The
NEW cloth diapering:
These ain’t your grandma’s cloth diapers
By Heather
Sanders
You’ve got
a baby on the way! And the lists begin. You go out and buy baby
books, comb the internet, decide on birth plans, choose a doctor
or midwife. Amid the vast number of decisions to be made, diapering
generally gets little to no time. It becomes just another checkmark
on the baby registry, while your friends throw you a disposable
diaper shower and the hospital provides complimentary disposable
diapers and coupons.
Stop right there!
There is an alternative: cloth diapering. Take a moment to introduce
yourself to the NEW cloth diapering. Put aside your old perceptions
and suppositions about cloth diapers. Cloth diapering has come
a long way in recent years. Yesterday’s cloth diapering
systems take a back seat to the vast array of cloth diaper entrepreneurs
emerging on the scene alongside long-standing cloth diaper distributors.
The new designs are ingenious, cute, absorbent and easy to use,
proving to be healthier for baby, easier on the pocketbook and
gentler on the environment.
Out with
the old, in with the new
When we think of cloth diapers, many of us conjure up visions
of large, single-layer, flat squares that require multiple, origami-like
folds. If that weren’t a daunting enough task, add in concerns
about securing these cloth squares with sharp metal pins and then
pulling on crinkly waterproof plastic pants. It’s enough
to make anyone turn tail and run toward disposables!
Fortunately, cloth
diaper makers have been as dynamic as designers in other industries
in the world around us. Diaper-sewing and diaper-selling WAHMs
(Work At Home Moms) are popping up all across the internet, with
a variety of cloth diapering products that would make your head
spin. Cloth diapering has become its own underground market, and
more and more children are enjoying the same comforts from cloth
that we as parents afford to ourselves.
The
birth of disposables
Disposable diapers emerged in the early ‘60s. Much to the
joy of mothers everywhere, they alleviated the task of folding
cloth squares and using diaper pins. In the mid-‘80s, disposable
diapers were “improved” with the addition of multiple
layers of synthetic materials like polypropylene. These layers
are designed to allow moisture to pass through to a middle core
comprised of wood pulp that has been chemically digested in a
three-part pulping process.1 The disposable
core also contains a super-absorbent gel that is known to absorb
more than 80 times its weight in liquid. Disposables are fastened
with adjustable tabs and feature “cloth-like,” breathable
polypropylene outer layers to keep moisture from leaking out.2
Without good alternatives
and in the name of convenience, a good number of mothers put their
babies in paper pulp diapers layered with synthetic materials
and chemical absorbent gels, in lieu of cloth. The cloth diapering
world remained dynamic, however, and stepped up to the challenge
by offering parents the same level of convenience as disposables
while maintaining the comforts of cloth.
Cloth diapering
moves online
Since the mid-‘90s, the internet has proven to be the primary
market for cloth diapering options. Moms with diaper-aged children
looked beyond their local super centers and baby stores to the
internet, finding a wide array of diapers sold or sewn by WAHMs.
Catherine McDiarmid’s
BornToLove.com (Canada) was one of the first major diaper sites
to emerge in 1997. BornToLove.com is recognized for its extensive
articles and listing of other diaper WAHMs who design and sew
their own products or sell cloth diapers and covers from larger
cloth diapering companies.
 |
Convenience
and style
Convenience is key. The new cloth diapers secure with soft
Velcro and Aplix closures or snaps – no more diaper
pins to keep the diaper snug. Multiple inner layers of absorbent,
natural materials in the center soaker panels replace disposables’
super-absorbent chemical gels near Baby’s most private
parts. |
And style counts.
Consumers today can choose from an array of fabrics, colors and
closure styles. Terri Hall of FullMoonBabyGear.com is recognized
for her extensive collection of fabrics ready to be made into
diapers or covers at a mother’s whim. Her store (and others
like it) are often temporarily closed due to the overwhelming
number of custom orders.
The variety is
delightfully mind-boggling, with choices ranging from fabrics,
prints, color, number of layers, type of closure and style of
cover. You can choose from prefolds, contoured, fitted or
all-in-one
style diapers. For a glimpse at the variety available, head over
to online auction sites like WAHMall.com or WAHMChicks.com,
where
numerous WAHMs introduce their diapers to the community and list
diapers for sale. (Also
stop by Natural Family Online's Balter Catalogue for some
diaper and cover styles).
Hooked
on cloth
Though their reasons for choosing cloth diapers vary, many moms
discover that once they’ve been introduced to cloth diapers,
they just can’t get enough. For these mamas, there are online
message boards where they can share their unbridled enthusiasm
and learn from other diapering mamas. Two of the most active diaper
message boards can be found at Mothering.com and AmityMama.com.
For some mamas,
cloth diapering becomes a real collector’s pursuit focusing
on the most popular, original and wisely marketed cloth diaper.
These self-proclaimed “diaper hyenas” “stalk”
WAHM diaper auctions and online stores to snipe coveted diapers
with an unmatched vigor. Who could fault them, considering the
likes of Lori Taylor’s “diaper art” at Fuzbaby.com,
the unique flair of Ann Hall’s custom shell sets at RighteousBaby.com
and the tie-dyed delights of Shelly Penix at TyeDyeDreams.com?
Why do these women
spend so much time and energy buying cloth diapering products?
Lori Taylor answers that question: “It makes you smile at
a time when your baby is completely focused on your face. …
Because it makes diapering fun.” 3
But what
about washing them?
Washing cloth diapers – this seems to be the greatest hurdle
to mothers considering cloth for their babies’ bums. The
truth is, washing cloth diapers at home is just as simple and
hygienic as washing sweaty socks, gym shorts, undies, musty towels,
food-ridden dish rags and other laundry.
What about the
bacteria? Dr. Charles Gerba, an environmental microbiologist at
the University of Arizona, released results of a study on germs
in the standard household’s washers and dryers. Even without
introducing cloth diapers, 60% of homes tested positive for coliform
bacteria (an indicator of fecal contamination), while another
20% contained staph. These bacteria can be found in underwear,
dishcloths, sponges and towels.
What does this
mean for you? If you are considering cloth diapering but are concerned
about the bacteria in or on cloth diapers, remember that it’s
likely that these bacteria are in your laundry already. Adding
cloth diapers to the mix will make it no more “dirty.”4
If you already are washing your clothes at home in a washing machine,
you certainly can wash diapers too without introducing bacteria
that would not otherwise be there. C’mon, give washing machines
their due – they’ve come a long way since their inception
and are the workhorses of the modern home.
 |
Looking
for Diapers & Accessories?
Diapers,
covers, wet bags, PUL tote bags, inserts, novelty items,
wipes & more!
At the Balter
Catalogue Company. |
|
Cloth is
the green choice
Beyond cloth diapers’ absorbency, cuteness and ease of care
lies their proven lower environmental impact. Using cloth diapers
creates less consumption of both renewable and non-renewable resources,
creates less waste for already overburdened landfills and creates
fewer health hazards associated with human waste in our landfills.
Sherry Schiff of
The Waterloo Centre for Groundwater Research states that the only
other items that outnumber the amount of disposable diapers in
landfills are newspapers and beverage food containers.5
A 1988 study by Carl Lehrburger concluded that disposable diapers
accounted for 2% of total municipal solid waste and 3.5 to 4.5%
of household waste, with approximately 18 billion paper and plastic
diapers landfilled in 1988.6
Cloth diapers offer
definite ecological advantages over disposables. With cloth, human
waste gets flushed into municipal sanitary waste systems where
it is treated. On the other hand, the EPA notes that “a
significant portion of the disposable diaper waste dumped in American’s
landfills every year is actually biodegradable human waste preserved
forever.”7 Both the American Academy
of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association advise
parents that fecal matter and urine should not be disposed of
in the regular trash because it contaminates groundwater and spreads
disease.8 In fact, the Lehrburger report
suggests that disposable diapers be classified as infectious waste
because untreated feces and urine represent a health risk at landfill
sites.8
Sorting
it all out
If you are considering cloth, don’t allow yourself to become
overwhelmed with the myriad choices. Peruse diaper reviews on
sites like Diaperpin.com and visit message boards in natural parenting
communities. Start simply when building your first system; if
you like it and feel you can incorporate it into your lifestyle,
rest secure in the fact that you are winning on all sides of the
issue.
Your cloth-diapered
baby will be more comfortable with natural fibers next to her
most sensitive areas. Cloth’s “cute factor”
is incomparable compared to bleached paper pulp diapers. Cloth
is as easy to use, wash and care for, and you’ll be reducing
the contaminants in today’s landfills. Add up your total
money saved, and you’ll find yet another reason that the
new cloth diapering has become a viable option in diapering today.
1
United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water
4303, EPA-821-F-97-011, EPA FACT SHEET, The Pulp and Paper Industry,
the Pulping Process, and Pollutant Releases to the Environment.
November 1997.
2 Contemporary Pediatrics, Disposable
diapers: effective and safe. Sponsored by Personal Absorbent
Products Council.
3 Fuzbaby Diapers, Lori Taylor, www.fuzbaby.com
4 Barbara Ingham, Food Science Extension
Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Germs in the
Laundry.
5 Schiff, Sherry, "The Diaper Dilemma,
Waterloo Centre For Groundwater Research.
6 Iowa Sate University - University Extension,
"The Diaper Dilemma."
7 Reilly, Lee, "The diaper debate:
cloth vs. paper, . . . "
8 Fearer, Mark, "Diaper Debate --
Not Over Yet."
Heather L. Sanders
is owner of The
Diaper Hyena, a cloth diaper buying directory and educational
resource.
