It's Easy Being Green

Why choose cloth diapers...



Our baby's diapers so far



We chose to use cloth diapers for many reasons.  For our baby, the environment and our bank account.  Modern cloth diapers are easier than you may think.  We are using Thirsties diaper covers with hemp/cotton inserts and Indian prefolds.  When the baby needs to be changed, most of the time you just replace the insert and wash the dirty one.  This saves on laundry (water and energy) as well as money.  Washing a bunch of liners and prefolds are not a big deal at all.  What really bugs me is when you tell someone you are cloth diapering and they say "yeah right, that won't last".  There is no doubt in my mind that we will make this work.  For one reason, it's easy and for two, why would I ever want to contribute to the billions of diapers thrown in landfills every year?

  Baby's health: 

Disposable diapers contain many toxins and are bleached.  This is not good for baby's brand new skin.  They also promote more diaper rash than cloth and tend to leak or "blow out" more than cloth.  Cloth diapers are made with cotton against the baby's skin.  The liners have layers that soak better and wick away from the baby's skin.

Environment:

It is estimated that a disposable diaper takes 250-500 years to decompose!  Billions of diapers are thrown in landfills every year.  That is a lot of waste that isn't going anywhere on our precious Earth.  25 million trees are used to manufacture disposable diapers.  If you want your baby's first carbon footstep to remain low, research cloth diapers.  What a way to bring a life into the world with little impact on Mother Earth.

$$$$:

Babies go through about 6000 diapers until they are potty trained.  That adds up to thousands of dollars (just to use and toss in the trash).  Diapers are expensive and used so often.  Once you invest in cloth diapers, you are done until potty training.  The Thirsties we are using come in two sizes.  Size one that lasts up to 18 pounds and size two that lasts up to 40 pounds.  We need 5-6 covers in each size and then a bunch of inserts and prefolds.  That is it!  Maybe after a year or so, if the inserts seem to become worn, they can be replaced, but they typically work throughout the whole process.  I look forward to never getting in a bind and having to send Chris out to buy diapers at the last minute or having to spend that extra money each week at the grocery store.  With breastfeeding and cloth diapers, the baby will make a very small impact on our budget.  After all, a new baby shouldn't be an expense, they are a new loved one in your family. 

Conscious living!  Be Green!