Do Cloth Diapers save money?

Many mom's ask "do cloth diapers save money?" Does the cost of a diaper service, or the cost of laundering your own diapers, compare to disposables? The short answer is "yes" but there are some other important issues to consider.

Believe it or not, it's only been since our generation (over the past 20-30 years) that disposable diapers have been the primary choice for parents. Before the mid-70's, disposable diapers were a luxury to be used only during long trips or for the few babies that were in daycare.

Now that most families are two-income households, disposable diapers are often the only option. Most daycares will not allow cloth diapers claiming that they raise health concerns.

If you are lucky enough to be a stay-at-home parent or you've found a progressive daycare provider who will accept the use of cloth baby diaper, it's an option well worth consideration.

If your baby has any allergic or other environmental sensitivities, consider using cloth.

One has to be a little cautious of the types of chemicals used today in the gel used in disposables. When first introduced in the 1980's, some of the gels were found to cause bleeding and infections in infants and multiple symptoms (e.g. slow healing wounds, female reproductive problems, tiredness, and weight loss) in the workers at these diaper factories.

Recent reports have linked chemicals and deodorants used in the manufacturing of disposable diapers with asthma-like symptoms.

For sensitive skin, cloth may be a better option.

Studies have shown that risk of diaper rash was raised from 7 percent to about 60 percent when cloth diapers were replaced with disposables. This may be due to the fact that babies are changed less often when disposables are used.

Although disposables feel dry, they are still perfect breeding grounds for bacteria. Even if you are using the most absorbent disposable diaper available, baby should be changed every 2 hours to prevent rash and/or infection.

Going green? Go cloth...

As for the environmental factors, the debate heats up. Some say that the energy and water needed to wash cloth diapers is comparable to the amount of waste put into landfills each year (around 18 billion diapers were thrown into landfills during 1990). And it's estimated that it takes over 500 years (with ample oxygen exposure) to bio-degrade.

Disposable diapers are the third leading contributor to our solid waste problem. Picture the landfills as big, huge piles of poo and the health concerns they present become obvious.

However landfills are not the only environmental factor here. Each year, approximately 3.4 BILLION gallons of oil and more than 1/4 million trees are used to manufacture disposable diapers.