Many find it even more difficult and aggravating to separate the myth from the reality when it comes to cloth diapers, since both the disposable diaper industry and the cloth diaper industry are often eager to swing propaganda in favor of their own careers.
As a mother who has tried diapering both ways and come to a strong conclusion that cloth is safer, greener, healthier, cheaper, and--believe it or not--more convenient, I'd like to offer to dispel the myths surrounding cloth for anyone looking to find he best choice for their own families.
Myth #1: Cloth Diapers Cause Diaper Rash.
It's quite possible that your grandmother's flat-fold diapers, washed in cold water and then covered with thick, rubber pants, were likely to have contributed to diaper rashes fifty years ago. However, contemporary cloth diapers are so completely different that older parents' experiences with cloth have very little bearing on modern reality.
Rubber pants have ultimately gone the way of the dinosaur, and are now used only rarely. Current diaper covers are made out of breathable, but leak-proof materials like wool, fleece, polyurethane, or cotton, and do an excellent job of circulating air, without letting wetness or odor leak through.
During the single week in which I used disposable diapers for my daughter, she got the only diaper rash that she has ever had. It seemed that the moment I put the diapers on her, her bottom broke out in bright-red welts. I mentioned to my husband that they looked like burns, and wasn't surprised when I did my research and discovered that a burn is, ultimately, what most diaper rashes are.
Disposable diapers contain many harsh, overly alkaline chemicals that react very unpleasantly with the natural ammonia in your baby's waste. Disposable diapers contain, among other harsh chemicals: dyes, sodium polyacrylate (an absorbent gel that smells awful and is caustic enough to mildly burn adult skin with direct contact), fragrance, and dioxin-- an incredibly dangerous by-product of bleaching that is linked to central nervous system damage and kidney failure. Naturally, it's not at all surprising that all of these chemicals, directly against baby's sensitive skin, can cause a rash.
Many studies by agencies such as the Journal of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Consumer Protection Agency, have concluded that modern cloth diapers are significantly less likely to cause rashes than disposables. Anecdotal evidence from parents who have used both types of diapers will also support this claim.
If a cloth diaper is contributing to a rash, this is an anomaly that can be easily addressed. (On the other hand, users of disposable diapers have few ways of ending a rash besides applying expensive ointments.) When a cloth diapered baby does develop a rash, it can generally be addressed by washing the diapers in very hot water to remove buildup of ammonia or detergent.
Myth #2: Cloth Diapers are Unsafe.
As recently as twenty years ago, people who used cloth diapers generally stored them in large "wet pails" before laundering them. Occasionally, a toddler would climb into one of these pails and drown. Although these tragedies were always somewhat rare, most parents wanted to do everything they can to avoid any dangers in the home, and were unaware that dry storage of cloth diapers works equally well. The dangers of wet-pail storage may have contributed to a rise in the popularity of disposable diapers because of fears instilled by the tragic deaths of these few children.
Wet pails are no longer generally used, since the vast majority of modern cloth diapers can be just as easily stored in a dry pail. At our house, we, like many families, find that using a conventional system like a Diaper Genie works just as well with cloth as it does disposable diapers. Dry pails lock in odor with efficiency and are not a safety hazard. Modern wet pails, for those who choose to use them, are also specifically designed with safety in mind, and the risk of drowning in them is minimal, or even non-existent, when they are used properly.
Many tentative cloth-diaper-users are also under the impression that cloth diapering still has to involve pins, which many worry might lead to injuries. Like rubber pants, diaper pins are now used only by a small minority of modern cloth-users. They have been replaced by Velcro-tabbed diapers that fit much like disposables, and by gripping snaps, such as the popular T-shaped Snappi, which is far too large for a baby to choke on. Contemporary snaps are usually made of plastic and are sharp enough to grip the diaper material, but too dull to damage skin.
Parents may be surprised to learn that disposable diapers, on the other hand, contain a number of potential safety hazards. From the strong, synthetic fragrances that are overpowering enough to make an adult dizzy, to the likelihood of a baby choking on bits of ripped-off plastic, disposable diapers are full of potential dangers. I found that disposable diapers are sometimes chemically laden enough to make me feel queasy or dizzy when around them--I can only imagine how intense that feeling must be for a person who is one-tenth my size and in direct contact with them!
Myth #3: Cloth Diapers are Inconvenient and Gross.
I can't help but laugh when I hear people tell me that they think they're too lazy for cloth diapers, because I've never found them to be much of an inconvenience--and I'm incredibly lazy! Being the sort of person who would rather have chips for dinner than bother to cook, I think that if I can cloth-diaper, anyone can.
I've already revealed that diaper pins and rubber pants, the two biggest time-consumers of old-fashioned cloth diapering, are now arcane. Some parents use all-in-one diapers, which are almost identical to disposables except for being made of cloth (with water-resistant layers, of course). Diapers that require covers are also much more convenient than they used to be, and modern covers attach with Velcro, making them much easier to apply than pull-on rubber pants. It actually takes me significantly less time to use a cloth diaper with a cover than it takes me to put my daughter in a disposable alternative.
Changing cloth diapers also tends to be much less nauseating than changing a disposable diaper. Sodium polyacrylate, the harsh gel substance used for extra absorbency in disposables, creates a disgusting odor when combined with the scent of urine or feces. When my daughter wears cloth --and many cloth users claim to have experienced similar situations--I don't know if her diaper is soiled unless I check. There is generally no odor to speak of at all, thanks to the protection provided by contemporary diaper covers. However, disposable diapers smell awful the moment they are soiled, because the fragrances that are supposed to cover odors actually amplify them.
Very little work actually goes into washing cloth diapers. With a washing machine hooked up to a hot-water source, they are no more difficult to launder than your own clothing. Long gone are the days of dunking diapers into the toilet before sending them to a diaper service, or washing them with a washboard in a bucket. An average washing-machine can easily take care of all the hard work of laundering diapers.
I don't entirely understand why many parents feel that throwing a diaper pail's worth of disposables into the trash is any more convenient than throwing them into the washing machine and turning it on. All it takes is a small amount of detergent, a cycle set to hot, and--if the diapers are especially icky--a pre-rinse in the machine. They are generally fully dryer compatible and don't need any special laundering care.
In addition, as the old saying goes, "Time is money", and money spent on disposable diapers generally equates to time spent working to pay for them--that is, time that could have just as well been spent enjoying your baby. Even by the logic that cloth diapering may take a few extra minutes per week, most middle-class Americans will find that this is significantly less than the amount of time that would be necessary working to pay for the alternative.
The economical and ecological benefits of cloth diapers are obvious. It is unfortunate that many parents are held back from the many little-known benefits of cloth because of outdated advice that relates to a much older form of diaper. I encourage anyone who is trying to decide between cloth diapers and disposable diapers, to thoroughly research the topic before coming to a conclusion. You will most likely find that your family, like mine, can benefit from using cloth diapers in an endless variety of ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment