Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers have a loyal following

Regarding the longstanding debate between cloth and disposable diapers, experts say it's entirely a personal decision. Cloth diapers are widely assumed to be more environmentally friendly, since they don't take up landfill space like disposables. Still, they incur the environmental cost of water and energy for washing. In an article for Wired, writer Elisa Batista tackles the cloth vs. disposable subject: "On the face of it, cloth diapers appear to be the best way to avoid additional waste dump in landfills. But laundering cloth diapers does appear to suck up a lot of water, which could present a problem in drought-afflicted areas."

A more recent article in Cookie magazine comes to the same conclusion. Reporter Sarah Schmidt writes: "The two worlds are so fraught that after a much-discussed study on diaper impact came out in 1990, environmental groups threw up their hands and admitted that neither was much good for the planet." In an article for The Boston Globe, Silvia Spring comments that on the surface, reusable diapers appear to be the greener choice, but when all factors are considered, there is no clear answer.

In our research, we found many insightful arguments for and against cloth diapering, but nearly all articles emphasize that it comes down to your personal preferences in terms of your lifestyle and where you stand on the environmental debate.

Reusable diapers require energy usage for laundering, and growing cotton, the material most cloth diapers are made of, poses environmental hazards in the form of soil erosion, mechanical energy and pesticides. Choosing diapers such as the BumGenius One-Size (*Est. $18 each), made from organic cotton grown in the United States with no pesticides or fertilizers, and using energy-saving measures such as drying on a clothesline instead of in a dryer, can help reduce the environmental impact from reusable cloth diapers. The BumGenius One-Size cloth diapers don't need to be carefully folded or pinned; rather, these tailored and shaped diapers go on pretty much like a disposable diaper, fastening in place with Velcro. Snaps allow you to adjust the size as your baby grows.

If cost is your main concern, using a diaper service will cost the same, if not more, as buying disposable diapers. Therefore, laundering your own cloth diapers will be the most cost-effective option, albeit the most labor intensive. Some parents split the difference by using cloth during the day and disposables at night.

The book "Baby Bargains" offers an excellent discussion of cloth diapers, noting that faster toilet training is a prominent argument for cloth diapering. The super absorbency of the newest brands of disposable diapers are great for reducing leaks, but can lengthen toilet-training time because baby isn't as uncomfortable in a wet disposable diaper as in a wet cloth diaper. There's also an assumption that cloth diapers reduce diaper rash, but according to "Baby Bargains," there is little difference in diaper rash between cloth and disposable diaper users.

According to estimates, about one in 10 households experiment with cloth diapers. There's a large and active Internet community that supports parents who choose cloth diapers, so we'd suggest visiting some of those websites if you're considering using cloth. DiaperDecisions.com offers a wealth of information, including detailed cost estimates of the different types of cloth and disposable diapers. DiaperPin.com is another good source, with product reviews, articles and a parent forum. For a good overview, a website owned by The Peace and Environment Resource Centre has an excellent article examining the pros and cons of cloth vs. disposable.