Disposable Diapers are Inconvenient

I hear this all the time: "Cloth diapers are an extra hassle." or "Disposables are too convenient."  Honestly though, it is all about how you look at it.  Let's face it, if you were really wanting a convenient life, then having a baby wouldn't be at the top of it.  They are full of inconveniences no matter how you diaper them.

If you are considering using cloth diapers?  Do you  have a friend or family member who gives you a hard time about using cloth diapers?  Here's some great information to know, when you are comparing cloth diapers to disposable ones.

Top 10 Reasons Why Disposable Diapers are Inconvenient:

-It sneaks up on you that you are using your last couple diapers in the pack late one evening.  Late night runs to the store to purchase disposable diapers when you've run out is inconvenient.

-Experiencing the common "up the back blow out" when you baby has been sitting, especially in a car seat is inconvenient (and messy too!).  Note: This does type of blow out rarely happens in a cloth diaper.

-Just took out the trash the day before but that lingering poopy diaper and wipes you put in the new liner is causing a stench? Having to take a partially full trash bag outside to your garbage bin to get rid of that smell is inconvenient.

-Having to throw away a poopy diaper outside in a separate plastic bag when you are visiting someone's house is inconvenient.

-Allergic reactions and heat related diaper rashes are common with disposable diapers.  Having to make an extra trip(s) to your pediatrician for a disposable diaper related rash is very inconvenient.

-Using disposable diapers will cost you about an extra $1,200 and more with subsequent children.  Having to work harder or hours to afford trashable diapers (and other disposable items like wipes) is inconvenient.

-Your baby just had a growth spurt and no longer fits in his/her size in disposable diapers but you are not even close to using up that huge case you recently purchased at CostCo. Having to give away or sell disposable diapers that your baby couldn't use because they grew out of that size is inconvenient compared to using a cloth diaper that fits a range from 8-35lbs.

-Do you have 2 small children both in diapers? Having to carry 2 different sized disposable diapers in your diaper bag is inconvenient compared to having 1 cloth diaper that fits both of your children (one-size) .

-Having to take a pet to the vet after he/she consumes a disposable diaper is inconvenient (and expensive).  (This came from a recent story where a dog actually died after doing this.)

Some Scary Facts About Disposable Diapers

Most people underestimate the ability of the skin to absorb all with which it comes in contact. There is a reason pharmacologists created a birth control patch that adheres to your skin and releases chemicals that alter the hormonal functions of your internal system: Your skin is like a sponge. Consider what you will be putting against your baby's vulnerable skin for the next 2 - 3 years, 24 hours a day.
With the exception of the pricy natural disposables with extremely limited availability (we only know of the Tushies brand at this time), disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate which absorbs liquid and turns it into gel. Many parents who use disposable diapers will recognize the polymer as the shiny gel-like crystals that often make their way onto your baby’s bum. It was banned from use in tampons in 1985 after it was linked to toxic shock syndrome*. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.** Cloth diapers are inexpensive and gel free! 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 spermatogenesis.***
In addition, the dangerous chemical dioxin is reported by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals, and is a byproduct of the paper bleaching that is used in most disposable diapers. Whitening through the use of dioxin has been banned in most countries…but not in the U.S.****

With the toxic chemical exposure of disposable diapers, it is no shock that a study by a major disposable diaper manufacturer shows that the incidence of diaper rash rose from 7.1% to 61% between 1970 & 1995, coinciding with the increase in disposable diaper use.
Have you ever read the following warning on a package of disposable diapers? IMPORTANT: When disposing of soiled diaper, empty contents into toilet. I did not realize myself that disposable diapers should be emptied into the toilet before being discarded…but as inconvenient as it may seem it does makes sense. The diapers end up at the landfill, containing viruses from human feces (including live vaccines from routine childhood immunizations) that can leak into the Earth and pollute underground water supplies. In addition to the potential of groundwater contamination, air-borne viruses carried by flies and other insects contribute to an unhealthy and unsanitary situation. One way or another, the waste caught by cloth diapers is likely to enter our sewer systems and is properly treated before re-entering our water.
The solution saturating most disposable wipes can be very harsh and contain questionable chemicals that we don't often recognize. In contrast, reusable cloth wipes can be used and laundered alongside cloth diapers and are a great alternative to disposable wipes. Cloth wipes allow the flexibility for you to use plain water to cleanse your baby’s bum or for you to mix up your own chemical-free brew or use a premade solution whose ingredients you trust.

Disposable Diapers or Cloth?

There is a quite fierce debate between parents – both long-term ones and new ones – over which type of diaper is better for babies. The two main types of diaper are disposable ones and cloth ones, and both types inevitably have their plus sides and their minus sides. In truth, neither kind is better per se than the other. But depending on your personal outlook on such things, you are likely to lean one way or the other, and make your decision based on that instinct. It then comes down to whether you feel comfortable with your choice after a month or two of putting it into practice.

Disposable diapers have in their favor that they are disposable (obviously). On changing the diaper, you will simply have to put it in the trash and say no more about it. However, as any parent will tell you, children are very productive sources of waste matter, so keeping them in clean diapers can add up to a lot of expense. Cloth diapers are invariably cheaper – although clearly you need to have quite a few if you don’t want to be washing them almost constantly. They also mess up the environment a lot less.

It is up to you to decide which kind of diaper is the best for your purposes and for your purse. Either way, there is work involved and there is expense to take into account. The health of your baby’s skin plays a major part in considerations as well, but at the final analysis you and your baby will be fine as long as you keep on top of things – and if you go with cloth diapers, it is worth still having some disposables around in case of emergencies or when you are on the go.

Biodegrading Mushrooms Do not Make Disposable Diapers Environmentally Friendly

You may have heard of oyster mushrooms being used to break down the cellulose in disposable diapers reducing their time in the landfill from about five hundred years to about four months. While we can all agree that this is a huge advance in dealing with the waste that has already been accumulated from disposable diaper use, we should not disillusion ourselves into thinking that we can give up any eco-guilt about using throw away diapers because these magical biodegrading mushrooms are here to save the day.

Source: shop.earthycrunchymama.com via Anona on Pinterest

An important thing to take into account is natural resources. While disposable products that are more easily biodegradable are a better option than disposable products that take hundreds of years to decompose, they are not better than or equal to a reusable version of that product. We need to take into account the natural resources required to produce these products. With cloth diapers, you purchase them once and you reuse, reuse, reuse. You use a lot less resources compared to the resources that are required to manufacture and distribute disposable diapers that you will use, throw away, use more resources to manufacture and distribute and so on. We live on a finite planet with limited resources so any way that we can cut down on the amount of resources we use for things we need, the better for the health of our planet.

We have ingredients like wood pulp (poor trees!), plastic, toxic chemicals, water, etc. required to produce disposable diapers, in addition to the oil required to transport them. Did you know that more water is used to manufacture disposable diapers than is used to wash cloth diapers? According to the New Parents Guide, " It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone" 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown away each year. I hope those mushrooms are ready to work hard!


Let's talk about poop. As a cloth diapering parent, I can assure you that my baby's waste ends up in the sewage system where it belongs. I always shake the poo into the toilet before the diapers get washed and I spray them over the toilet if necessary. Parents using disposable diapers are supposed to be doing the same, but I've never met anyone who flushes the poo before tossing a disposable diaper in the trash. Have you? 


The chemicals in disposable diapers that make them absorbent aren't good for babies and they aren't good for the planet. When sposie's are thrown away, they leach their toxic cocktail of urine, feces, plastic (b.p.a., p.v.c., and phthalates), dioxin, etc. which contaminates ground water all before oyster mushrooms can have a chance to do their work breaking them down.

5 Harmful Effects of Disposable Diapers and Training Pants

Because we are eco-friendly and sustainable we feel that it is necessary to help people make an educated decision when it comes to choosing which products to use for their children. This is for the benefit of you and your child, as well as the environment.
It still amazes us how many people out there give no thought or regard to how the products they use are destroying the very Earth that we all call home, even after being educated and shown the truth about harmful products. Unfortunately, a lot of people want to sweep these problems under the rug and forget about them. However, I think we can all agree that we need Earth in order to survive and give future generations the basic necessities of clean air, clean water, and healthy food. Simple right?
Take a look at some of the information we found about disposable diapers and training pants:

• 18 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills every year in the U.S. alone, adding 5 million tons of untreated human waste to the soil. And did you know that it is illegal to put human fecal matter in your household garbage? The American Public Health Association and American Academy of Pediatrics have advised parents that "fecal material and urine should not be allowed to be co-mingled and disposed of as regular trash. This contaminates ground water and spreads disease." Yes, you must remove all of the fecal matter from disposables before you throw them out. ( Click here for information on disposing of disposable diapers)
• Sodium polyacrylate is a chemical that makes disposable diapers so absorbent that it can absorb up to 100 times its weight in water. However, it can stick to children's genitals and cause allergic reactions. In the U.S., this chemical was removed from tampons in 1985 when it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. And when this chemical was tested and injected into rats, it caused hemorrhaging, cardiovascular failure, and ultimately death.
• 500 years! This is how long it can take each disposable diaper and training pant to decompose in a landfill. That means that every disposable diaper and training pant ever used in the world is still decomposing in a landfill somewhere. And almost 30 percent of each disposable diaper and training pant consists of non biodegradable products such as absorbent vinyl layers, Velcro, absorbent gelling material, and plastic packaging that will never break down.
• Dioxin is a by product of the paper bleaching process used in the manufacturing of disposable diapers and training pants. It is the most toxic of all the cancer causing chemicals and causes birth defects as well as liver disease in laboratory animals.
• As many as 100 viruses can survive in soiled disposable diapers or training pants for months. This includes the live polio virus and hepatitis excreted by recently vaccinated babies. These viruses constitute a potential hazard to sanitation workers and garbage handlers. No to mention the critters that will crawl into the landfill to find a meal and the birds that will pick through this garbage and fly to who knows where.

This is obviously not an exhaustive list of harmful effects. Ultimately, the choice is yours.

Happy potty learning!
Steph Evans

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6808560

How to Change a Baby's Diaper

You don't have to be intimidated about how to change a baby's diaper. With a little guidance and a few practice runs, you'll be able to do a diaper change with two hands tied behind your back. Ok, well maybe now that easily, but you get my drift.

Time Required: 5 minutes tops

Here's How:

1. Gather your supplies and have them in arms reach. Remember never to leave your baby unattended on a changing table or raised surface.
2. Unfold your baby's disposable diaper. Run your fingers along the elastic leg casing so that you can better prevent leaks.
3. Place your baby on your changing surface. Pull back the diaper tabs and fold each one over on to itself so that they don't wind up sticking to your baby. If you have a boy, be sure to cover his penis so that you don't get an unwanted shower. If your baby has had a bowel movement, use the front edge of the diaper to clean off his skin as much as you can. Then fold the soiled diaper in half and rest his bottom on the clean front part of the diaper.
4. Use your baby wipes to clean your baby's bottom. Always wipe from front to back and be sure to clean all the folds and rolls of your baby's skin. Lift your baby's legs and be sure to clean his behind and back.
5. Once your baby is spic-and-span, remove the dirty diaper and place well away from his reach. If your baby has a diaper rash, apply the right diaper cream for the type of rash.
6. Place the clean diaper under your baby's bum, keeping the top of the diaper in line with his belly button. Bring the front part of the diaper up between his legs, be sure that little boy's have their penis is pointing down to prevent leaking. Pull the adhesive tabs up and around to secure. You'll want to be sure that you have the tabs evenly spaced to create a comfortable fit for your baby.
7. Check to be sure that you have a good fit on the diaper. You don't want the diaper to be so snug that it cuts into him, nor too loose and leaks will occur. Be sure that the leg gussets are sufficently creating a "seal" around his legs.
8. Wrap the diaper into a ball and use the tabs to keep the ball intact. Dispose of soiled diaper and wipes properly and wash your hands thoroughly.

What You Need

• A disposable diaper
• Plenty of clean wipes
• Diaper cream (if needed)
• A changing table or changing pad placed on a stable surface

What To Do If You Wash a Disposable Diaper

You don't have to be intimidated about how to change a baby's diaper. With a little guidance and a few practice runs, you'll be able to do a diaper change with two hands tied behind your back. Ok, well maybe now that easily, but you get my drift.

Time Required: 5 minutes tops

Here's How:

1. Gather your supplies and have them in arms reach. Remember never to leave your baby unattended on a changing table or raised surface.
2. Unfold your baby's disposable diaper. Run your fingers along the elastic leg casing so that you can better prevent leaks.
3. Place your baby on your changing surface. Pull back the diaper tabs and fold each one over on to itself so that they don't wind up sticking to your baby. If you have a boy, be sure to cover his penis so that you don't get an unwanted shower. If your baby has had a bowel movement, use the front edge of the diaper to clean off his skin as much as you can. Then fold the soiled diaper in half and rest his bottom on the clean front part of the diaper.
4. Use your baby wipes to clean your baby's bottom. Always wipe from front to back and be sure to clean all the folds and rolls of your baby's skin. Lift your baby's legs and be sure to clean his behind and back.
5. Once your baby is spic-and-span, remove the dirty diaper and place well away from his reach. If your baby has a diaper rash, apply the right diaper cream for the type of rash.
6. Place the clean diaper under your baby's bum, keeping the top of the diaper in line with his belly button. Bring the front part of the diaper up between his legs, be sure that little boy's have their penis is pointing down to prevent leaking. Pull the adhesive tabs up and around to secure. You'll want to be sure that you have the tabs evenly spaced to create a comfortable fit for your baby.
7. Check to be sure that you have a good fit on the diaper. You don't want the diaper to be so snug that it cuts into him, nor too loose and leaks will occur. Be sure that the leg gussets are sufficently creating a "seal" around his legs.
8. Wrap the diaper into a ball and use the tabs to keep the ball intact. Dispose of soiled diaper and wipes properly and wash your hands thoroughly.

What You Need

• A disposable diaper
• Plenty of clean wipes
• Diaper cream (if needed)
• A changing table or changing pad placed on a stable surface