Monday, October 27, 2008
The Diaper Dilemma
And so, my current thoughts have turned to diapering...Tom and I both hate the thought of creating thousands of pounds of trash with disposables, but the thought of cloth diapers is a little scary, mostly because I don't have any experience with those. I have been doing a lot of research and there are a lot more options than pins and plastic covers. In fact, a lot of the cloth diapers are really cute. There are much more benefits to them, including health of the baby, decreased cost, improving the environment. Oh, but the convenience of disposables!! I am wondering if anyone has any experience or advice they would like to offer - things we should consider that we may not think of? We would appreciate the input :)
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I have heard that you leave a larger carbon footprint by using cloth diapers because they require more energy to wash and soap to clean. Only 1% of landfills consist of disposable diapers....I don't remember where I heard that but I don't know if that helps any...:-)
I have some good info on cloth diapering if you are interested. Lots of good sites and some local Cincy diaper launderers if you are interested in cloth diapering but, don't want to worry about washing them your self. I am also a member of a local group called Cincinnati Home Birth, and they have lots of good ideas/ diaper swaps/ meetings. Just let me know!
Info about cloth diapering:
http://www.healthydiapers.com/video.html
Cincinnati/Dayton diaper service:
http://www.goodnaturedbaby.com/
Cincinnati homebirth group (they will swap/sell/give you diapers and often have classes about cloth diapering. Def. and invaluable resource for everything baby in Cincinnati:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cincinnatihomebirth/
Hey Erin!
Have you heard about G-Diapers? They are a sort of compromise (cloth diapers with environmentally friendly flushable inserts).
http://www.gdiapers.com/
Ashley - thank you so much for the advice and hints! I think we are going to use the laundry service you recommended. It is not as cheap, but we wouldn't have to do all the laundry, which would be absolutely fantastic. We have also decided to try the little g diaper system for trips, outings, etc, so thanks Jessie!
We really appreciate the input, and if anyone has any more advice, that is awesome!!
*waves* You don't know me, but I'm a friend of Ashley's. I have a 15-month old who's been cloth diapered probably 95% of her life.
GDiapers were a BIG disappointment. They were gross, to put it bluntly. I would rather wash cloth than mess with those inserts. They leaked, had huge smell issues, etc.
Also, cloth is as easy as disposables if you want to put a little money up front. Check out diapers called "AIO" or All In Ones and Pocket Diapers. AIO's are practically disposables.. you just throw them in the wash instead of throwing them away. Pockets have inserts that go between a waterproof later and a soft layer. Again, you just take out the insert and throw them in the wash. Normally those two types of diapers can range from $10-30 bucks a pop, though.
Check out www.diaperswappers.com
Lots of mamas sell their cloth diapers after their babies outgrow them, and you can get some great deals on there. Also, you're helping the environment because you're reusing.
Also, I can't possibly see how cloth can have a larger carbon footprint. First off, there's less chemicals from the production process (no bleaching, etc.). Second off, it's no worse than doing an extra load of laundry a day (or every few days).
Also, mothering.com has forums that are all about cloth.
Good luck! :)
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