Cloth diapering, it's not just something your mom and grandma used to do.
We finally got our shipment of cloth diapers. I have been thinking of doing this for quite some time but it does require a hefty sum of money upfront. Overall it will actually save money. We bought the Bumgenius 3.0 which are an All-in-one (AIO for the cloth diapering tech savvy). All we have to do is stuff them. Super easy. They are adjustable and fit up to 35 lbs. No more dunking in the toilet like as in days of old. They now have cool sprayers that attach to the plumbing on your toilet. The best part are the wipes. Logan is super sensitive to all the crap they have in wipes. When he was a newborn we went through a few weeks where he was only able to use the Lansinoh brand... can we say expensive. Then we gradually were able to use the pampers sensitive. Anyway, I'm very excited and I'm sure the earth is happy with my decision and it's healthier for Logan.
Just a Few Facts:
Environmentally:
*Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills today.
*A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose.
*One baby in disposable diapers will contribute at least 1 ton of waste to your local landfill.
Landfill issues are very important. There is a very interesting dilemma facing Hawaii right now as many of their landfills are either closing or set to close very soon.
Economically:
*According to a recent report about Disposable Diapers from Consumer Reports, "You can expect to spend $1,500 to $2,000 or more on disposables by the time your baby is out of them. Yes, babies are expensive!
*Kimberly Clark (Huggies) and Proctor & Gamble (Pampers) make incredible amounts of money off of consumers who choose to use disposable diapering products. In 2005, Kimberly Clark reported sales of $15.9 billion. Proctor and Gamble disclosed in their 2005 Annual Report that Baby Care is one of their core businesses "with a global share of approximately 37% of the market behind the strength of Pampers, with annual sales in excess of $6 billion."
*Great for long term emergency preparedness. There's no need to store bundles of 'sposies in your food storage.
Health Concerns:
*"Superabsorbent materials are important components in disposable diapers, training and youth pants and incontinence care products. Polypropylene and other synthetics and chemicals are the primary raw materials for manufacturing nonwoven fabrics, which are used in disposable diapers, training and youth pants, wet wipes, feminine pads, incontinence and health care products, and away-from-home wipers."
*Another issue frequently brought up in cloth diapering circles is dioxin exposure. According to a Mothering Magazine article, entitled "The Joy of Cloth Diapers" "Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves."
So far I have been really impressed at how easy they are to use. Of course this is only the first day! ha ha ha I let you know if my view changes.
I love the names of the different brands; fuzzi bunz, kissaluvs, happy heiny's, swaddlebees, bumgenious, thirsties, bummis, bumkins, tiny tush.
The best part though is how stinkin' cute my little one is in them.
Doesn't he have the cutest little bum ever?
