"Even in the most modern, developed parts of the world, more and more people are trying to manage their lives as if what they do will affect everthing around them; As if they have tenure of this place and will be passing it on to their children- as if it's home."
Good News For A Change (Suzuki and Dressel)

WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU USE CLOTH DIAPERS WHEN DISPOSABLES ARE SO CONVENIENT?

THE FACTS:

18 Billion diapers are disposed of annually. 8,000 diapers on average per child.
Millions of trees are lost for the 1.3 tons of wood pulp to make them, along with 82,000 tons of plastic.
They are the third most found item in our landfills after newspapers and food and beverage containers.
Although in 500 years they may decompose - the plastics will not simply breaking into tiny particles that enter our soil, streams, and oceans and inevitably our food.
Each diaper requires 1 cup of crude oil to be made.
The synthetic "gel" called SAP that makes them absorbent was once used in tampons and linked to toxic shock syndrome.
Mainstream disposable diapers off gas toxic chemicals such as isopropyl benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene, and styrene linked to skin, respiratory, and reproductive dysfunctions and are, like many human engineered chemicals, proving to be carcinogenic.
Dioxin, a by-product of the bleaching process with a toxicity neighboring radioactive waste, can cause entire marine ecosystems to collapse; heavily pollutes our air quality; and leaves traces on the final product... such as disposable diapers.
Manufacturing single-use diapers requires 2x the water, 3x the energy, and 20x more raw material than reusable diapers life cycle require.
Although the initial cost is more, cloth diapering systems in the long run will save you money. Conservative estimates find you will spend half the amount you would on disposables, while preserving land for your child's future.
Cloth diapers make potty training easier- toddlers can feel and understand better the benefits of staying dry.

 

MY PHILOSOPHY:

Taking into account the facts above I would like to now share my personal thoughts on one of the concerns parents may have about using cloth diapers... commitment. Stories of grandeur behind the commitment it takes to incorporate reusable diapers into your life as a parent have infiltrated our society so deeply that it has somehow become another "automatic". Without a thought we automatically take our groceries home in plastic bags, we automatically assume that anything for a baby is manufactured to be safe, we automatically fill our garbage bags with trash and assume that we are now no longer responsible for or affected by this waste that goes to our landfills. The myth of cloth diapering nightmares, to tell you the truth, was started by companies who had invested in the profit of single use diapers. Media told us we deserve more time, our children deserve more time, our homes will be more sanitary, our use of water will decrease, and in the end those bundles of plastic-bleached tree pulp-and untreated feces will vanish. We have been illusioned and the myths are false. Do you throw away your clothes because they are too difficult to wash? Do you only use disposable dinner ware daily to save cost on water and to avoid scrubbing dirty dishes? Is your time with your child dependent on nothing more than an extra load of laundry every two days... how often is the TV on? We have told ourselves these untruths out of an epidemic called "single-use addiction". We are a nation of near sighted comforts... how can this moment be made easier, cheaper, and with as little responsibility as possible. What are we teaching our children? What are we leaving our children with? My family is a busy one, my husband works full time and we both have new time-consuming businesses but we find time to play, surf, be together, and our cloth diapered daughter is always with one of us. We are not rich by financial standards, but we gratefully have, by way of friends and family, lots of cloth diapers. We are not slaves to the time it takes to care for these cloth diapers, like everything else it is a part of our routine and now part of our daughters imaginative play. We are proud of any little thing we can do, and that has led us to want to do more. There was a day when turning off unused lights and the faucet while brushing was enough, we no longer live in those days. I will leave you with these words from a twelve year old speaker at the 1992 Earth Summit...

" I'm only a child and I don't have all the solutions, but I want you to realize, neither do you. You don't know how to fix the holes in the ozone layer. You don't know how to bring the salmon back up a dead stream. You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct. And you can't bring back a forest where there is now a desert. If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it...
In my country we make so much waste; we buy and throw away, buy and throw away. Yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to loose some of our wealth, afraid to let go...
You teach us how to behave in the world. You teach us not to fight with others; to work things out; to respect others; to clean up our mess; not to hurt other creatures; to share, not be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?...
My dad always says, " You are what you do, not what you say." Well what you do makes me cry at night. You grownups say you love us. I Challenge you. Please make your actions reflect your words." Severn Cullis-Suzuki

 

CLOTH DIAPER CARE:

How often you wash your diapers will be determined by the number you have on hand for changes. I suggest doing a full load every 2-3 days and a short rinse cycle on the in between days.
Rinse cycles can be on cold but wash cycles should be run hot and long for proper sanitation.
Charlie's soap is an Eco-friendly, low-cost, detergent well know in the diapering community as one of the best. One tablespoon scoop will leave your diapers clean and residue free. Completely biodegradable, hypo-allergenic, free of perfumes, dyes, phosphates, lye, bleach, brighteners, enzymes, petroleum, softeners and fillers. Best of all it comes in a tiny brown bag.
Wet diapers can be pulled apart and left in a pail next to the washing machine without being rinsed or soaked, or quickly rinsed first. A sprinkle of baking soda every few diapers will help keep odors down. Diapers soiled with poo should be shaken, sprayed, or rinsed in the toilet to remove any solid matter. A mini shower that attaches to the side of your toilet becomes a super hand tool for this task, leaving your hands clean and dry while available to also rinse baby's bottom or your own hands clean.
At the end of the day all diapers can go through a rinse cycle then put back into the rinsed pail to wait another day or two for a full wash.
Covers with elastic and waterproof layers should be hung to dry or dried on a low heat. Diaper inserts and cloth diapers themselves can be dried on high heat.
A splash of vinegar in a pre-rinse or final rinse cycle every other week or so is a great disinfectant and whitener.
Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, whitener, and softener.
A soak in lemon juice/water and dry off in the sun will take out stains and really "bleach" diapers clean. Wash again after without soap to rinse away lemon. This can be done once a year, once every few months, or never... up to you.
The DO NOTS: do not use bleach ( non-chlorinated bleach can be used on pure cotton diapers if necessary), do not use fabric softeners, do not use laundry detergents that have agents that will irritate skin if left on diapers as residue. Avoid thick rash creams that repel liquids.
DIAPERING SYSTEM RECOMMENDATIONS:

12-18 all-in-one or pocket diapers or 6-8 covers and 1-2 dozen diapers.
1 or 2 pail like containers to hold soiled diapers in. One at the laundry sink and one in the bathroom, in the bathroom a diaper sack that hangs on the door and can be thrown into the wash is nice. Washable pail liners can also go in with the laundry.
Charlie's Soap
Mini-Shower
Reusable Cloth wipes
Extra Night Time Inserts or Doublers
A traveling Duffy Sac for soiled diapers

 

Please feel free to stop in, call, or e-mail me for additional questions or information!