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Why Use Cloth Diapers?
Today, cloth diapering is becoming a very popular choice for families! Well, why wouldn’t they? One might think, cloth diapers, you are kidding right? No, I am not! Unlike our grandmother’s/mother’s diapers, we are not having to pin and spend time trying to figure out “folds”. Cloth diapers today are innovative, simple, easy to use and best of all, most are created and designed by moms. A few cloth diaper brands such as bum Genius!, Happy Heinys, Tiny Tush have developed a cult following!
There are many reasons why I choose to cloth diaper! Number one reason: it is EASY! Number two: it saves you money. And perhaps the biggest reason of all is the benefits to both the environment and the health of your baby.
The Convenience Factor:
How can cloth diapers be convenient? With the innovative designs on the market, cloth diapers make diaper changing easy. Unlike disposables, with cloth diapers you are not creating waste and you are keeping money in your pocket! Cloth diapers come in a variety of fabric choices and absorbency levels, allowing families to pick and choose the perfect diapering system for their baby! Cloth Diapers are designed with closures such as snaps or Velcro which replace the much dreaded safety pins. The old rubber/vinyl pants are now replaced with new water resistant covers made of wool, fleece or polyurethane laminate (PUL). The leg opening and backs are often fitted with elastic making them snug fighting and preventing blowouts! Plus, with the creation of Diaper Sprayers and Flushable liners diaper clean ups are quick and painless (no more dunking!).
Health Concerns
I found some very startling information: According to the Real Diaper Association (RDA) disposable diapers contain a number of nasty chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate, Dioxin and Tributyl tin (TBT). Sodium polyacrylate, which is found in the fluff layer of the disposable diaper, turns your baby’s urine into gel; it can absorb 100 times its weight in liquid. Sodium Polyacrylate has also been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome in Tampon use and has been associated with severe diaper rash. Dioxin, one of the most poisonous and carcinogenic substances produced on earth, has been associated with birth defects, miscarriage, cancer and genetic damage. Dioxin is banned in most countries, but not the United States. Tributy tin (TBT) is a controversial chemical compound, a study by Greenpeace confirmed TBT in major name-brand disposable diapers. Greenpeace found that TBT causes hormonal problems in animals and humans and they are demanding a world-wide ban! Get even more facts at the Real Diaper Association! Cloth diapers are free of many of the chemicals found in disposables! This was one of the biggest contributing factors to why I use cloth diapers!
Environmental Concerns
An added benefit of using cloth is you are helping our environment. In the United States, more than 49 million diapers are disposed of each day. Where do disposables go after they leave your house? They go into our landfills and it estimated that a disposable will take 200-500 years to decompose!
The Cost
Think about all the disposables that are put into the trash, that is quite a waste of money! With cloth diapers you can reuse and reuse and reuse!! A family will go through about 6,000 to 9,000 per child! Using cloth diapers can save you $1500 over the cost of disposables. You can save even more when you cloth diaper subsequent children. Please see my cost analysis for an in depth look at cloth diapers vs. disposables!
Why not start cloth diapering today? Save money, help out our environment and protect your baby. It is so easy and you will be amazed at the “cloth diapers of today”! I am here to help if you have any questions!
Hints
~My advice is to not invest in a full package to start with. Purchase 1 or 2 of the type of diaper you want try. Make sure it fits your baby well and that it works for your baby! I started off with a few diapers from a number of different brands, I found the ones that worked for my son and then bought more to build up my collection!
~Do your research!!! Check out reviews on http://www.diaperpin.com/diapers/diaperpages.asp of different cloth diapering systems! I also love Autumn Beck's reviews: http://allaboutclothdiapers.com/ I love her honest opinion on cloth diapers and her information is great!!
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