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Diaper Options: Cloth, Disposable, or Hybrid?

An increasingly common debate in recent years between parents and couples has been questioning what type of diaper to actually use for their babies. People are becoming more aware of environmental problems. They want to know more about what they are putting in their diaper bags. There are plastic disposables that we are all familiar with, there are the old traditional cloth diapers, and now the new hybrids that combine a permanent outer cloth diaper with a disposable inner material.

Look at this statistic: More than 1% of all garbage in landfills is disposable diapers. Is that something or what? Here are some other interesting facts to keep in mind: More than 27 billion disposable diapers are used in the US alone each year. According to Wikipedia, that translates to a potential 3.4 million tons of used diapers going to landfills each year. That’s not a beautiful thing to ponder right now, is it? Therefore, it is clear that there are multiple issues to think about for those who want to make an informed decision.

Let’s look at cloth diapers: they have the advantage of being washable and therefore reusable. The baby will not have a real reaction to that diaper. They are usually made from thicker cotton, or the newer offerings also have hemp and bamboo as core materials. Plastics, sticky pads, and chemicals used in disposables are known to irritate a baby’s skin. So avoiding them is a nice benefit.

The drawbacks for some parents are that cloth diapers require more changes, as the material simply won’t absorb as much waste as molded plastics. Depending on your perspective, some parents may see that as an advantage, because diapers are not really a personal toilet. They should probably be changed and washed as soon as they get dirty, right?

The other drawback from an environmental perspective is that significantly more detergent will be used over the life of a cloth diaper. And, therefore, more chemical residues in the environment. Although in reality, my guess is that this is still a substantially better environmental alternative than infinite amounts of waded plastic diapers piled up in a landfill.

A viable and real alternative on the market now for parents is the hybrid diaper. One brand known as diaper g has a disposable inner liner with a reusable cover. The disposable part degrades in the water (although with the help of your use of ‘swishstick’ to break it a little before discharge). I haven’t used them yet, but I know a family that is a huge fan and they feel better about the amount of garbage they are not producing!

Seventh Generation also has a diaper that is more environmentally friendly. Technically, it is not a true hybrid, as the diaper is actually thrown away when worn. However, they consist of much less material than a typical plastic diaper and are free of any of the chemicals or fragrances. Therefore, when thrown away, these diapers will take up much less space and leave a smoother footprint on the ground than those with chemicals that leach into the ground.

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