Comments on Green Lifestyle Consulting: To Cloth Diaper or Not To Cloth Diaper?

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2010-05-14T04:03:31.097-04:00

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I like the great discussion on this post (and the ...

2010-03-24T13:32:16.264-04:00

I like the great discussion on this post (and the post in the first place)! I wanted to throw in my two cents on the health and environment issues. [Full disclosure: I'm the co-owner of Diaper Lab with my wife Salina, though also studied Environmental Policy at MIT. You can decide how much of my commentary to discount as bias ;) ]

Health Issues:
-The best summary of the health issues is on the RDA site (see link at bottom), but in summary, some people don't particularly like the Super Absorbent Polyment (SAP) which is used in diapers, nor some of the chemicals in the initial manufacturing/ processing.
-Many people actually switch to Cloth Diapers because disposables give their children a rash; whether this is from the SAP, plastics, fragrances, or what I don't know, but kids with sensitive skin often do better in cloth.
-The point about dry skin reducing rashes is true, but many modern cloth diapers use interior fabrics with wicking properties to stay dry against the skin, so it's not quite the same issue anymore. Also, you ought to change diapers more frequently (whether disposable or cloth), but you're a bit more likely to do so in cloth.
-Despite the fact that disposable diapers say to flush the solid material, almost nobody does, and all of that goes into the landfills, which isn't great from a public health perspective.

Environment
-2% of landfill waste is still a huge number: about 3.7 million tons per year, according to EPA data.
-The energy/water trade-offs are pretty difficult to calculate between the two, and have a lot of variance depending on individual practices (top loader vs HE washer, how hot your water is, line drying vs. electric/gas dryer, etc.) and where you live (water is more scare in some areas, transportation of packaged goods is more energy intensive to rural areas). However, there aren't any studies that I've seen saying cloth diapers are worse than disposables, only that they may not be much better.
-Some people argue that cost can be a good proxy measurement of impact; cloth diapers are considerably cheaper than disposables, so one might infer a lower impact...haven't thought through that argument much myself, but an interesting perspective.
-Even if the calculated balance of materials/ energy isn't a strong deciding factor, I really believe there is something to be said about embracing a mindset of "reuse" over "dispose." The world needs a lot more of the former and a lot less of the latter, and that thinking this way is by itself of great benefit.

The Real Diaper Association website has a good summary of different impacts/reasons for using cloth diapers vs. disposables at:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

Like a lot of choices families make with children, there are many trade-offs and personal considerations. So while I think that Cloth Diapers are better for our family and that many families would find it a better choice if the looked at it more seriously, I know that isn't necessarily the right choice for everyone. But we hope people can have enough information about and exposure to cloth diapers to make a good decision!

The point of the above post is not to advocate for...

2010-03-23T16:04:32.986-04:00

The point of the above post is not to advocate for disposables; rather it is to point out that cloth may not be more environmentally friendly or healthy for our children.

So if you like cloth, that's fine but you are using more water and energy as a trade-off. Further, it might actually be more irritating for children according to pediatric dermatologists interviewed by consumer reports.

Just saying.

"If you're thinking about going the cloth...

2010-03-23T15:59:36.288-04:00

"If you're thinking about going the cloth route to be more environmentally friendly, consider this: Disposable diapers account for only 2 percent of the waste in dumps."

"And although cloth diapers don't contribute to the 2 percent of landfill refuse, you have to wash them—and that requires energy to heat the water."

"The super absorbent gel matrix in most disposable diapers for younger children can also hold and wick wetness away from your baby's skin, and buffers the alkaline pH of urine, significantly reducing the risk of diaper rash. "It's a great innovation that keeps your baby much drier than cloth diapers," Ilona J. Frieden, M.D., director of pediatric dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco Children's Hospital, said. "Because of the gel in disposable diapers, irritant diaper rashes that were once commonplace are now rare."

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/diapers/diaper-buying-advice/diaper-guide/cloth-vs-disposable/index.htm

I've been cloth diapering my 3 (23 month old s...

2010-02-15T11:22:45.940-05:00

I've been cloth diapering my 3 (23 month old son and almost 13 month old twins) for about 6 or 7 months now and I love it. There are a few times that I use disposables for the reasons you mentioned, but I find myself longing to return to CD very quickly. I pretty much wash diapers daily and don't find it that tough. I'm really happy that I am CD and wish I had done it sooner!

Wow Shannon, you have a lot of cloth diaper giveaw...

2010-02-08T11:48:38.226-05:00

Wow Shannon, you have a lot of cloth diaper giveaways on your blog! http://couponmommyof2.blogspot.com/

-Alicia

We are loving our cloth diapers and they are great...

2010-02-06T15:53:03.070-05:00

We are loving our cloth diapers and they are great for the economy

http://couponmommyof2.blogspot.com/

Heather: Thank you for the information about diape...

2010-02-02T09:47:25.733-05:00

Heather: Thank you for the information about diaper services, I did a quick search and found http://www.changinghabits.com/ that covers the western part of MA and is environmentally friendly and has talked about expanding into other areas. You do have to factor in the fact that the diapers are being transported around, but I wonder if that balances out the fact that the diapers are used for longer by more children? It's definitely a complicated issues, but I would think that it would be very hard to do CD if you don't have your own washing machine - although I'm now convinced you don't need a dryer! We dry them on a rack in the baby's room.

Upstatemomof3: Thanks for your comment! I'm impressed that you traveled with them, but when I've thought about it, cloth is probably necessary in 3rd world countries if you don't take them with you! I know that Happy Heinys has been supporting an orphanage in Haiti for years with cloth diapers and other supplies. They are currently looking for more cloth diapers to send down to their contacts: http://www.happyheinys.com/haiti.php

re: paper towels: That's really worthy of a p...

2010-02-02T09:37:51.775-05:00

re: paper towels: That's really worthy of a post. We believe strongly in using paper towels very sparingly, and using cloth whenever possible. We have a pile of thin blue dishrags that we use for most everything and a drying rack to let dishes drip dry. I'll try to get that post out soon.

re: soap nuts. I'm not really familiar with them, I know there are a number of people blogging on just cloth diapers and washing them, perhaps some of them know? The staff at the Diaper Lab said that the soap I use: Costco's Kirkland laundry soap is very good for CD because it has virtually nothing in it - that's why it's so inexpensive.

re: chemical exposure. This is definitely not our area of expertise. I had never been concerned about chemicals getting into our children, but with the number of sensitivities my youngest has, I'm just starting to research this. I'd be interested in hearing from people who know more.

Great article on cloth!! I love my clot diapers. W...

2010-02-01T21:33:07.104-05:00

Great article on cloth!! I love my clot diapers. We even used them when we traveled to Ethiopia. I think that they are just as easy as disposables and the environmental and financial aspects fix any and all downsides (of, which I think there are very few).

There is so much yuck involved in disposables. Oh and really it is not any harder with two in diapers. You just do laundry a little more often. No biggie - you are already doing more laundry anyway. :)

And your anonymous commenter has me intrigued. I wonder if s/he is on to something. Especially when you think of the huge increase in those diseases and the increase in people who leave their babies in diapers until they are three or four.

Liked your blog post and would be VERY interested ...

2010-02-01T21:30:33.443-05:00

Liked your blog post and would be VERY interested in seeing the research Jon comes up with. Would you please keep us in mind to share it with when you're ready? I recently saw some good research on the environmental impact of cloth diapers at www.nearta.com.
By the way, not all diaper services use harsh chemicals. There are PLENTY opening or changing their processes to be safe and earth-friendly. They're working on standards and improvement together in the Real Diaper Industry Association. Also, they are a very real option for people who don't have easy access to washers and dryers. Just thought I'd mention...
Thanks again for your post!

Back in the day I used cloth diapers for all the r...

2010-01-29T10:46:45.354-05:00

Back in the day I used cloth diapers for all the reasons mentioned but I have yet to hear the main reason I chose cloth over disposables:
CHEMICAL EXPOSURE- The diapers that hold 2 cups of fluid came out when I had my second child and I immediately noticed a chemical smell that wasn't in the other diapers. There were no studies done as it was new, but you can't tell me that something that sits on my newborn's skin 24/7 is not getting absorbed into their skin. I've never researched the chemical but can there be a link to the increase in allergies, ADD, ADHD, or Autism etc? A very small dose, over a period of 2 years, 24 hours a day, greatly increases the level of exposure. Additionally, how is the chemical affecting the environment?

I loved my fuzzi bunz with my 1st child. We were a...

2010-01-27T17:03:00.660-05:00

I loved my fuzzi bunz with my 1st child. We were able to reuse them with our second, and plan to do the same with #3 this summer. When I first bought them in 2007 I felt like I was in the minority for using cloth, but lately I know more and more people going that route. Diaper Lab is awesome too.
Have you heard anything about soap nuts for a greener/cheaper laundry detergent? I've read that they work well for cloth.

Great article, Alicia! I imagine the bay area has ...

2010-01-27T00:45:53.487-05:00

Great article, Alicia! I imagine the bay area has similar resources. Doesn't apply to me anymore with my 10YO, but I"m wondering could you apply your same research to paper towels vs. cloth (like shamwow).

The tradeoff, I think, is cleanliness and being more sanitary. When I wipeup w/ a cloth towel..all the stains are on it until I wash it. What do you think?