1. Environmental reasons - Disposable diapers are the third most common item found in our landfills. Since the average disposable takes approximately 500 years to break down, the proportion in our landfills is ever-increasing. There is also concern about what is in all those diapers. Even though it is against the law to discard human waste, I don't know of anyone who removes the waste from a disposable diaper before throwing it away. Over 100 intestinal viruses are brought to landfills via disposable diapers. This may contribute to groundwater contamination and attract insects that carry and transmit diseases. Plus there are the approximately 1 billion trees used each year to make the disposables. Don't forget all the natural resources used to haul all those disposable diapers all over the world.  Yes, many cloth diapers are made with high tech fabrics, that aren’t exactly “all natural.” Polyester is a petroleum product after all. But with cloth diapers you are re-using the diaper, only buying it once, having it delivered to your house once, versus buying a few thousand diapers that you have to keep driving out to purchase and then must be hauled away with the trash. I haven’t done an extensive environmental study or anything, but having used cloth diapers for almost 5 years on 2 kids, these are just my observations.

Water has also become an issue - what about the water used to wash cloth diapers? Today's high efficiency washing machines use much less water and energy than those that were used in older "studies" that claimed washing cloth diapers used more water than disposables.  One load of diaper laundry every 2-3 days isn't very much water at all.  And cloth diapers are no longer soaked in bleach or other toxic chemicals. It's obviously better to use regular dishes and silverwear rather than use all paper plates and plastic utensils and throw them away after each use. And we would never dream of wearing disposable clothes, rather than washing and wearing them again. I am not sure how it became weird to think of washing and re-using cloth diapers as well.

2. Cost - Disposable diapers cost between $1500-$2500 over the course of three years, which is the amount of time it takes the average child to be toilet trained. You can save a bundle by cloth diapering. Using cloth wipes can save even more money, and they take no extra time to care for as long as you are washing the diapers. The water from washing two loads of diapers per week, following our washing instructions, would use no more water than if the child were potty trained and using the toilet. We recommend using only ½ to ¼ strength laundry detergent, and cheap store brands are fine, sometimes better than more expensive name brands, so the cost of detergent isn't a big factor. The amount of gas/electricity depends on your washer/dryer/water heater and the type of gas you are using, but you can save up to 60% by hanging diapers up to dry. If you check out our Package Deals you can get all you need for 6 months of cloth diapering for less than you could spend in one month on disposables. Plus most of your diapers and supplies can be used for subsequent children or resold to get even more value from them. Plus nothing makes a better dust rag than an old diaper - save on paper towels and other cleaning products after you're done with the diapers.

3. Skin Care - Would you rather wear soft cotton underwear or paper and plastic? The following is the ingredients list from Pampers: wood pulp, absorbent gelling material, petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, aloe, polyethylene and polypropylene (plastics), cellulose tissue, elastic and perfume. Sodium polyacrylate is in the Absorbent Gel Material (AGM) and is what forms those gel beads you find on your babies genitals. It has been linked with allergic reactions in some children. Disposable diapers also have been linked to an increase in childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm count among boys. I have asthma and I know I can hardly walk down the diaper aisle in the grocery store because of the strong perfume smell coming from the diapers. Results vary on which causes more diaper rash, cloth or disposables, but since cloth diapers tend to be changed more frequently, rashes are usually less common with cloth. Disposables tend to be changed less frequently because they can feel dry even if they are wet, due to the super absorbent core. The growth of microbes due to prolonged wetness is what leads to diaper rash. So frequent diaper changes are the best prevention. Also, some infants are allergic to the dyes or chemicals in disposables and can get a severe rash from them.

4. Other reasons for choosing cloth diapers - Convenience - Yes, convenience. You never have to run to the store at midnight, when you realize you are on your last diaper. Supporting small businesses - instead of giving all your money to big corporations, you can support mostly WAHMs, who provide you with cloth diapers and accessories. Be unique - Many people choose cloth because they just like to be different and have the choice of all those cute styles and prints available on today's modern cloth diapers. It's just fun - cloth diapering can become very addictive!