nesting house
why cloth diaper?
There are lots of benefits to cloth diapering — saving money, reducing waste, consuming fewer resources, and more. Consider the following when deciding whether cloth diapering is right for you.
1. contribution to landfill
Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in US landfills after food waste and plastic packaging, and they take about 500 years to decompose.
The number of disposable diapers needed for one child would fill your living room.
Cloth would fill one basket.
2. resource consumption
Disposable diapers are made with wood pulp and super absorbent plastics (SAP) generated by the logging and petroleum industries, whereas cloth diapers rely mainly on cotton and hemp farming for production, with components that biodegrade later.
3. water in production & use
Some plastics used in disposables are derived from hydraulic fracturing where each fracking well uses millions gallons of water.
Water use in a 3-day cloth diaper laundry cycle, by comparison, is the same as what one person uses to flush a toilet in a 3-day time period.
4. financial comparison
Between 6,000 and 8,000 disposable diapers are needed per child and the cost ranges from $2,000 to $3,000.
The cost to cloth diaper one child spans $500 to $1,200 depending on the type chosen (includes diapers, detergent, water, and electricity usage).
5. health considerations
Disposable diapers incorporate sodium polyacrylate, phthalates, chlorine dioxide, and adhesives that off-gass VOCs. To learn more about how these materials may affect health, start here:
6. potty training outcomes
Disposables wick moisture away so a child always feels dry. In cloth, a child associates elimination with wetness and cues to be changed. This feedback loop helps a child connect to the process of elimination.
Potty training can happen up to a year earlier!
still curious?
Attend one of our cloth diaper workshops to learn more about types and styles, how laundry works, and exactly what you'll need to get started.
- free -
offered monthly
RSVP required
