When choosing diapers for your child, the choice between cloth and disposable might seem simple. For those of us who can remember a time when there were no disposable diapers, memories of cloth diaper surrounded by rubber pants come time to mind. They were high maintenance to say the least. There was the time involved to clean them, and they weren’t ultra- absorbent. Parents everywhere celebrated when disposable diapers came into the mainstream. Disposable diapers are quick and easy. Use once and toss. No need to wash them, just throw them away. It may be that easy, but it isn’t that simple. There are many cons to disposable diapers as well.
Disposable diapers are made from plastics. According to the Newparentsguide.com, (http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm) the chemicals in disposable diapers can harm children that wear them. In addition to having more rashes, other health concerns include allergies, damage to the central nervous system and toxic shock syndrome. Then there are the environmental issues with disposable diapers.
Environmental issues with disposable diapers are two-fold. Manufacturing disposable diapers for American babies alone takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year. Then there is the problem with disposal-they are not biodegradable. Once they are dumped in a landfill, they remain there forever. Unlike cloth diapers where waste goes either into the sewer systems and is treated, the bacteria and viruses from human waste in disposable diapers can seep into the ground and even into the water supply. Best estimates suggest that a baby goes through more than 5000 diapers before being toilet trained. Doing the math on the amount of diapers in landfill is staggering! It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. It’s scary!
The cloth diapers of today aren’t what they used to be either. With the newer style of cloth diapers that are on the market, disposable diapers are not much more convenient that cloth diapers. Some cloth diapers now have double or triple layers and a multiply, fiber-filled strip, making them more absorbent than older styles. Cloth diapers now come with Velcro and durable snap closures, eliminating the need for those large safety pins, making them as easy to put on and take off as disposable diapers. You can launder them at home or turn the job over to a diaper service. It is estimated that cloth diapers usually only add about 2 extra loads of laundry a week to your schedule. Eco-friendly, they are also recyclable. They can be used on another baby and have many household uses after its diaper days are over.
AMP diapers, www.ampdiapers.com takes the guess work out of cloth diapers. Diapers that can take baby from newborn to toilet trained. They were created by Annie Marie Padorie, a mother of five herself, by trial and error. They are made from bamboo, cotton, and hemp. AMP diapers are made in a green office certified facility in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. AMP diapers offers easy to use, cost effective, environmentally friendly, re-usable cloth diapering systems and accessories. Cloth diapers are soft and comfortable for baby and better for the environment.
As a parent, deciding to use cloth or disposable diapers depends on your lifestyle, personal preference, finances and your concern for the environment. But with cloth diapers being better for baby and the environment, and as easy to use as disposable, they are certainly a topic to investigate. Start your baby off early to appreciate the Earth’s natural environment!
Add check out the following links:
Speak Your Mind