“Cloth diapers?” I said, trying to be respectful and open-minded. ”You are joking, right?”
I met a very bright and serious law student a couple of weeks ago, Ashley Allred of San Joaquin College of Law. Concerns about the disposable diapers in the landfills are motivating new parents to return to cloth diapers, she told me, describing an article she recently wrote on the topic for the Agricultural Law Review at the college. There are long-term concerns she researched that are definitely worth talking about. She gave a very good explanation on Straight Talk with Bill McEwen on 940 KYNO radio. Listen to her make the case by clicking here.
I love the environment as much as the next mom, but hey, there must be a better way. I used cloth diapers for one baby and, ewww, once was enough. Handling, rinsing, wringing, smelling, storing, laundering, folding cloth diapers stinks. And traveling? Stains? Preschools? Babysitters? Forget it. Disposable diapers are proof that God loves us and wants our babies to be changed quickly and often.
But we don’t want to muck up the planet, either. And I wish a yeast infection on anyone who throws them on the ground for someone else to pick up. Fortunately, there is some middle ground – biodegradable disposables that you can just flush, compost or throw away without worrying about them hanging around in the landfills. However, while cruising around the internet looking for information on this, I had to giggle. The Los Angeles Times recently published an article about the cloth diaper craze, saying parents need help sorting through “complex cloth-diaper options.”
Diapers? Complex?
* Crickets*
OK, now they are scaring new moms with diapers. There is a cloth diapering store that’s opened in Los Angeles called Tush. Yes, Tush – as in butt. (A store called Butt?) The owners offer a class that takes an hour and a half and an 11-page booklet to study. In the Times story, parents were confessing to being “overwhelmed.” There are a lot of reasons to take classes and be overwhelmed by parenting, but diapers should not be one of them.
Then it all becomes very clear — follow the money. Cloth diapers are thought to be cheaper. That may once have been true … until you go designer. According to the Times, a reasonable supply of newborn-size fitted fancy pants and covers can cost close to $700. Not to mention the inconvenience, the laundry costs in time and money, the water used and the dryer. And that lasts for just the first six months of the baby’s life. Then you have to buy bigger sizes as baby grows. The names alone should give you a clue that this is getting nuts. Happy Heiny. BumGenius.
On one Web site, a special bottle of the soap to wash cloth diapers was selling for over $100. Another had a special “baby bottom cleaner” for sale. I think that’s called soap! Personally, I would not use cloth diapers any more than I would use cloth instead of any other paper goods intended for bodily functions. (Why do otherwise elegant men blow their noses into handkerchiefs, then stuff them into their pockets to carry around for the rest of the day? Yuk.)
First-time parents alert: Don’t get suckered into a diaper competition by peer pressure. Paper or cloth? Keep it simple. Uber-diapers? Oh, poo.
I think there are several practical reasons to go with cloth diapers. I am in the process of switching from disposable to cloth. Cloth diapers can cost up to $700, but you can also just spend $100 if you want a more labor intensive experience. Most of the cloth diapers you don’t even touch the poo, or you can rinse it into the toilet…where everyone else’s waste goes as well. Considering disposable diapers cost closer to $2K for the two years you diaper your kid, cloth could be an attractive alternative for someone who cares about the environment & their wallet.
You don’t have to be a helicopter parent to use cloth diapers, just a sensible one. You’re not saving up a mountain of waste diapers for your kid to deal with down the road & you’re saving yourself $ in the meantime.
I’m with Gail on this one. Classes for diapers? No thanks. Cloth, me? Oh heck no. Huggies, Pampers and other big diaper companies need to make a more earth-friendly disposable that replaces what we have now.
Citing that parents who use cloth are more sensible, more eco-friendly, and are better parents doesn’t win this argument for me either. Let’s talk about the quality of our air, which is a very pressing concern, and what kind of car(s) are being driven. Let’s talk about the scarcity of our water and how often we’re flushing, washing and watering our lawns.
I’m not saying disposable is better. I’m saying it’s a parenting choice — and one isn’t more right than the other. No one is handing out brownie buttons and mommy awards either way.
Gail has hit the nail on the head, follow the money. My youngest son was bottle-fed on generic formula sans DHA. At the time I was completely dissed (not here, this is a great community
) for not buying name brand uber-everything formula. You know what? So what. I’d done my research and talked to the ped. Formula companies were touting this DHA stuff as gold on a study that was later dismissed as not correct.
All formula has to meet specific standards. My ped said the difference in price was if I wanted to pay for the marketing or not. Most generic formula is made by the same company. So we just checked the labels for Wyeth and went with what was on sale.
Now we’re reading reports how DHA added to formula is not a good thing for kids. Look what it’s made of. ick.
Anyhow, I’m trying to make the point that we should look outside of the pre-defined arguments (mommy wars) that have been set up for us and look at the bigger picture.
So mommy A is using cloth. She’s doing her best to raise her child and help the environment. Mommy B drives a Prius, recycles and uses disposables. She’s doing her best to raise her child and help the environment.
I still think the major diaper companies need to be held more responsible for more eco-friendly products. The truth is disposables are easier and a majority of parents will use them. Kids are pricey regardless. At least I didn’t pick mine up at Costco on sale. Cos, I totally missed that sale flier.
The goal is a valuable one, be more eco-friendly. What would make the biggest impact on meeting that goal? Arguing over the benefits of cloth vs. disposable or asking major diaper companies to be responsible and re-vamp their product? Not a small goal, but perhaps more reasonable than expecting all parents to switch over to cloth.