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Every mama who cloth diapers loves them for their own reasons, but the commonality among them all is that they DO love them. But if you're still waiting to be convinced, maybe you just haven't found YOUR reason yet.
Here are a few of the many benefits of cloth. One of them might just be the reason you'll finally make the switch.
They are cheaper
You might not realize it because of the sizable up-front cost, but cloth diapers can yield significant financial savings. Even accounting for the start-up costs, diapering with cloth will save you $150 in your baby's first year alone and $660 during the whole of your first child's diapering phase.
With subsequent children, your savings will be about $1300. And when you’re done diapering, you can even re-sell your cloth diapers and recoup some of your costs as they hold their value well on the secondary market.
They are environmentally friendly
Cloth keeps disposable diapers out of landfills - and that's important, since 'sposies can take up to 500 years to decompose. The U.S. sends 27.4 billion disposable diapers to landfills each year, but the problem extends beyond merely taking up space in a landfill.
Because diapers contain human excrement, there are very real environmental threats of causing groundwater contamination, spreading disease, and producing atmospheric-warming methane gas.
They use fewer natural resources
Disposable diapers are made from valuable natural resources. Their production results in 60 times the amount of solid waste of cloth, and they require 20 times the amount of raw materials to produce.
200,000 trees are cut down each year to produce diapers for babies in the U.S. alone, and each baby that is diapered with disposables will use up 300 pounds of wood, 20 pounds of chlorine, and 50 pounds of petroleum.
They are healthier for your baby
Diapers come into direct contact with your baby's skin 24 hours per day, so the fact that they contain chemicals is not insignificant.
Some of the ingredients they contain include sodium polyacrylate, phthalates, tributyl tin, and dioxin. These have been linked to adverse health outcomes including cancer, obesity, and endocrine disruption.
Cloth diapers are made from all-natural fibers, which are not associated with the same outcomes.
They are less irritating to your baby's skin
Because cloth diapers do not contain chemicals, synthetics, or irritants, babies are less likely to have an allergic reaction to their ingredients.
Babies also may have reduced incidents of diaper rash as cloth diapers are changed more frequently than disposables, leaving less time for excrement to come into contact with your baby's skin, and giving yeast less of an opportunity to grow.
They make potty training easier
Babies rarely feel wet when they're wearing disposable diapers, thanks to moisture-wicking technology that locks in urine and wetness and removes it from direct contact with your baby's skin. While this may seem like a great feature, it, unfortunately, reduces the incentive for your child to potty train. If they never feel wetness or discomfort, what motivation do they have to get out of wet diapers?
Cloth diapers may help children develop the desire to potty train earlier - and, because they will feel the wetness and recognize when they have gone,
help them to catch on more quickly, too.
They are adorable
If nothing else convinces you, focus on the aesthetics. With all the cute colors and patterns you can use to cover your baby's bum, there's gotta be one that's so irresistible you can't wait to try out cloth diapering.
It doesn't have to be all or nothing
We get it. The prospect of cloth diapering can be daunting, especially if you've never done it before. But the truth is that even part-time cloth diapering can have a positive impact on the environment (and your wallet), and that's an entirely valid choice if you’re not ready to jump all in.
Many mothers choose to cloth diaper only during the daytime hours, use disposables while traveling or while they're out and about during the day, or use cloth on the weekends while sending disposables to daycare.
If your primary hang-up about cloth is that you can't fathom the idea of giving up the convenience of disposables during certain situations, be encouraged - you don't have to!
Give it a try
Yes, cloth diapering requires a little extra labor, but the myriad of benefits to both you and your baby outweigh them all. Plus, once you're in a groove, we think you'll find the work isn't nearly as laborious as you imagine. If you've ever considered cloth diapering, it's time to get off the fence and give it a try.
Find your own reason to fall in love with it as much as the millions of other moms in the cloth-diapering sisterhood. We bet you'll be glad you did.
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About the Author
Jenny Silverstone is a blogger, the mother of two, and the mama behind MomLovesBest.com.
She loves writing about and promoting eco-friendly parenting methods such as babywearing, cloth diapering, and breastfeeding.
This article compliments of Born to Love.
Send questions, comments, and suggestions to: catherine@borntolove.com
Born to Love articles are written by Catherine McDiarmid-Watt
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Last updated - April 5, 2024
