For my first born, I had never heard of cloth diapers. I used the traditional cloth nappies for as long as I could stand washing them but because it was such a nuisance and since they were almost immediately wet upon being put on, I gave up. For my second one, I had come across an article in the papers raving about the wonders of cloth diapers and was intrigued.
Until I had done my research, I had no clue how damaging disposable diapers are not only to the baby, but to the environment and yes, my bank balance
Until I had done my research, I had no clue how damaging disposable diapers are not only to the baby, but to the environment and yes, my bank balance
Cloth Vs Conventional diapers
Lets talk about costs first. The average baby will use approximately 6,500 to 7,000 in the first 2 years. With each diaper costing an approximate RM25-RM40 a pack, each diaper will cost about RM1.30, taking the average figure which means that by the time your baby is 2, you would have spent about RM9,000 on diapers. This is assuming the child is totally potty trained by the time he is 2, which lets face it, most babies are not. Imagine that! A cloth diaper costs about RM60-RM100 depending on the brand. You will need at least 2 dozen if you wash frequently and that’s pretty much it.
Lets talk about costs first. The average baby will use approximately 6,500 to 7,000 in the first 2 years. With each diaper costing an approximate RM25-RM40 a pack, each diaper will cost about RM1.30, taking the average figure which means that by the time your baby is 2, you would have spent about RM9,000 on diapers. This is assuming the child is totally potty trained by the time he is 2, which lets face it, most babies are not. Imagine that! A cloth diaper costs about RM60-RM100 depending on the brand. You will need at least 2 dozen if you wash frequently and that’s pretty much it.
.Chemicals & Diaper Rash
Lets now look at the health benefits. The main reason why many babies have diaper rashes is due to the chemicals in the diapers because most of them are made form non-breathable plastic. Furthermore, because of the high absorbency, parents are tempted to change the baby less frequently, which means that the baby is sitting in his or her own urine for much longer.
What really ought to be of concern however, are the chemicals used in the diapers, one of which is really ringing alarm bells everywhere, “dioxin”. This chemical in various forms, according to studies, has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage and skin diseases (Jim McConnell in May/June 1998 issue of Mothering Magazine). The absorbent material in the diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, which can cause skin infections and is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.
Want to know what else you will be doing for the environment by switching to cloth diapers?
Lets now look at the health benefits. The main reason why many babies have diaper rashes is due to the chemicals in the diapers because most of them are made form non-breathable plastic. Furthermore, because of the high absorbency, parents are tempted to change the baby less frequently, which means that the baby is sitting in his or her own urine for much longer.
What really ought to be of concern however, are the chemicals used in the diapers, one of which is really ringing alarm bells everywhere, “dioxin”. This chemical in various forms, according to studies, has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage and skin diseases (Jim McConnell in May/June 1998 issue of Mothering Magazine). The absorbent material in the diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, which can cause skin infections and is the same substance that was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.
Want to know what else you will be doing for the environment by switching to cloth diapers?
- You will not produce 1 ton of waste that would go into landfills, (on average 10,000 tons of disposable diapers are emptied into landfills every day, it takes about 500 years to decompose!).
- You will actively reduce your carbon footprint as the manufacture of disposable diapers takes over 1 million metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000 metric tons of plastic every year.
- You will not be a contributing factor to disposable diapers in landfills preventing water from soaking to the ground.
By Sharlini
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