The Benefits of Using Cloth Diapers
One of the primary reasons today that people continue to use cloth diapers is for the benefits derived from using pure cotton cloth diapers versus disposable diapers. The first benefit often proclaimed by advocates of using diapers made from cotton is for the benefits to the child. The cloth diaper does not expose a child’s sensitive skin to dyes and chemicals such as those found in today’s disposable diapers. Cloth diapers are noted to be softer, have better ability to breathe next to the baby’s skin and if changed with regularity they are overall healthier for the child. Additional reasons for using cloth diapers include the benefits and cost savings as well as the benefit of reducing waste in local landfills. Overall, a cotton diaper is reusable and size adjustable and this is a great way to reduce waste as a baby grows. Velcro can be sewn on the cloth to allow a safer usage than was previously done with diaper pins. While these pins usually had safety measures to block from unlatching, there are occasions when they are defective and this can be quite unpleasant for a child and a parent. For the parent(s) who wish to go green, cloth diapers are an excellent way to reduce excessive waste within landfills. An average child that is not potty trained can go through in excess of 1200 diapers a year. If you have a town with 5,000 children of that age range, that town landfill would see 6,000,000 diapers a year. The problem of course with diapers made of cloth, is they are not as absorbent and well fitted as disposable diapers. Additionally, the cleaning of the diapers is not an easy or pleasant task to keep up with. In fact, the main reason that disposable diapers have become so prominent over the years is due to this fact. People’s lifestyles are busy and there is little time to worry about what to do with a soiled diaper and how to take care of it while out in public. Diapers made of cloth can be made to have more of a custom fit and can be double layered to stop excess leakage, but there are very few choices of how to pack away a soiled diaper when on the road without facing unpleasant side effects. For the earth conscious parent(s), there is the option of using diapers made of cloth at home and using disposable diapers when traveling or out and about. Certainly, any reduction in the use of disposable diapers does in fact eliminate excessive waste from filling our landfills, which is a great benefit for the earth and its inhabitants.
