Comparison of reusable and disposable diapers
It is hard to unequivocally answer the question which diapers are the best. Firstly, we have to remember that a good and proven solution in one family doesn’t have to be a good choice for
another baby.
While making a decision, it is good to analyze the pros and cons of both solutions. Nowadays, a cloth diaper has a well-thought-out structure and it delights with its smartness and interesting design.
Regular, muslinet nappies land on the scrap heap, even though they have their enthusiasts as well.
How do they differ in practice?
A good cloth diaper puts on as fast as a classic disposable diaper. It is equipped with a membrane ( breathable, waterproof fabric), it doesn’t take a lot of place, and it gets dry quickly. Disposable diapers also delight with their impressive absorbency, soft structure, elastic finishing and delicate cuts. So, the substantial difference is that we wash the first ones and throw away the second ones.
We have also a few other issues which are worth considering . We will focus on the most important ones: health, ecology, economy and comfort.
For generations, one of the fundamental task of parents in a baby’s first year of life is to make his/ her skin dry, healthy and free from nappy rash. Even though there are many reasons for nappy rash, it can be easily noticed that the main cause of nappy rash is wetness from contact with wee and poo in a diaper. In disposable diapers the circulation of air is limited and temperature is higher.
Such conditions ,as well as the presence of ammonia which occurs in urine, make the development of unfriendly bacterial flora possible. Because of the fact that a diaper is not sterile, it is a source of bacteria. This can result in an increased incidence among children (especially among girls) of a urinary tract infection of different etiology. Moreover, too long effect of high temperature is not good for the normal development of a boy’s testicles. The researches proving the above thesis have been already conducted. It is said that disposable diapers could have been one of the reasons for increased infertility among men during the last 25 years.
Disposable diapers allow to keep urine away from a baby’s skin up to several hours. Unfortunately, they also contribute to bacterial growth.
Despite high absorbency of modern reusable diapers, the main principle of its proper use is to change a diaper or a replaceable insert right after the diaper has been wet, even though the baby may not feel discomfort yet (what is ensured by a special structure of a diaper.) Sometimes, it is uncomfortable for parents and it demands some kind of discipline, however it brings a lot of benefits.
A fast reaction lets us efficiently get fid of bacteria from a baby’s skin even before they start to proliferate. At the same time, we ventilate skin more often so we prevent nappy rash. Such a hygiene habit has also another advantage- thanks to it we “listen intently” to our child. We know what, when and how much he/she excretes from this tiny organism. Not once it can serve us as a piece of important information proving our baby’s health. We can easily catch all of the untypical situations and react to them quickly. In disposable diapers, which thanks to absorbent gel bond urine fast, we often don’t have any chance to notice it and we don’t know when, how frequently a baby urinates.
Thanks to that it is easier for us to suggest our baby a potty. The research shows that children who use disposable diapers have a tendency to start using the toilet consciously much later, and the age of using diapers extends even to 3 years.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that disposable diapers are produced in a process which requires many chemical substances and that not all of them are health-friendly. If we use disposable diapers we must realize that our baby’s skin is exposed to the contact with dyes, sodium polyacrylate (absorbent gel) and dioxins (side product of paper bleaching.)
Sodium polyacrylate is associated with toxic shock syndrome and strong allergic reactions. It is perceived as very harmful and potentially lethal for domestic animals. Some dyes and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) present in diapers are known for their neurotoxicity, a harmful effect on liver and kidneys- according to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency.)
FDA (Food & Drug Administration) has received the reports that the aromatic substances present in disposable diapers cause headaches, vertigo and different kinds of rashes. The American Bureau of Consumer Protection has also registered some cases of chemical burns, skin tears, skin discolorations and many other injuries- everything caused by disposable diapers. Of course, not every disposable diaper is the reason for all these tragedies. The multitude of the phenomenon should also be taken into consideration. A great number of users and mass production of disposable diapers favor many mistakes, errors and accidents. Still, it’s impossible to be indifferent towards such facts.
According to “Journal of Pediatrics” 54% of newborn infants using disposable diapers have had rashes, including 16% of those with some serious forms of irritation (the tests were carried out with the use of the diapers of one of the biggest and most reputable producers.) Referring to the
results of the tests, it can be stated that frequency of the occurrence of the complications caused by disposable diapers has raised during the last few years from 7,1% to 61% and this fact is strictly connected with the increased use of disposable diapers.
However, it should be remembered that every child is different and this what works fine to one baby can trigger a strong allergic reaction in another. An allergy do diapers is not a problem of every child, and the fact is that many children can go through babyhood without any irritations and nappy rashes.
Of course, a cloth diaper can also cause nappy rash if we don’t change it early enough, or clear a baby’s skin in an improper way, or disinfect a diaper wrongly. We must also pay attention to the detergents and washing powders we use- a baby might have an allergy to one of the substances.
It’s all about personal preferences and a child’s reaction to diapers. The best way to avoid nappy
rashes and inflammations is a regular change of a diaper, as well as a use of water, soap and a piece of cloth instead of baby wipes. Every change of a diaper should be connected with skin ventilation.
Our environment
As far as the environment is concerned, the fact that cloth diapers have the advantage over disposables is rather obvious. However, the enthusiasts of disposable diapers pay attention to the increased use of water, which is not good. Still, the following numbers completely turn the scale.
It has been calculated that about 5 million tones of unprocessed waste and over 2 billion tones of urine, excrement, plastic and paper per annum are being thrown to American dumps. At the same time, about 40 000 kg of plastic and over 200 000 of tress are being used to the production of disposable diapers only for American children (facts from U.S.A.). Even though that some diapers are considered to be biodegradable, they have to be exposed to the sun and air (oxygen) in order to putrefy. It is rather unlikely, so it may last several hundred years before such a diaper putrefies.
Unprocessed waste composed, among the others, of the used diapers thrown to dumps can be the cause of groundwater contamination. The enthusiasts of disposables claim that washing cloth diapers results in increased energy consumption and sanitary sewerage overloading. However, it isn’t a good argument because the quantity of water used weekly to wash diapers is the same as the quantity of water flushed by adults four or five times a day. The more important is that urine and feces go to a sewage treatment facility, the place where they belong to, and not to dumps where they can be a potential threat to groundwater and soil.
Comfort
Present-day cloth diapers are equally comfortable as Pampers. For example, the simplest model: a “pocket-type” cloth diaper looks like a disposable diaper except for it is made from fabric. All it charm lies in an outstanding design and appropriate choice of cloth. It is light, breathable, shapely and, what is the most important, it has some properties that our grandmother could only dream about. At first sight, these are interesting Velcro-pants. In fact, it is a very complex product which amazes with well-thought-of solutions. It should be remembered that a cloth diaper must be kept before it is washed what might be quite troublesome during a trip and it requires organizing a suitable ‘workshop’. Surely, cloth diapers require parents’ bigger effort because of washing and frequent change of the diapers.
In this case, disposable diapers are trouble free because we can buy them in every shop, put on a baby’s bottom, and, when it’s already used, throw away and forget about it.
Economy
In this case, we can easily calculate a number of diapers being used and all the costs connected.
If we assume a reasonable, monthly amount of 100 PLN for diapers, we can easy calculate that for the nearest 3 years we are going to spend 3.600 PLN. And we’re not taking into consideration wipes, nappy rash creams and medicines bought to treat nappy rash. In order to use cloth diapers exclusively, we must buy a full set of diapers, inserts and washing and storing bags. We need about 15-20 of diapers. An average price of such a diaper is 60 PLN. It gives us a cost of 1.200 PLN for 20 diapers. When we add a washing cost (1 additional wasting in a week) which we can assess at 1 PLN, we obtain additional 156 PLN (1 PLN * 52 weeks * 3 years.) In the above calculations the three-year period has been assumed because children are taken away from diapers between 2-3 year of life.
However, it should be remembered that this period may shorten with cloth diapers or lengthen with disposables. So we can definitely claim that cloth diapers cut our costs by half. Of course, it is difficult to spread the purchase of diapers over time and it also requires investment of a considerable sum of money at the very beginning.
The above pieces of information are rated calculations and they don’t take into account any individual preferences (e.g. the choice of cheaper or more expensive diapers, shorter or longer period of using diapers), and have only demonstrative character.
Summary:
There are many differences between cloth and disposable diapers. Everybody must think over and decide on one type of diapers by oneself. Certainly, the decision has to fulfill our and our baby’s needs and it will be dependent on a lifestyle, concern for the environment or financial means.
Regardless of our conclusions, it’s worth knowing all the pros and cons of both solutions so that our decision would be a conscious one. Some of us would choose disposable diapers, some others cloth diapers and the rest- both of them. It’s important to live in harmony with our conviction, needs and ourselves- so it’s good to have a choice.
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