All that changed with the advent of disposable disposable diapers. Even the unfitted, flat, uncomfortable first generation disposable diapers were worlds above the average organic cloth diapers for comfort and ease of use. Just unfold the back, pull the plastic up between the infant's legs and smooth it against his belly, and stick the backside to the front. Voila! On the spot diaper. Even better - no need for cleaning. No soiled diapers soaking in a pail of borax. No odor, no mess, no washing service - just un-tape, close it up and throw it in the trash.
For mothers of my generation, disposable disposable diapers was the dividing line between 'back then' and now. I can't count the number of mothers, grandmothers, aunts and older female relatives who began a story with 'Of course, we never had Pampers, WE had to..."
There were numerous advantages: disposable diapers were cleaner, more clean, more convenient. Vanished were the days of spending hours laundering and drying, for a mother these hours were tremendously delightful!. If you were the least bit mindful of disposal, by wrapping the diaper in a plastic bag and tying it shut you could totally get rid of the odor.. And no more wrestling with a squirming infant while you tried to pin his nappy closed, nor having the whole thing slip off his cute little butt because you missed a layer of material when pinning.
The disadvantages were not so readily obvious, but they were nonetheless valid. The major argument against disposable diapers is a powerful one: The convenience of disposable disposable diapers have an enormous impact on our environment. Some facts:
* Rubbish dumps are filling up with over 19 billions disposable diapers every year and this figure is on the increase! - where they do not degrade.
* Disposable disposable diapers are a major deforestation concern - the manufacturing method involves over a million tons of wood pulp every year in the US alone!
* Damaging posions, metals and solvents are a by-product of disposable diaper making - the majority of which ends up in our oceans and rivers.
In a world with limited resources, disposable diapers use up resources and create contaminants and dangerous chemicals. Is the convenience worth the harm to the Earth?
But there's yet an extra side to the discussion - disposable diaper manufacturers have countered with arguments that organic cloth diapers aren't all that kind to Mother Earth either. They cite the use of harsh chemicals in washing - bleach, borax and other detergents, the consumption of water, and the power (and fuels) needed to heat water to temperatures that can disinfect diapers as being just as damaging to the Earth as
disposable diapers.
It is for these very reasons that cloth diapers are making a return - in organic form! Certified organic cloth diapers have a much lower effect on resources during their manufacturing process. With no fertilizers or pesticides used in the process both the babies and the earth benefits!
What about the bleaches and detergents you ask? Well, an eco-conscious mother who purchases organic cloth diapers will no doubt also pay attention to that. There are a number of organic cleaning products available that you can utilize to clean the disposable diapers and this will render the organic diaper option even more eco-friendly.
In the end, the choice to use disposables or organic cloth diapers is a judgment call. What option is better for the infant? What is better for the mother? Which is least harmful to our planet?
Once you have considered all the alternatives I think you will discover that organic disposable diapers are the only way to go, but it will take some changes on your part!
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