Why cloth?

Benefits of Cloth

Environmental Impact

Cloth diapers are generally considered more environmentally friendly because they are reusable. Disposable diapers contribute significantly to landfill waste, and their production involves intense and repeated use of non-renewable resources.

Natural Fabrics

Our cloth diapers (prefolds and fitteds) are 100% cotton. Our inserts consist of a bamboo/cotton exterior with microfiber interior. No synthetics, fragrances, or chemicals touching your baby’s delicate skin.

Customization

Cloth diapers come in various styles and materials, allowing parents to choose what works best for their baby’s comfort and needs. Additionally, they can be adjusted to fit a growing baby, providing a more customizable and flexible solution.

Potential for Reduced Diaper Rach

Some parents find that their babies experience fewer incidents of diaper rash with cloth diapers. This can be attributed to the absence of certain chemicals found in disposable diapers and increased breathability in cloth options.

Potential for Early Potty Training

Some anecdotal evidence suggests that children using cloth diapers may potty train earlier than those using disposables. The theory is that cloth diapered babies may feel wetness more, facilitating an awareness of the need to use the potty.

You won’t run out

With or without a service you’re one laundry load away to having a fresh supply of diapers as opposed to having to run to the store.

They’re cuter!

Enough said.

The Cost of Disposables

Trash

Research has shown that a baby on average uses near to 7000 diapers and that 95% of diapers are of single-use (Edana, 2008; Heather Reese and Breanna Alman, 2015). According to the EPA, a single disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose in a landfill. They also constitute the third largest consumer item in landfills and account for 50% of household waste. (NSW EPA, 2014).

Furthermore, the production of disposable diapers uses huge quantities of wood pulp, plastics (petroleum), and water, as well as environmentally dubious chemicals such as chlorine.  It takes around 200–400 kg of fluff pulp (approximately one billion trees per year) to supply one baby with disposables for 1 year. (Płotka-Wasylka et al, 2022).

Expense

The average baby will use between 6-10 diapers per day, putting the average cost between $70 and $80 per month on diapers (budget brand).

“Eco-friendly” disposable diapers typically cost even more. At our standard prefold service rate of $35/week, you receive 90 newborn diapers and 75 wipes weekly. This is equivalent to 39 cents per diaper. For reference, a Coterie newborn diaper will set you back 48 cents, a Kuddo diaper 41 cents (38 with subscription) and an Honest diaper is 40 cents.

This doesn’t even consider the cost of disposable wipes which adds up fast! Reusable cotton wipes are included with all our services.

Health

Single-use diapers are made of plastic and absorbent polymers, which can remain in the environment for long periods. Although the use of single-use diapers can be generally considered safe, they could potentially contain hazardous substances such as phthalates, Tributyltin (TBT), and sodium polyacrylate (SAP) (Płotka-Wasylka et al, 2022). Additionally, fragrances, dyes, perfumes, and adhesives may be used.

What about compostable diapers?

There are many brands of diapers that are certified compostable, however, they need to be composted in a commercial setting regulated for biohazard waste. This means they cannot be composted in your backyard bin or your curbside compost bin. Unfortunately, Kansas City does not have an available option for composting diapers at this time.

But aren’t cloth diapers also bad for the environment?

A 2022 study by Płotka-Wasylka et al. found here compared the environmental impact of disposable versus cloth diapers. Yes, cloth diapers also have a strong impact on the environment, requiring resources for production and washing that utilize large amounts of water, electricity, and laundry detergent. The cotton itself requires extensive resources to produce.

However, as noted in the study, “…environmental impacts associated with the manufacturing of a reusable diaper unit occur once in time and are then diluted over the number of reuses of the product.” (Płotka-Wasylka et al, 2022). Additionally, another study by Meseldzija et al. (2013) acknowledged that “…while both cloth and disposable diapers have an impact on our environment in the ways they are made, transported, disposed of and laundered, the damage from cloth diapers is smaller than that of disposable diapers.”

They go on to note that “Even if they [cloth] have the same impact on the environment as disposables, we must keep in mind the fact that during the approximately two and a half years, a period from baby born to being potty trained, one baby will need between 15 and 25 cloth diapers, while for the same period between 5000 and 7500 reusable diapers is going to be needed.” (Meseldzija et al., 2013)

While no solution is perfect, we at The Diaper Society strive to make our operation as sustainable as possible. Cloth diapering is a decision you can feel good about.

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