Why Use Cloth?
There are three main reasons for choosing cloth diapers- they are better for the environment, your baby's health, and your budget. If you'd like to know more, here is some information that I hope will be helpful.
Enviromental Reasons
Water
The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.
In 1991, it was estimated that washing diapers at home uses 50 to 70 gallons of water about every three days—about the same as flushing a regular-flow toilet five times a day. This number may be even lower today due to more efficient washers.
Oil
According to the American Petroleum Institute, 3.5 billion gallons of oil were used to produce the 18 million throwaway diapers studied in 1991. Currently, approximately 7 billion gallons of oil are required to produce the disposables used each year.
Landfill space/Waste
Throwaway diapers generate seven times more solid waste when discarded and three times more waste in the manufacturing process. In addition, effluents from the plastic, pulp, and paper industries are far more hazardous than those from the cotton-growing and -manufacturing processes.
Each family that chooses cloth diapers prevents one ton of waste from entering the solid-waste stream each year.
Health Reasons
Dioxins and cancer
Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
Rash
Up to 20% of diaper rash cases could be caused by exposure to the dyes used in infant diapers, say researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts.
TBT
Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
SAP and Asthma
The OSHA "Material Safety Data Sheet on Superabsorbent Polymer" states, "Preexisting skin or breathing disorders may become aggravated through prolonged exposure." A study in the September 1999 issue of Archives of Environmental Health found that laboratory mice exposed to various brands of throwaway diapers suffered eye, nose, and throat irritation, including bronchoconstriction similar to that resulting from an asthma attack. The lead author of the study advised asthmatic mothers to avoid exposure to the chemicals found in most throwaway diapers.
Fertility
Using disposables potentially decreases future fertility in boys. In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal sperm development.
Economic Reasons
Cost difference
You can cloth diaper your baby for less than $300 dollars for 2+ years of diapering! The cost of throwaway diapers varies depending on location; you can calculate your local costs here:
http://www.diaperpin.com/calculator/calculator.asp
National Costs
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were about 19 million children under four in 2000. From this data, assume that half of these (9.5 million) children are under two and therefore in diapers at any one time. Based on previous studies, it is estimated that 5-10% of babies wear cloth diapers at least part time. Averaging these figures gives us 7.5% of babies in cloth diapers and 92.5% in disposables. This means that about 8.8 million babies in the U.S. are using 27.4 billion disposable diapers every year.
Based on these calculations, by multiplying the 8.8 million babies in disposable diapers by an estimated cost of $800 a year, Americans spend about 7 billion dollars on disposable diapers every year. If every one of those families switched to home-laundered cloth prefold diapers, they would save more than $6 billion, enough to feed about 2.5 million American children for an entire year. Coincidentally, census data reveals that 2.3 million children under 6 live in poverty.
Other Reasons
Comfort
Would you want to wear paper and plastic chemical-laden underwear for 24 hours a day for more than 2 years straight? Why would you do that to your baby?
Quicker Potty Learning
Children who use cloth diapers often learn to use the potty quicker because they can feel the wetness.
The Cute Factor
Fun prints, cute colors! Many choices of fabrics and styles are available to suit every baby.
SOURCES:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
http://www.mothering.com/guest_editors/quiet_place/138.html
http://kidshealth.org/research/colored_dyes.html
http://www.cutofcloth.com/article_toptenreasons.asp