environmental [diaper] change.

Since the invention of the disposable diaper, the debates have raged on about which is better for babies, parents and the planet – traditional cloth or disposable diapers, but which is better for the environment?

Cloth diapers have come a long way from the origami fold-and-pin variety. The new school of the cloth diapers come with velcro tabs or snaps and a contoured fit that make the diaper change as simple as with the disposable kind. Many companies also make the diapers so that they can grow with your baby, making the initial investment in the cost of diapers stretch far further down the road, especially if you have more children. And the added bonus: organic cotton, hemp or bamboo instead of synthetic chemicals and chlorine bleached plastics next to your baby’s bottom.

Check out the following:
Bamboozle bamboo cloth diapers (rated the best reusable diaper for 2006/2007 by UK’s Mother & Baby)
Under the Nile 100% organic Egyptian cotton diapers
Aristocrats pure wool diaper cover
Bummis Super Brite diaper cover
Sugar Peas organic hemp fleece diapers and wool flannel/jersey covers
BumGenius bamboo fitted diaper, one-size diaper, or all-in-one diaper
BerryPlush diapers by Jam Tots

For the best environmental choice, try to avoid varieties with a synthetic outer layer, and when it comes to cotton, always try to opt for organic and non-chlorine bleached.

And for the cleaning: although washing a diaper certainly takes more effort than throwing it out, there are diaper cleaning services that have caught on to the modern ways, offering services that are energy conscious (cold wash, hang to dry), and use mild all natural and biodegradable detergents and no chlorine bleach. Using a diaper washing service can also increase efficiency, as industrial machines tend to use less energy and water, although there are also environmental issues that arise from the transportation used by the service. If you’re willing to do the laundry yourself, look into a front loading washer (which use only a quarter of the amount of water used by a top loading one), use a cold water cycle, a very mild all natural and biodegradable detergent, and hang to dry whenever possible.

And at the end of the cloth diaper’s life, it makes a fantastic cleaning rag! (Thanks for this tip, Mom!)

There are times when convenience does save the day. Traveling with baby with no desire to carry home a soiled nappy? There are now a variety of disposable diapers that won’t compromise your environmental ethic. According to Seventh Generation, “If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 40-count package of size 3 conventional diapers with [their] chlorine-free diapers, we could avoid 133,000 pounds of pollution from entering the environment.” Seventh Generation has a line of non-chlorine bleached diapers that include a non-toxic absorbent gel (similar to the mainstream varieties), but still do have a Polyolefin (plastic) fabric. Tushies are gel-free disposable diapers that opt for a cotton padding with wood-pulp, but both these disposable options do require a large amount of energy to produce, and mainly end up in landfills, unless your city has an organic waste disposal that can process diapers.

gDiapers fit in somewhere between a disposable and a cloth diaper, with a flushable and biodegradable insert (made from cellulose) into a non-chlorine beached cloth outer diaper with a liner. They report that 18-23 billion diapers went into landfills across America last year, which works out to around 38,000 every minute and adds up to about 3.5 million tons of waste! These require fewer washes as the waterproof liner protects the outer diaper (liners rinse easily, and dry in as little as 10 minutes), and the insert can be flushed when soiled. Inserts soiled with urine only can even be composted at home- they break down in 50-150 days. Nothing has to go to the landfill. Only downside: gDiapers don’t use organic cotton yet, and the liners are made of nylon and made waterproof with a petroleum derivative- polyurethane, although this is still better than other diaper covers made from PVC.

Not sure which is the best option for your family? You’ll never know unless you try ‘em out!

Resources:
The Tushies website lists a variety of eco-friendly diaper services across the US.

gDiapers provides a great rundown of the pros and cons of cloth, disposable, and flushable/compostable diapers.

The UK’s Women’s Environmental Network’s briefing on cloth diapering can be downloaded from their website.

A recent article in Time Magazine about the cloth diaper movement.