I was going to wait until Earth Day to post this but it is Easter Weekend and I have family flying in so I will be busy. So busy that I will also miss
The Great Cloth Diaper Change.
Part of this post is to talk about cloth diapers and why we use them and why you should give them a try. Do Earth a favour this Earth Day and ease up on contributing to the landfill if you can or buy disposables that can go in the compost.
Delora is great brand.
First off I'll speak briefly about
The Great Cloth Diaper Change. It is on April.23/11 and families all over the world are participating in setting a world record on how many bottoms will be changed using cloth simultaneously. The goal, to spread awareness on cloth diapers. To find a location near you click
here.
For more info visit them on
Facebook.
Why we chose cloth
It was quite simple. I got tired of contributing to the garbage and I felt bad about the
ingredients in disposables and the rashes my son was getting.
It may take over
500 yrs for disposables to break down? Can they break down? No one really knows for sure if and how long.
I'm sorry Earth.
My intent was to start off with cloth but I didn't know where to start and the thought of cloth diapers and a new born were a lot harder to think about and do. Being a seasoned cloth nappy advocate, when Baby #2 comes I will be able to handle nappy change head on.
I know cloth isn't for everyone because of start up cost, the cloth lingo is confusing and well there's about 30 seconds of grossness with the poops. I am only beginning to understand the lingo myself and I've been doing it for 20 months.
Ask for cloth diapers in your baby registry. On a tight budget? You can also buy used diapers.
Some staggering info on disposables and their contribution to the landfill is shocking.
Just how bad? Check out these stats from
Environment Canada:
Diaper Usage
- In the first two years, the average baby will require between 5000 to 7000 diaper changes.
- As of 2004, approximately 1.7 billion disposable diapers were used each year in Canada, accounting for 85 percent of the diaper market.
- Before disposable diapers were introduced, all babies in North America were diapered in cloth. Within 10 years of the arrival of disposable diapers on the market, the number of cloth diaper users quickly dwindled to 10 per cent
Disposable Diapers
- Over 4,000,000 disposable diapers are discarded per day in Canada.
- Approximately 250,000 tonnes of disposable diapers are sent for disposal each year in Canada, according to 2004 figures.
- Disposable diapers represent approximately 3 percent of the total quantity of residential waste for disposal in Canada.
- Effluents from the disposable diaper manufacturing process (plastic, pulp and bleached paper) are more damaging to the environment than the cotton and hemp growing and manufacturing process used for cloth diapers.
The cons with cloth diapers?
Water and Air pollution to wash and dry them...Hmmm....Fresh water is a renewable resource.
Check for water shortages in your area though. Hang to dry in the warmer weather or get a rack for indoor drying. So doing laundry contributes to air pollution not just washing your cloth diapers, all laundry.
This I found kinda silly from Environment Canada in the Cloth Diaper section:
- Another concern is the higher level of wastewater particulates associated with flushing away the contents of cloth diapers. What waste water particulates? Liners maybe? The only thing that we flush away are his poops. What about the flushable wipes for adults and children? Is it fair to just limit to families who cloth diaper?
- There are reusable liners, like AMPS stay dry liner . First I've seen and they are fleece. $12 for a dozen
* FYI, even with disposables you are supposed to knock the solids out. Did you know that?
Disposable diapers - human waste doesn't belong in landfills, learn more here
What's an easy diaper to start off with? Well, when I first started I have no idea what all the abbreviated terms stand for. That will be another post :)
However, I wish I tried
AMP's diaper All In Ones (aka: AIO) first rather than all the pocket diapers and such. The also dry quite quickly in the dryer, super absorbent and no need stuff and unstuff. It's just like a disposable for newbies to cloth diapers.
Why?
Because they are super easy and work just like a disposable minus the garbage and chemicals against baby's bits. This is my day time diaper, we've never had a leak and he's been them for about 3 hrs the longest. I love cloth diapers because it is EASY. I am not leaving loads(no pun intended) in the landfill. It only seems natural. But that's me. Plus we've saved money and I get to reuse my soap because we use
Eco Nuts to wash our diapers.
They are baby sitter, Dad and hopefully even Day Care friendly. They work the exact the same way as a disposable. Seriously.
Try one. Just one to get a feel for it. $20 and can be used over and over again.
The super absorbent core is made up of 4 layers of micro-fiber for a soft squishy feel and quick drying time and has a hook and loop (aka velcro)
They are SUPER EASY.
So I challenge you this Earth Day.
Make a change
Get a couple of these and give cloth a try. In particular,
AMP's Stay Dry AIO for you newbies and you'll fall in love with fluff (slang term for cloth diapers) ;)
We also have her fabulous
AMP swim diapers. Would
you want to wear soggy paper underwear when playing in wading pool? Think of that soggy, wet, heavy and yes..chemicals in those swim diapers.
Pre-Order your diaper here. Pre-order SALE ends April.25.
Order will be shipped out April.29 or sooner. Until April.25, buy 6 and save 5%
{Giveaway is over}
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