Should our baby use cloth diapers?
If you want tons of cloth info, I'm here. People always comment about cloth here that have never tried it-so don't listen to them. Cloth is definatley move environmentally friendly. People always say "well you run so much water and detergent". If that statement was true-we should all wear paper clothes. I only use a few tablespoons of detergent in each load and the water used equals the amount that I'd have to flush the toilet if my son was using it. I don't use bleach either! Here's some facts on the environment and health http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/dia... I switched over a year ago. My mother was going to pay for diaper service (we're hippies lol) but it wasn't available where I lived. So I held my breath and used disposables. My son had bleeding nasty rashes-I changed him every hour and he'd still break out. that gel stuff can be toxic! Once I switched to cloth-no more rashes! He even had diarrhea this week-no rash! There are many options available, check out the directories at http://www.diaperpin.com/home.asp and http://www.diaperjungle.com/ I mostly have fuzzi bunz (pocket diapers), but I also have fitteds, prefolds, and covers. I like fuzzi bunz because I can stuff a few inserts or prefolds in there for overnight, travel, or naps. On wash day (I have enough to wash every other day), I run a cold cycle to lift stains, then a hot cycle with the few tablespoons of detergent (list of safe detergent here http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm). If it's nice outside, I line dry to conserve energy. Otherwise I just throw them in the dryer or if it's evening, I put the covers and fuzzi bunz on a line inside the house to dry-they don't take that long! I even have travelled down the country with my son in cloth 3x this last year. I use "wet bags" to store the dirty ones in. At home I just use a regular dry pail which is a trash can with a good sealed lid. I also love the fact that I will be able to use these diapers on future children, I never have to run out in the middle of the night to buy a pack of disposables, and I really feel like I am making a healthy choice for my son and the earth. If you have any questions, send me a message.
If stuck with no diapers, what would you use for your child?
In India olden days there were no diapers. They used to make squeamish clothes cut into halves and tie the longer end around the waist and tying three ends if the cloth. It was supposed to be comfortable. They used to have them in lot and wash as soon as they become wet or dirty.They used old clothes sarees in place of pads during menstruation.Of course now they are considered unhygienic by Haves but Have- nots are still using them.
What are some reasons to use cloth diapers on a baby?
From a practical perspective (I won't get into environmental / moral arguments)...Some pro's for cloth diapers are:Somewhat cheaper. Especially if you use the cheapest version (prefolds, we used cottonbabies.com and they've lasted well over half a decade) and if you amortize over several kids. Less of a money-saver if you have to use coin-laundry though. For us, it worked out to something like 8 cents less per diaper, given how cheap small-sized disposables are nowadays. If you use a "diaper service" they're generally significantly *more* expensive than disposables.They hold in nursing-baby-poo explosions much better than disposables.Once you're done (or give up on) using cloth diapers, you have a massive supply of extremely effective burp cloths and general-mess-absorbers. Ours were incredibly helpful for wiping up the innumerable puddles during potty training and we still use them whenever there's a ton of spilled liquid that needs soaking up.Downsides, on the other hand:You have to change them much more often (nearly every hour once the kid gets past 9 months or so)Prefold + snappi + cover is a 2-step process. While fast, that still makes it twice as long as a disposable. And that is a significant extra hassle with a super-wiggly 9m+ baby / toddler.Our experience has indicated all the claims that kids will potty-train earlier because they can feel themselves being wet are shear nonsense. Actually, I suspect my stubbornness in keeping my oldest in cloth diapers throughout actually delayed potty training -- he was so used to being constantly wet, it never occured to him to care. Also, prefolds are a real pain to get off and on in a hurry on a standing, wiggling toddler that you're trying to get to the potty.We saw much greater instance of diaper rash with cloth diapers than with disposables, what with the wet urine held next to the skin. That's one of the reasons you have to change them so often...Past the first couple of months, no cloth diapering setup we could figure out would keep the baby dry overnight. You will have to buy disposables anyway for night-time and for going out (unless you're super stubborn and insist on carrying poopy diapers around with you while out and about)For our two kids, we found the cloth diapers were worth it for the first half year or so while they were relatively easy to change but really not after that. Everyone has their own utility function to optimize, though.
Cloth diapers? Pros vs. Cons?
I use/used cloth on both my kids, plus the kids i do childcare for. I really hate using paper diapers! In total, i spent about $200.00 diapering both my kids. Pros: -You NEVER run out of diapers -Significntly better for the planet *They only have to be made once *they require less water to make than a paper diaper *they don't contain a lot of chemicals *A high effieciency washer makes washing them cost way less than even generic paper diapers *they aren't packaged in placstic *they don't contribute to poop filled landfills (landfills aren't actually set up to contain human waste and can contaminate groundwater) -Better for baby's skin -some are really cute!-) -Potty learning happens faster -fewer leaks -You got them FREE, but if you need more they aren't super expensive -They are infinately reusable (you can sell them, pass them on, get them back, use them again, hand them down and then use them as dust cloths after about 15 years) We use Chinese prefolds with Bummis Super Whisper Wraps and have only ever had to buy smalls and mediums (my son is 27 months now) We also have a few Happy Heinys and FuzziBunz which are expensive (bought them used mostly) but great for night time because they keep pee away from the skin. Cons: -You have to take responsibility for your child's waste instead of throwing it away to be someone else's problem -?????
A washboard for cloth diapers?
Glass is going to be your best bet. But using the plunger for agitation is going to be important too. You'll want 2 tubs (or 1 tub drained and wiped out between uses) - use cold water and the plunger first, then hot water and the washboard 2nd. Be careful about detergents. I only say that because castile soap is commonly used for handwashing and is not really a great choice for diapers. The residue left behind can cause problems, so rinse very well if you go that route!
Which is better for my child: cloth diapers or disposable diapers?
I used mainly cloth diapers, this was in the seventies. I used disposable for outings sometimes. In those days disposable diapers were not very good. They didn't fit well and the tape would not stay secured and could not be re-taped. I know disposable diapers are better now, but so are the many choices for cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are bad for the environment and a health hazard if fecal matter is not flushed before putting in the garbage. Once in the landfill, there they stay. What could be grosser than that? Cloth diapers need to be changed much more frequently, which is a routine that is integral to parenthood. Cloth diapers can be purchased or homemade and the modern covers fit well and have Velcro closures , so safety pins are a thing of the past. While washing diapers does cost money and use energy, the overall financial and environmental impact is probably less damaging than the same costs incurred by the use of disposable diapers. Cloth diapers can also be hung out to dry, (in some living situations and climates) sanitizing them in sunlight and saving more on costs. This may make them a bit rough, but that can be dealt with by misting them lightly after taking them off the line and tossing them in the dryer on air fluff for a few minutes. Cloth diapers may last for years- through several babies- especially the newborn size that is quickly outgrown. Dependence on store- bought diapers with no back up acould put parents in a pretty bad spot in case of unavailability of such supplies in a crisis. I hope every parent knows how to cut up old t-shirts to make make-shift diapers in such scenarios if they haven't thought to have cloth back-up diapers on hand. Further the expense of purchasing disposable diapers is likely to be more than the initial expenditure for cloth diapers, and such savings can be spent on something sustainable, like healthy food. By the way, many other disposable products are damaging to the environment, that's why there are sustainable products for menstruation too.
Why don't Chinese parents use diapers for their children?
To offer an expat opinion on this, I feel your pain but I think there's a number of reasons diapers just aren't used much in China. One (as a fellow expat in China pointed out to me) is; can you imagine the sheer waste if a country of over 1 billion people with the population density of China all used diapers? Sure it's gross and terribly unsanitary, but in a way having all those used nappies in the trash (or, as the trash generally appears, on the side of the road) would be at least as disgusting. Not to mention, diapers are not common or cheap in comparison to the average salary in China, so only people in wealthy areas generally use them. Another is that I just don't think the average person is aware of the health risks. I used to eat at a restaurant in a smaller city in Hubei province, and one of the family who ran the restaurant had a baby. One day in the summer I was eating there and saw them place the baby, (with no pants on due to the heat) on one of the tables, bare butt and all. Someone later sat and ate at that table. As a foreigner I was shocked, but none of the Chinese people in the restaurant gave the situation a second glance. My conclusion from this and other experiences is that some people are unaware of the dangers of human waste, especially in proximity to eating surfaces. A final reason, as another poster pointed out, is that people in China are simply better at potty training children. I have witnessed more than one baby who apparently was trained to go on whistle; the parent holds them out over a gutter or a bag, and then whistles to signal their child to let loose. Chinese children are generally potty trained way earlier than Western kids due to the way they approach it. There are some practices that should be changed for the sake of public health, such as allowing older children to drop trousers in the street rather than finding a bathroom, but the practice of split pants rather than diapers is probably here to stay.
I need advice on cloth diapers.?
I have used cloth diapers exclusively on all three of my children. I adore them ! I always have a stash of 24 prefolds to use, sometime just them, sometimes as a back-up, whatever. They don't take up much space to store even if they aren't your primary diaper. Beyond that, I love our pocket diapers - right now, we mainly use Bum Genius 2,0; but have also used Fuzzi Bunz with great success. Don't get hooked on all the fancy washing routines you hear about either - a cold rinse, a long hot wash with some detergent (I use Tide), and dry (I don't own a dryer, so we hang them up). Every now and then, run an extra rinse at the end just to be sure they're well rinsed and free of detergent. We have only dealt with 1 rashy bottom between all three kids - and that was a yeast rash our youngest got while in hospital for surgery. We have had some leaks, but VERY few, and only when we've left a diaper on for several hours without changing it - therefore our own fault, not the fault of the diaper.
Cloth diapers have doubled my water bill!!?
I need some help. I have been cloth diapering for 4 months now, and it has doubled my water bill every month! We used to pay about $40, now we pay $80. I would be saving money using disposables! I wash every 3 days, I use the dry pail method, and I have a front loader HE washer. I really don't know what to do to get the cost down, but $40/month to wash diapers just seems excessive! I really love CDing and I don't want to give it up, but idk how much longer I can afford it. Help!