Organic Baby: Diapers

loth or disposable? The debate goes on. And the fact that it does proves there’s no easy answer. There are environmental issues, health issues, convenience issues, and aesthetic issues. Like it or not, diapers are going to be a major part of your life for a few years. You’ll be handling them several times a day, and they’ll be pressing against your baby’s most sensitive parts nearly all of the time. 

Here are some pros and cons to consider: 

CLOTH DIAPERS

Pros:

• Organic cotton, not plastic, chlorinated paper, or other chemicals, touches baby’s skin.

• Diapers can be reused up to 150 times and then recycled into rags.

• More economical: savings of up to $1,500 per child.

• Made from a renewable resource.

• Waste goes into the sewer, not a landfill.

• Facilitates earlier potty training, as baby learns to avoid feeling wet.

• Wetness becomes obvious more quickly, which means faster diaper changes.

Cons:

• More complicated to assemble products and accessories (liners, covers).

• Takes work to create a leakproof system.

• Requires more energy and water in washing.

• Diaper services often use chlorine bleach and phosphorus-based detergents with strong synthetic-fragranced fabric softeners, damaging to the environment and irritating to baby’s skin.

• Diaper-service delivery trucks use fossil fuels and pollute the environment.

• Cotton used for nonorganic diapers is heavily sprayed with pesticides.