraped off.  Gently scrape with some toilet paper and flush.  You should try to get as much off the diaper as you can, but the washing machine can still handle a surprising amount of residue, so don’t overdo it.  Just get rid of the really solid stuff.

2.  Do not use bleach or fabric softeners.  Bleach will wear down the fibers in the diapers, shortening their useful life.  Fabric softeners tend to add residue to the diapers which can irritate baby’s bottom as well as cause the diapers to repel, rather than absorb water.  Rely on the hot water, soap and vinegar to sanitize the diapers.  If they smell clean, they are clean.

Washing cloth diapers may seem more difficult at first, but it’s really more work for your washing machine, and maybe a learning curve for you.  Once you’ve washed a few loads, it becomes second nature and you too will be scratching your head  in wonderment when your friends balk at using cloth diapers.

Technorati Tags: cloth diapers, benefits, washing diapers, diaper laundry

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Like many natural parents you may have taken a stance in the great diapering debate and decided that the comforts and benefits of cloth diapers for baby and planet win out. Now that this important decision has been made it is time to decide what type of cloth diapers you will use and start building your diaper stash. The choices are endless…prefolds, pockets, AIOs, and fitted diapers are just a few of your options. Add to that the choices you have for different fabric prints, colors, and textures and your head might start to spin. For many moms this decision also includes finding the most cost effective cloth diapering system available. Cloth diapers don’t have to require an expensive initial investment.

Even the most expensive cloth diapers are a more frugal choice in the long run compared to disposable diapers but when you see several cloth diaper brands selling for upwards of $17 a diaper, that pack of disposable diapers for only $14.99 starts to sound like the better deal. So what can moms on a more modest budget do? Here are some ideas:

Prefolds - A Classic Diaper Choice

Prefold diapers are probably what your mother or grandmother used. They are flat diapers with layers of fabric quilted together with a larger and more absorbent portion running down the middle. They can be folded in many different ways to increase efficiency and they are usually secured with pins, a Snappi, or a wrap style, diaper cover. Prefolds are typically the least expensive choice in cloth diapers, costing in the area of $15-$20 per dozen. They are affordable, very absorbent, easy to clean, and quick to dry. Since these diapers are not waterproof they do require a diaper cover to contain but even with the extra “pieces” you need for prefolds they are still a tried and true favorite among frugal moms.

Used Cloth Diapers

One of the great things about cloth diapers is that they have resale value and the used diaper market is growing more and more every day. This is great news for you because it means you can sell your used diapers to recoup some of your money after your diapering days are long gone. It is also great because it means that if you are in the market to buy you can get some great deals on previously loved cloth diapers. A diaper that retails for nearly $20 may be purchased used for a fraction of the original price. Buying used allows you to try out several different diapering systems cheaply so that you can experiment and decide which system works best for you. Used diapers can be found on diapering forums and message boards and on local lists such as Craigslist and Freecycle.

Sew Your Own Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers can be made out of a variety of materials so get creative and sew some truly unique and affordable creations yourself. Check bargain bins at your local fabric store or see if you have any used clothing or blankets that can be recycled into cloth diapers. Free patterns can be found online for diapers, covers, and even wool soakers. Garage sales and thrift stores are excellent places to pick up wool yarn to use in making wool soakers or covers and fabric remnants and thread that can be used to make diapers.
With all of the frugal diapering options available today, cloth diapering on the cheap is not a hard task!

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 In 2001, when I was pregnant with my first child, Jack, I looked into using cloth diapers. My only experience with cloth had been babysitting a younger cousin. My teen-age-memories (accurate or not) of changing those diapers were streaked with chemical-smelling diapers and an acrid diaper pail full of who-knows-what. That experience planted a seed of fear that grew the more I read. I read about wet pails, and dunking and rinsing. I read about Indian prefolds and Chinese prefolds and flat diapers and more acronyms than I could keep straight. I wanted to use cloth diapers, but I was afraid and overwhelmed.

Two and a half years later when my second son came along, I had brief thoughts of switching to cloth, but again was afraid of getting out of the familiar routine. My second son, Andy wore disposables and suffered from near-constant diaper rash. We tried different brands of diapers, different brands of wipes, and when he was older, we tried switching to soy milk to see if milk had been causing the rash. In the end, we ended up going through tubes and tubes of diaper rash ointment.

When Andy was 2 1/2, my husband and I were thrilled to discover we were expecting number 3, also a boy. I was determined to break away from the familiar and do what I had wanted to do five years earlier. I read some more, and this time, found a wonderful website written by Karen Fegelman (www.diaperpages.com), full of information that I could relate to.

I’ve had a hard time describing to friends and family my exact reasons for using cloth diapers, and I admit I have told people what I think they will relate to the best, that it’s cheaper, that it’s better for the environment, that it cleared up my son’s rashes. Those things are all true, but they have not been my mail motivator (although the cost was a big push for my husband). My main motivation for using cloth diapers has been that I love it, it feels right to me. Sometimes people look at me strangely when they discover my baby wears cloth diapers, and I imagine they do so because they picture cloth diapers from 20 years ago, and the idea of sticking their hands in a toilet rinsing poop out of the diaper repulses them (and really, who can blame them), but a surprising number of people are really interested in cloth diapering and why I do it, and how it works. As I learned more about cloth diapering, I discovered that my fears were based on my mother’s cloth diapers. Cloth diapers have come a long ways since then.

I switched Andy to cloth diapers a few months before the new baby, Collin, was born. Being a three-year-old, he wasn’t thrilled with the new amount of bulk. Cloth diapers are bulkier than disposables, but within a week, it was business as usual. He learned quickly where to position himself when I put the diaper on the floor. He’s learned all the terminology, and best of all, he hasn’t had any diaper rashes since we made the switch. For him, cloth diapers were a good transition to toilet training.

When Collin was born, I could hardly wait to use the new cloth diapers I had waiting for him. Cloth diapering Collin has been like coming home. And now, when people ask me why I cloth diaper, I know what to say.

Alice Roberts is a stay at home mom to her three sons, Jack, Andy, and Collin. She is grateful for a husband who shares in the joy and the mess of diapering. She can be reached at greenpeasbaby@gmail.com, or through her online retail store http://www.Greenpeasbaby.com. Cloth diapering is addicting, and Alice wants to help any one who wants to cloth diaper take that first leap.

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Which Diapers Are Better for the Planet? by Dr. Alan Greene
www.drgreene.com

As a father and pediatrician, I’ve changed many diapers—enough to teach me that diapers are a daily reminder that as humans we deplete resources as we consume, and we make messes with our waste.
Those landfill diapers that are so easily tossed into the trash are clearly a major ecological issue. But what about the energy, water, and often chlorine involved in laundering cloth diapers? Comparing the environmental impact of different types of diapers has been the subject of a number of studies—with differing results often linked to the vested interests of those behind the study.

The largest and most objective study to date was carried out by the Environment Agency, the public body responsible for protecting the environment in England and Wales.¹⁹ The panel compared disposable diapers to home-laundered cloth diapers and commercially laundered cotton diapers in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, smog formation, depletion of nonrenewable resources, water pollution, acidification, human toxicity, and land pollution. The study did not include what I call hybrid diapers—the reusable diapers equipped with flushable, biodegradable liners.

This study found that overall environmental impact is about the same for all three options they did consider; the biggest impact is on global warming, resource depletion, and acidification. For disposable diapers, the most significant impact comes during manufacture; for home-laundered diapers, the primary impact comes from the electricity used in washing and drying; for commercially laundered diapers, the biggest impact comes from use of fuels and electricity.

Thus, according to the Environment Agency, if you choose cloth diapers, the first focus should be on reducing the energy used during washing and drying and reducing fuels and emissions during transportation (see Chapter Seven for more information about laundry). If you choose disposable diapers, focus first on greener manufacturing, such as used by the Eco-Diapers mentioned previously.

Although the Environment Agency report is more thorough than other analyses to date, it is still quite incomplete. For instance, it looked only at the major brands used—not the greener alternatives. It didn’t look at making choices back at the very beginning of the manufacturing process: at the oil rigs where the plastic liners of landfill diapers begin, at the forests where the wood pulp starts as trees, and in the cotton fields long before cotton is a cloth. There is a big difference between cotton grown drenched in toxic chemicals and cotton organically grown, between sustainable forestry and irresponsible logging, between dioxin-producing chlorine gas in pulp mills and bleach-free diapers.

Whatever we choose for diapers, we have an unavoidable impact on the environment. But whatever we choose, we can make those diapers a little greener.

Dr. Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Greene, is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of California San Francisco. In addition to being the founder of www.DrGreene.com, he is the Chief Medical Officer of A.D.A.M., and the Pediatric Expert for WebMD. He is the Chair Elect of The Organic Center and on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child Healthy World.  Dr. Greene appears frequently on TV, radio, websites, and in print including appearances on The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The Wall Street Journal, Parents Magazine, and US Weekly. Dr. Greene is a practicing pediatrician at Stanford University’s Packard Children’s Hospital.

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Wouldn’t it be great to be able to do laundry and not have to worry about how the detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets were affecting the environment? Well there alternatives to what’s currently sold in local retail stores. You just have to be willing to spend some time, do some research, and wait for the products you order to come to your door.It has been said that the laundry room is the one of the most toxic rooms in your entire home. This statement is based upon the fact that commercial laundry detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets have high levels of toxic chemicals in them. These chemicals have been known to cause serious health issues including cancer and liver damage. Is it any wonder that people are looking for safe, eco-friendly alternatives to doing their laundry?There are many products on the local supermarket’s shelves that claim to be environmentally safe. But one has to wonder if they live up to their claim, or if they’re just jumping on the latest hot marketing bandwagon.Products claim to be non-toxic. Some claim to be either biodegradable or organic. Unlike the labels on food products, laundry products are not regulated. A manufacturer does not have to prove their claim; they don�t even have to list the ingredients that are in the products they sell.

So what type of detergent do you use? Check out our Diaper Detergent Chart!

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If are reading this newsletter then you are probably a natural mama that cloth diapers your children. But why exactly do you use cloth diapers? I found it interesting that there are so many reasons why a mom would choose cloth diapers and I find that those “natural” mamas that pick cloth, usually fit into one of four categories. �

The Instinctive Mama - This mom practices instinctive or attachment style parenting. She bases her decisions upon what she feels is best for her child regardless of mainstream or conventional views. Because bonding and closeness are so important this mom will might carry her baby in a sling, practice co-sleeping, and even choose the cloud-like softness of cloth diapers for her little one’s bum.

The Frugal Mama - This mom chooses to use cloth for economical reasons. She knows that cloth diapers and their reusable nature, as well as their ability to service more than one child…will help her to meet a limited budget. While some of the more extravagant diapers are on her wish list they may not be practical for the truly frugal and simple fitteds or even prefolds and covers might be the mainstay for this type of mom.

The Healthy Mama - This mom cares deeply about health issues and one of her biggest concerns is repetitive exposure to chemicals. Disposable diapers contain a large number of chemicals and perfumes and this makes them an unacceptable diapering alternative to a health conscious mom. This mom may also be a big fan of organic diapers because they are made from materials grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

The Green Mama - This mom is an environmentalist. She chooses to use cloth diapers because they are reusable and will not contribute to landfill waste problems. Because they are not paper and petroleum based like disposables their production is more sustainable and planet friendly. This mom may also choose organic diapers in support of organic agriculture practices and she may also choose hemp or bamboo because they are sustainable materials.

So what type of cloth diaper mom are you? Answer in our poll!

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By Liz Welter
Marshfield News-Herald Cloth diapers are making a comeback in Marshfield.