Monday, August 4, 2008

The Benefits of Using Cloth Diapers

By Tyler Flemming


Cloth diapers have a greater advantage by being reusable. They may be better known as reusable diapers, but that is not as appealing as the term cloth diapers. Cloth diapers are softer your babys skin. Because they can be used over and over, cloth diapers can last much longer, cost far less, and do not contribute to landfills.

One advantage to cloth diapers is that they do not contain harmful chemicals. Some disposable diapers are known to contain Dioxin, a substance also used for bleaching paper. For babies with very sensitive skin, this could become an irritant to their skin. This harmful material has been banned in many countries, but is still sold in the United States. Another harmful chemical found in disposable diapers is Tributyl-tin (TBT). It contains toxic pollutants that have been proven to cause hormonal problems in animals and humans.

Sodium polyacrylate is another toxin contained in disposable diapers. It turns into a gel like property upon getting wet. A similar substance was used in super-absorbency tampons until the 1980s when it was found to increase the chance of toxic shock syndrome. A health survey carried out recently discovered that using disposable diapers for long periods of time could harm the physiological testicular cooling mechanism essential for proper sperm production.

A baby on average needs to be changed between 2000 to 3000 times per year. The price of disposable diapers averages about 25 cents and brand names diapers are around 38 cents each. The average cost per diaper comes to around 32 cents. So, your monthly cost for each child would be around 78.00 every month.

Cloth diapers may be a more expensive at first, but the cost is really not that much more than disposable diapers. Just think of all the money you can save by reusing them multiple times. If you care for cloth diapers like you would your own clothes, they will last a very long time through many generations. Be sure to wash them on a regular basis using quality detergents that will help soothe your babys skin.

Trying both types of diapers to see which one works best for you and your baby is probably a good idea. You can also ask your friends and family what they preferred when bringing up their own children. In the end, it comes down to your choice and your baby's.

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