(Long Island, N.Y.) I never really considered myself “green”. We do recycle and try to do our share but I still feel there’s many more ways I can do my part to be kinder and gentler to the earth. And what better day than “earth day” to try and learn as much as I can about living a greener lifestyle. When my five-year old son asked me to rinse out his yogurt cup so he can toss it into the recycling bin, I knew I was off to a good start in teaching my kids to make the right choices. But there’s still plenty of ways I can change and I’m on the hunt to learn all about greener choices.
When I read that disposable diapers are the third largest item in landfills, I wasn’t surprised. After two kids, I probably amassed a heaping pile of waste a mile high. I can’t even begin to count how many—and that’s just my family! National statistics: some 18-20 billion diapers are tossed away. Out of sight out of mind? Not exactly. But what’s the alternative?
Mom of three, Stephanee Gambino knows first hand about a better choice for baby: cloth diapers. Not only is she an RN, she owns and operates Clothbabies.com (www.clothbabies.com) and she took the time to fill me in on all the things I wanted to know about cloth diapers—but was afraid to ask. Yep, I said afraid because when a mother at the park mentioned to me she uses cloth diapers, I thought, no way on earth would I do that. Yet I’m ready to reconsider, thanks to Stephanee’s advice.
So, can you tell me a few great things about cloth diapers? First–why? Any compelling reasons you believe moms should consider about choosing cloth diapers?
Cloth diapers have really come a long way. You can still get the kind our mothers and grandmothers used… the flat prefolds with pins and a cover – they remain great diapers, and are the easiest on your pocket book. But what our mothers didn’t have were choices! And now there are so many choices! All-in-ones, pocket diapers, fitted diapers, diaper covers… you name it. A rainbow of colors, really cute prints, and a multitude of fabrics! If that’s not enough of a reason to use cloth, think about the environment.
Millions and millions of diapers go into landfills each year (and millions of tons of human waste! Eww!). And the chemicals that are put next to your baby’s sensitive skin! Sodium polyacrylate is the little absorbent beads in disposable diapers. Not only do they absorb your baby’s urine, it also pulls moisture from your baby’s skin! Cloth diapers are made from a variety of fabrics, including cotton, fleece, and wool. No chemicals next to baby’s skin – just soft fabrics! And the cost savings – disposables cost at least $1000 a year. Depending on the system you use and the number of diapers you buy, cloth diapers can cost anywhere from $100 -$150/yr and up. And when you’re finished with them, there is a huge market for used diapers.
You can get at least 30-50% of your purchase price back, depending on the shape of your diapers. So once you have finished saving the environment with your cloth diapers, someone else can continue to save the environment!
You didn’t use cloth diapers on your older kids…why the change of heart?
I had my first child 15.5 years ago. Back then the internet wasn’t around the way it is now. So any information you obtain is word of mouth, reading books, or seeing the product in a store. Word of mouth in the early 90’s was “cloth diapers are too much work”, “cloth diapers? Ewww!” and “disposables are so easy!”. Books often had outdated information. And no one I knew cloth diapered, so finding and buying cloth diapers was difficult because I just had no idea where to start.
Fast forward to the present. There is a plethora of information at our fingertips. You can find information on anything with just a couple clicks of your mouse. With parenting websites, message boards and email groups, you “meet” people from all over the country. The typical conversations always come up – breastfeeding, delivery options, diapering, parenting methods, etc. Many of my online friends used cloth diapers, so the information was right there. I started asking some questions, talked to my husband about it, did some research… and bought my first cloth diaper when my older son was about 5 months old. By the time he was 6 months old, he was fully cloth diapered and never wore another disposable diaper. My youngest has been cloth diapered since birth.
Even in the hospital he wore his cloth diapers. It’s never too late to start cloth diapering. I have many customers who start cloth diapering when their babies’ are 2 years old! Everyone, including myself, starts out knowing nothing about cloth diapers. But there is so much information available online. I have many customers email me or call me, asking me how and where to start. I love being able to teach people about cloth diapers, and converting people from disposable to cloth!
Do you think moms just don’t know too much about this diapering method…and if so why do you believe that’s so? (Big business: disposable diapers?)
Yes, definitely disposable diapers are running the market. Something like 5% of families cloth diaper. Small WAHM businesses can’t compete with million dollar companies and their advertising. So we rely on word of mouth. Unfortunately, a lot of the word of mouth comes from moms who used cloth diapers 20+ years ago and know nothing about how easy cloth diapers are these days. The “green” movement is definitely helping our cause. But we still have a long way to go!
Well, I’m clueless. How do you get started? What do you do with the…what happens after….
First, let me explain the different types of diapers. There are the “old fashioned” prefolds with a cover. There are AIO’s (all-in-ones) that are one piece – absorbent inner with waterproof outer. There are fitted diapers, which is like an AIO, but the outer is not waterproof, so it requires a cover. And lastly, there are pocket diapers. It’s basically a waterproof outer layer with a fleece (or other type of material) inner. There is an opening in the back where you can stuff it with an insert of your choosing.
Many cloth diapering families use more than one type of diaper – your “stash” can consist of a few pockets, a few AIO’s, a couple fitted and a bunch of preforms with various types of covers. You need a place to store your diapers when they’re clean, and a place to put them when they’re dirty. Next, you use them…. This is the easiest part… you put a diaper on your baby, just as you would a disposable. When your baby is wet, you change him/her. Now here come the differences. Once the diaper is wet/dirty (we’ll talk about poop in a minute) you put the diaper in a diaper pail (lined with a washable diaper pail liner) and close the lid. There are tons of products on the market to help reduce odors. Keep the pail dry – wet pails are a thing of the past. , and every few days you do a load of diapers.
Depending on how many diapers you own, you can do a load of diapers every day, or once or twice a week (I am lazy and have A LOT of diapers, so I wash once a week). Now, back to the poop. Before the baby is on solids, the poop is watery and hard to rinse off. I just wash the diapers as is. Once solids start, the poop is smelly, and has more consistency. There are a couple choices. Flushable, biodegradable liners or a diaper sprayer. I use a diaper sprayer. It connects to the toilet’s water source, and you just spray the poop off the diaper, wring it out a little, and put it in your diaper pail. Liners are even easier… place one on the diaper between the diaper and baby.
If baby poops, take the soiled liner and flush it down the toilet. Then wash your diapers as usual. To wash your diapers, you will generally do a cold wash with laundry soap (only about a quarter of what you use for clothes) to rinse the diapers and prevent stains (hot water will set stains), followed by a hot wash and rinse, and I always follow it up with at least one more rinse to make sure all the suds are gone. (You never use bleach, baby laundry detergent, or fabric softeners on your diapers) Dry them in your dryer (no dryer sheets), and voila, they’re ready to use again. And a little trick to deal with stains (which I rarely ever have) is to put your diapers out in the sun. An hour of sunshine will bleach out your stains. It works with most any stain… not just for diapers.
Anything you’d like to tell moms about how easy it is? Is it affordable? More comfortable for your baby?
Cloth diapering can save you a ton of money compared to disposables. But you can also end up spending a lot of money… it’s very addicting once you start! I often recommend buying used if you have no idea what kind of system will work for you. Many stores offer layaway (mine included). If money is an issue, buy a couple diapers each payday. Within a couple months you will have a nice stash going. It can be a lot of money to start up, so start buying or start your layaway when you’re pregnant… by the time baby is born you have your stash all ready!
For families that have never seen a cloth diaper, many stores offer in-home demonstrations, or offer classes on cloth diapering. You get to touch and feel and see with your own two eyes just how easy cloth diapering is.
