Why We Use Cloth Diapers

Every parent is faced with the task of deciding how they will spend their time and resources in the task of parenting.  For example, will they make their own baby food (which takes time) or buy premade baby food (which costs more money)?  These kinds of decisions seem to be endless, and everyone has different priorities, resulting in different choices.

Something that has been a priority for me is using cloth diapers.  For those who are interested, I thought I would share a couple of the reasons why.

One reason I use cloth diapers is that in the long run they are cheaper.  I paid about $400 for my current stash of cloth diapers, which is a lot of money up front, but I've been using them for over a year and a half now, and they're still going strong.  I'll be able to use them again for baby #2 and any other possible future babies.  There is the continuing cost of laundry detergent and the water and electricity to wash the diapers, but since we line dry them that additional cost is pretty minimal.

The other primary reason is environmental impact.  I believe that using cloth diapers is significantly better for the environment than disposable diapers.  I've heard the protests before - that cloth diapers use lots of water and electricity, so they're bad too.  It's true that cloth diapers aren't guiltless, but I do think they are the better option.  Something I've learned is that when you want to examine the environmental impact of something, you need to look at the impact of the resources and process used to make the item, the impact of its transport, the impact of its use, and the impact of its disposal.

Cloth diapers come in a range of materials, from synthetic to natural materials like cotton and wool.  Some manufacturing companies are more concerned with sustainability than others, so the materials and process used to make cloth diapers have a range of impact on the environment.  Disposable diapers are made from synthetic materials and chemicals, and a child will go through hundreds of disposable diapers before learning to use a toilet, consuming significantly more resources than a child who uses cloth.

Regarding transport, both cloth and disposable diapers have to be transported over long distances, but overall fewer cloth diapers need to be transported, since they are reused by the buyers.

It's in the "use" category that cloth diapers don't look as good, since they require detergent, water, and electricity in order to be continually used.  Disposable diapers don't require any resources to be used.

However, cloth diapers aren't disposed of.  Instead, they are reused.  Even after a child no longer needs diapers, they can be used again for younger siblings.  There is even a market for used cloth diapers and many parents choose to sell their cloth diapers after they are done having babies (which means they can get back some of the money they invested in the first place).  I've also heard that old cloth diapers make great rags for around the house, since they are so absorbent.  Eventually, once they are completely worn out, cloth diapers are discarded, but only after many years of use. In contrast, every disposable diaper that is used ends up in a landfill. 

So overall, I see that cloth diapers do have a smaller environmental impact than disposable diapers.

There are other benefits to using cloth diapers too.  It lets you avoid exposing your baby to the chemicals that can be found in disposable diapers.  I've heard that children who wear cloth diapers are potty trained faster, since they can feel when their diaper is wet (I guess I'll find out soon - Steven is getting close to that age!).  And with their bright colours and interesting prints, cloth diapers can actually be really cute!

The primary disadvantage of using cloth diapers is the investment of time that it takes.  And it's true, the time that I use doing that extra laundry every week is time that I would rather use doing other things.  But like I said at the beginning, parenthood is filled with choices about how we are going to use our time. Different parents make different choices, but for myself I believe that using cloth diapers is worth the time that it takes me, because of the benefits to my family and the world we live in.


Interested in seeing the kind of cloth diapers I use and what my diaper routine looks like?  Check out Cloth Diapers: Part 2