The reasons I'm choosing Cloth vs. Disposables...
1. The Cost - Since I want to stay at home, cost is a HUGE factor. I need to conserve money where possible. I even plan on line drying my disposables as much as possible to reduce energy costs, though one load every few days is not going to hurt me much.
The average cost of disposable diapers for a 2 year period would be ~$1,600 (see the bottom of the post for my source). I plan on buying a total of 24 cloth diapers to last me this entire 2 year period (possibly 3 years), at an average cost of $15 per diaper. I'll even say that I might buy an extra 6 cloth diapers for fun and replacements, that is another $90, and if I buy extra inserts we'll tag on another $100. That is a total cost of $360. I will be doing an extra load of laundry every 3 days. I do not anticipate my water bill to go up more than $10/month on account of this ($240 over two years).
(I should note that if you are wondering about cost of detergent; I make my own detergent and it costs me approximately $10 total per year.)
WINNER Cloth Diapers = $790
Disposable Diapers = $1,600
2. The Environment - While the environment is not the biggest factor for me regarding Cloth vs. Disposables, I would be blind to not see the obvious comparison between the two. Here are some highlights;
- 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.
- In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.
- It is estimated that it takes a disposable diaper between 250-500 years to decompose.
- Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills.
- Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials than cloth diapers.
- The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.
You can find more of these fun facts here: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
WINNER Cloth Diapers
3. My Baby's Health - The biggest reason I want to use cloth is for my baby's health. Here are some fun facts for you;
- Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, and extremely toxic by-product of the paper bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
- Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
- Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.
And the list goes on....
WINNER Cloth Diapers
Source - http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
Cost - 25%, Environment - 5%, Health of my Baby - 70%
1. The Cost - Since I want to stay at home, cost is a HUGE factor. I need to conserve money where possible. I even plan on line drying my disposables as much as possible to reduce energy costs, though one load every few days is not going to hurt me much.
The average cost of disposable diapers for a 2 year period would be ~$1,600 (see the bottom of the post for my source). I plan on buying a total of 24 cloth diapers to last me this entire 2 year period (possibly 3 years), at an average cost of $15 per diaper. I'll even say that I might buy an extra 6 cloth diapers for fun and replacements, that is another $90, and if I buy extra inserts we'll tag on another $100. That is a total cost of $360. I will be doing an extra load of laundry every 3 days. I do not anticipate my water bill to go up more than $10/month on account of this ($240 over two years).
(I should note that if you are wondering about cost of detergent; I make my own detergent and it costs me approximately $10 total per year.)
WINNER Cloth Diapers = $790
Disposable Diapers = $1,600
2. The Environment - While the environment is not the biggest factor for me regarding Cloth vs. Disposables, I would be blind to not see the obvious comparison between the two. Here are some highlights;
- 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.
- In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.
- It is estimated that it takes a disposable diaper between 250-500 years to decompose.
- Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills.
- Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials than cloth diapers.
- The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.
You can find more of these fun facts here: http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
WINNER Cloth Diapers
3. My Baby's Health - The biggest reason I want to use cloth is for my baby's health. Here are some fun facts for you;
- Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, and extremely toxic by-product of the paper bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
- Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
- Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbency tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome by increasing absorbency and improving the environment for the growth of toxin-producing bacteria.
And the list goes on....
WINNER Cloth Diapers
Source - http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
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