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Saturday, July 18, 2009

Diapers

Is there anyone out there who uses/used or knows someone who used/uses cloth diapers. The new cloth diapers of today? Not the ones my mom used with the pins.

I have always thought that redusing, reusing, and recycling waist is the best way for our lives. It might have started out with my packrat tendencies, but it has evolved since I have been living in Germany. The Germans are ahead of the States in their recycling programs. They have much smaller trash cans here and in place of the large trash bin is a large recycling bin. Depending on where you live you might have to separate plastic from paper. They also have a Bio bin where you place biodegradable products like food waste and yard waste. ITS GREAT!

So of course when I got pregnant I started to think about all the diapers the new baby would use in its short little diaper life. Turns out its hundreds. I think an average of 500 diapers per child till they are fully potty trained. GROSS! Eww.. Diapers take more then the life of the child (*hundreds of years) to breakdown. SO they are just sitting there rotting and taking up space in the overfilled landfills. I know recycling seems hard for lots of people but to me its so easy here. You already have the right bins! YOU DONT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING! Glass is another story.. but still. I can't throw it in the trash either.

I have been researching and reading about all the different ones out there. These ones to the left are Kushies brand. They seem to have good reviews. These are an All in One Diaper. Meaning you shouldn't need a cover and a cloth diaper. They have some that are meant to have the cover over top of the coth to prevent wettness from leaking through. This brand also has a cloth diaper that needs a cover too. They also have this VERY cool disposible insert that goes in the diaper and is easily removed when the baby has a dirty diaper. You just pull it up and put it in the toilet and Viola! Mess is gone. They also have washable inserts to soak up more. There are a few other brands out there like these all in ones.

Since they dont have the expandable beads that are found in throw away diapers I am pretty sure they are not going to keep the baby as dry, however its been stated that this also leads to the baby potty training sooner. You have to be on top of changing diapers too and of course it does create some more laundry to do. The cost overtime is less even with the water and detergent cost. So reasons for wanting to use them also come from the cheapo in me too. It is a larger cost upfront but I feel like its better for my baby and the world in the end.




There is another type called GDiapers that has a disposable lining that is more diaper like in its appearance. They have the disposable insert that you place in the diaper before you put it in the child then when you are done you rip it in strips and flush down the toilette. Then you are just left with the shell to wash when it needs it.





Then there are these diapers that don't sit for years and years before they break down. These diapers break down in much less time. I read on a website a woman who even put them in her own backyard! The outer plastic-like layer is made of a compostable/biodegradable corn Bio film. The corn Bio film is composed of cornstarch and biodegradable polyester. The corn used in the diaper is 100% non-genetically modified. The inner tissue is composed of natural tree pulp. It is also Totally Chlorine Free (TCF). Not all Chlorine Free Diapers are biodegradable though, so do your research if you want that. This diaper seems like a good option for people who don't have a washer and dryer in home or like the convenience of the disposable diaper. I have read that many of the cloth diapers don't fit newborns, so I am going to try these out for my infant.

4 comments:

raschel said...

thanks for making me feel bad for using disposable diapers....the average number HAS to be higher though b/c i buy the jumbo packs (which are over 100) and I KNOW i've already bought at least 5 of those...and my baby isn't even 1!! :-\ stupid wasteful Americans! :) ha!! let me know which you decide to use! I might be up for on the next go round!

Anonymous said...

I'm going to do this too once we have a baby. My friend Elyse uses them and LOVES them. You can also find ones that are gently used...so keep looking. Another reason I don't want to use disposable is because of the harsh chemicals that are released once they get wet. And seriously if you are planning on more than one kiddo you can reuse them...talk about savings! Great post. :)

Crystal Corona said...

Raschel! You can start now, I read about tons of moms who started later with their baby. Actually it might be easier to start later since they start to have less diaper changes. lol. You shouldn't feel bad. There are tons of reasons moms start using cloth and why they don't. The trash factor and fact I can to reuse them are big for me.

Micki which ones does your friend use? Do you know? The chemicals are a good point too. I think there are so many things I don't want my baby to play with.... like Plastic toys. hhaha.. I know I sound crazy and I am sure he will have some, but it still freaks me out.

Anonymous said...

Elyse got hers from diaperswappers.com and she said you could also check clothdiaperclearance.com. I don't know if you sew but I've found a template if you want to make them too: http://www.chloetoesboutique.com/store/WsDefault.asp?Cat=ChloeToesDiaperPattern

Good luck!!