Wow.  The diaper thing seemed to stir up some interest, which is nice.  Or, maybe it was the sweet title and tease by the author.  Anyhow, it’s nice to see that people have opinions on the matter.  A few month ago, heck even before we had a child, Eliza and I definitely had an opinion.  To say it wasn’t in the favor of cloth diapers is taking it lightly.  In fact, we were so against them that I’m pretty sure we are responsible for convincing two couples to not use them, when they wanted to.  Sorry!!! 

Obviously our opinion on the topic has changed considerably.  Why you ask?  Well, for a number of reasons.  It’s not so much that cloth diapers are easier.  They aren’t.  The ones that we use require special detergent, must be packed, and have to be washed a certain way or they just won’t be cleaned.  Surprisingly enough you should error on the side of less detergent.  Yuppers, if you use to much the soap stays in the diaper and all the microscopic nastiness in babies pooh and pee clings to the soap and causes staining and odder issues.  One of the reasons going to quality baby store is a must.  We didn’t have to learn that lesson the hard way.  Thanks Baby Awareness. 

So with all the fuss why the heck did we switch?  Truthfully, because after a little research we found out that most big brand disposables just aren’t good for baby, mama earth, or the family budget.
 
Eliza and I were very surprised to find out how many chemicals are actually in disposable diapers; Dioxins, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tributyl-tin, and Volatile Organic Compounds – to name a few.  All of which shouldn’t be on your babies bottom.  A study published in the “Archives of Environmental Health” in 1999 states that disposable diapers should be considered to be a factor that may cause or worsen childhood asthma and respiratory problems.  Also, that the soft, sensitive skin of babies is also prone to rashes and allergic reactions due to chemicals in disposable diapers.  If you’d like the skinny and more specifics ill share the article where I got the above info and provide the link at the bottom of this post.  I’d suggest reading it.  One thing I didn’t find was which brands had which chemical.  For me and Eliza we had done enough research and didn’t feel like digging anymore.   

The mama earth thing should be obvious.  By not using disposables you aren’t filling landfills with baby droppings.  Here in Hawaii this is an issue for noticeable reasons, hint hint it’s a little island.  I don’t want to beat this drum to hard and come across like a tree hugging, hemp wearing, hippy but it should be made.  Some disposable diapers take 100’s of years to break down.  No big deal for me, but for Mason’s family it could matter.  Not to mention that by not using disposables and purchasing a cloth diaper made from sustainable materials you lesson what is taken away from the environment.  So, not only are you not contributing to the 10,000 tons of diapers thrown in landfills every day.  You also aren’t contributing to the massive amount of product being taken out of the environment to make the diaper.  Again, please remember that I like lifting weights, watching football, and drinking tequila.  I’m not an environmentalist just an average dad.  But, it’s a fact that we only have one planet and the more people that inhabit it the more conscious we all need to be about how we treat it.  Eliza and I thought that using cloth diapers was one way we could be a better inhabitant of planet earth. 

To be honest all the above reasons are great excuses to use cloth diapers.  But, to tell you the truth Mason never had a rash using disposables and I have been way to busy drinking tequila and watching reality to TV to visit my local landfill and see firsthand how many diapers get deposited every day.  The real reason we started to consider using cloth diapers is because the bounty of diapers we had accumulated was running low and we were going to have to start buying diapers.  The truth is, after your initial investment cloth diapers save you money.  Some calculations estimate that once you purchase cloth diapers your family can save $2,500 per child per year.  Another way to look at it is $0.29 per diaper.  And, yet another way to look at it is never having to go down the diaper aisle again at your local cost co, grocery store, or commissary.  That’s actually what did it for me.  It was a nice feeling knowing that I’d never have to buy another diaper again.  In the long run we figure we are saving money.  Considering that Eliza is the only real money maker, I’m on an allowance, and we live in the most expensive place ever (I think) we gotta save where we can.                      

As always, I suggest you do some research on your own, consult someone smarter than you (and me), and ask tons of questions.  I am by far no expert and can be easily convinced to do most things under the slightest amount of pressure.  Now, if you are interested in the rest of this story, why cloth diapers are great and which ones we like best you’ll just have to wait until next time.  Which will hopefully be soon, hope I’m being helpful.  

This is good place to start your diaper research
http://www.livestrong.com/article/111348-chemicals-disposable-diapers/