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There is an exciting new service for ‘green’ parents in the US; Thanksgiving Day saw the launch of www.myuseddiapers.com, an auction site specifically for washable cloth diapers. Over 6,000 auctions have completed since April ‘07 on their UK sister site www.usednappies.co.uk and their customers are delighted with this new facility enabling them to recycle and reuse their babies washable cloth diapers once they’ve finished with them.

As a company, they feel strongly that reselling/reusing cloth diapers is doubly eco-friendly and believe that there are huge benefits to babies, buyers, sellers and of course, the environment. Cloth diapers often have lots of use left in them once little ones have finished with them; sellers get to auction them to raise some extra cash and buyers can get some great deals (and parents new to cloth diapers get the opportunity to try them out at a lower cost than buying new). It’s a win-win situation!

They have swiftly built a reputation for excellent customer service and love to hear from their customers. Testimonials can be found on their UK site at here.

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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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Many people choose to use cloth diapers because of environmental reasons or because they feel it’s more comfortable for the child. Some people use cloth diapers to be more natural or to keep chemicals away from their baby’s skin. And still others choose to use cloth diapers because of the cost factor. You can save a lot of money by using cloth diapers instead of disposables, but you can also spend a lot more if you’re not careful. If you’re looking to cloth diaper without breaking the bank, here are some ways you can do it.

Go traditional. Use prefolds and diaper covers. Prefolds are the least expensive type of cloth diapers available and you can get good, quality diaper covers without spending a lot, either. Prefolds generally run between one and three dollars each and covers usually cost anywhere from seven to fifteen dollars each. This is a a great way to save money when diapering! Want to go even cheaper? Sew your own prefolds and save a few more dollars.

Buy one size diapers. Don’t want to use prefolds? If you would prefer a diaper system that includes fitted, pocket or all in ones then using one size diapers can save you a lot of money. One size diapers are generally designed to fit from around 8 to 12 pounds up to around 25 to 35 pounds and are meant to be used from soon after birth to right up to potty training. Basically this means you buy a lot less diapers since you don’t need to keep buying the next size up.

Use a clothesline. A clothesline is a great thing to have around anyway if you’re going to be using cloth diapers since sunning diapers can help take out stains. But it’s also a great thing to have around to help save some money on your electric bill every month and help out the environment. Instead of tossing your diaper load into the dryer everytime, hang it on the clothesline every other wash and save yourself some money.

Buy used. There are lots of places you can buy used cloth diapers over the internet and this is a great way to save some money, especially if you want to use modern diapers like pockets or all in ones. Many people will buy a few diapers to try a new brand or a new style and find they don’t work for them and then sell them, so you might even be able to get some barely used diapers this way. Try to use a site that has user ratings so you can have an idea of how reliable and honest the person you are purchasing from is. Look for diapers that are in good or excellent condition so you can get lots of use out of them. Make sure to give them a thorough cleaning before using them on your little one.

Sell your used diapers. Consider selling your diapers after your baby has outgrown them or if a paticular style isn’t working for you. You won’t be able to recoup all the money you spent buying them new, but you can get a good percentage back if your diapers are in barely used or excellent condition.

Read reviews. Browse through sites that house cloth diaper reviews before you purchase. This is a good way to get an idea of whether or not a certain style diaper might work for you (thus, saving you money because you’ll be less likely to buy things you don’t end up using). It also is a great way to find out which diapers are built to last. Try to find reviews from people who have been using a diaper for awhile - this will help you to know which diapers will stand up to the tons of washing you will give them. This leads us to the last tip:

Keep your used diapers for future children. This is one way that families can really get a lot of bang for their buck when using cloth diapers. If you spend only a couple hundred dollars building up a cloth diaper stash for your first baby and can use most of those diapers for your second or even your third baby - that is a huge amount of savings over buying disposables for each child. Buying quality diapers that are made to last and making sure you care for your diapers the way the manufacturer recommends are two ways to keep your diaper stash usuable for baby after baby.

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There are many decisions that new moms and dads must make when they first find out they are having a baby… from picking the right car seat to picking the right name. Add to that list of decisions the choice you will have to make between disposable and cloth diapers. While disposable diapers have been the most mainstream diapering option in the last few decades, cloth diapers have evolved greatly and have become a more convenient and accessible option. Here are just a few of the reasons you may want to give cloth diapers a try:

• Cloth diapers are fitted and snug

In days past, the most common diaper type was a flat piece of cloth that had to be folded to fit a baby’s form and then fastened with safety pins. Today there are cloth diapers that resemble disposable diapers with their contoured shape, elastic in the legs and back, and easy closures like Velcro or snaps. Some diapers have a one-size option, so that one diaper can last from birth to potty learning.

• Cloth diapers are infinitely more attractive than disposable diapers

When disposable diapers are your only option then it is easy to put function before fashion but with cloth diapers you can have it all. Cloth diapers come with a variety of different fabric options…velour, bamboo, organic cotton, silk, and fleece, among others. The fabric patterns and colors are also endless. From electric pink to midnight blue and from tie dye to Tinkerbell, parents who use cloth diapers never get bored with all their choices.

• Cloth diapers are cost effective

The baby business is booming and you can easily spend a fortune on diapers, baby clothing, accessories, toys, and furniture. If you need to be cost conscious then cloth diapers will help you save money. It is almost always more frugal to reuse items than to buy new every time and cloth diapers are no exception. Experts estimate that disposable diapers can easily cost up to $3000 over a three year period. Cloth diaper costs usually range $300 to $800 from birth to age three. If you are inclined to sew your own diapers and use reclaimed materials you can use cloth diapers for next to no money at all.

• Cloth diapers are the more environmentally friendly choice

As cloth diapers climb in popularity there has been an increase in corporate funded studies designed to show that cloth diapers have just as much environmental impact as their disposable counterparts. The claim is that energy and water usage from laundering cloth diapers is comparative to the environmental impact of disposable diapers in our landfills. These studies conveniently forget to factor in the energy and water usage created from mass manufacturing disposable diapers in a factory, the lost of precious resources as trees are cut to make the paper pulp innards of these diapers, and the tremendous impact of shipping disposable diapers all over the world by ship, plane, and truck. When ALL the environmental factors are considered, cloth diapers seem to be the clear cut winner in the great diaper debate.

It is not hard to see why more and more parents are factoring cloth into their diapering decisions.

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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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All Bummis products are 15% off with coupon code: BUM
This includes Super Whisper Wraps, Whisper Pants & tote bags! Don’t miss it!

Lil Diaper Depot ~ Organic and eco-friendly baby products.

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