Disposable vs. Cloth Diapers: Cost Effectiveness and Environmental Impact
By: Keith
My boys are 7 and 6, and that means we are years removed from having to worry about diapers. However, I remember the cost and hassle of buying and running out of them. Most parents use disposable diapers because they’re hassle free; we used them for that reason too. I never even considered going the cloth rout because, as a non-hippie, the environmental impact wasn’t foremost in my mind. When the issue was brought to my attention (rudely), I just said “Psssht. Bite me,” because nobody likes their parenting impugned by a do-gooder. However, to be fair to cloth diapers, and ignoring the messenger, cloth should get an unbiased comparison to disposables in terms of cost, convenience and environmental impact. Environmentalists make the snap assumption that cloth diapers are friendlier, but the evidence tells a more complex story. Knowing the options, and the fact, will help parents make a more conscientious decision on the matter.
Earth Friendly?
Cloth diapers are, actually, a better environmental choice – with a caveat. If you’re going to go green you have to go all the way green to see any difference. Firstly, you’ll need green detergents and use water more efficiently. A British study says that, comparing cloth diapers to disposables, with no extra allowances for green behavior, there is no ecological difference. They both take the same toll on the environment. That fact only changes when people take other steps, in addition to simply choosing the cloth option, to make their choice more green. Energy saving laundries, efficient loads and water conservation are some of the measures that do make a difference. In other words, no matter what you do, the earth is going to take a hit, and cloth vs. disposable, even on a good day, might not be as different as we’re led to believe. Don’t get me wrong though; every bit counts. Thus, for purely ecological reasons, cloth is the better option.
Wallet Friendly?
Diapers, no matter the brand, cost a lot of money. Parent magazine worked out that the cost of disposable diapers for one child is 1,500 – 3,000 dollars depending on the brand and how long the kid needs them. Compare that to the cost of cloth, 700 – 1,900 dollars (including laundry costs), and again the clear winner in cloth.
New Fangled Invention: Eco Disposable Diapers
I found an article on Wired.com about eco disposable diapers. The article says, essentially, that these ecologically friendly disposables are actually no better than regular disposables. This, according to – wait for it – “the latest newsletter from cloth diaper service Tiny Tots”! Wow! That’s some fine reporting there, Wired. I am shocked, just shocked, that a cloth diaper service is saying that disposable diapers, no matter the manufacturer claims, are unhealthy and environmentally horrible. They go so far as to say that disposables cause infertility (because of the chemicals). In other words, YOUR GENETIC LINE WILL BE WIPED OUT (no pun intended) IF YOU USE DISPOSABLE DIAPERS! Now, insert dramatic sound effects, and perhaps a picture of a pirate skull and crossbones. Thank you, cloth diaper services, for your unbiased opinion.
The Hybrid gDiaper:
And now a fourth option! Have you heard of these diapers? They are disposable diapers that contain a flushable liner insert. There is also an option to use a reusable cloth (hemp and micro fiber) insert instead of the flushable version, thereby making it an entirely cloth diaper (no difficult folding necessary). Several videos on their website compare the decomposition of a normal diaper with the disposable portion of the gDiaper. If the results are true, I’d say the hands down winner of the diaper contest is the gDiaper. It looks easy, comfortable and eco-friendly; that’s about everything a parent can wish for. They are also appreciably more stylish than baggy and badly folded cloth diapers or, the alternative, a bulky piece of plastic. The only question I have is the cost. Target has them listed at $52 for 128 inserts. 6 reusable cloth inserts are $30. As you can see, they have everything going for them except price. That, I suppose, is the trade for gaining a diaper that accomplishes both ecological friendliness and convenience.
The debate about cloth vs. disposable diapers is so heated and ladened with ulterior motives that it is virtually impossible to find reliable information about the actual facts. All the studies (except the British one I linked to earlier) feature expert opinion from either cloth diaper services or manufacturers of disposables giving their heartfelt pleas to not listen to the other’s expert. Even the supposedly neutral opinions on the internet cite facts that one or the other industries have published somewhere else already. What I’m saying is this: Good luck finding facts you can trust. Go with your gut. If you’re the sort of person who has good reasons for doing disposable, then do that. If not, don’t. Cloth diapers appear better for the environment provided you go totally green and wash them correctly. Disposables are indisputably easier and more convenient. Eco-Disposable diapers, as far as I’m concerned, are worth a try. I don’t want to hurt the environment any more than necessary. I’m not convinced that cloth diapers are appreciably better than disposable. But, if I had it all to do over again, I would try to be the most environmentally friendly parent I could be. It seems that one of the best options out there today is the gDiaper (they didn’t give me anything for that pitch and I’m not selling them).
Related posts:
Great article!!! I’ve got one still in diapers and have
debated this very thing! I use disposable diapers right
now, but gdiapers sound like an interesting alternative
I should look into. I don’t have too much time left in diapers, I could maybe handle the extra costs. I travel
so much and often, it will be interesting if they handle
our busy lifestyle!
We switched to cloth diapers with Little Miss after approx 7 months. We use, like you mentioned – the microfiber inserts.
We’ve spent roughly $200 for our set up of 20 diapers. (Being the cheap ass I am, we opted for the cheaper brands)
I must say, the poop scooping is a small price to pay if it saves me a few bucks!
.-= Chris @ CleverFather´s last blog ..Cheap and easy homemade baby wipes =-.
Most of my colleagues today are using the disposable diapers for their babies as they used to sent their kids to the baby sitters during day time. The most common reasons given are convenient to use, hassle free and they don’t spend much time in doing their daily household chores. As for my family, both me and my sister will use the cloth diapers for our babies when they are at home taken care by our mom. We only use the disposable diapers when we travelled or out shopping. I believed the gDiaper mentioned above is a good alternative choices and I definitely recommend it to my colleagues in view of the growing importance of the eco friendly environment.
I didn’t know that cloth diapers had changed until I was looking up information on phtalates (when I heard on T.V. that the milk bottles I was using for my daughter could be damaging to her). I then saw an add for Bumgenius and fell in love with those good looking and ecological diapers. I also read that they were safer for children so I was totally convinced.
The city where I lived at the time gave $100 rebate to parents who bought cloth diapers during their child’s six first months of life, so that was nice.
I then started using an ecological type of soap, ecological bleach (sodium percarbonate), and buying a little protective layer that looks like a sheet of Bounce to put insde my daughter’s diapers. All of these are more expensive then the regular stuff. Who knows if the cost of those + electricity (washing machine + dryer (at least in the winter time)) came down to be cheaper in the end. Probably.
Everything was alright with the cloth diapers. I just want to say that cloth diapers are much more work and less practical when travelling because you cannot just toss them away in the garbage can. Also, when I moved to Mexico, I couldn’t find the pcotective sheets to put inside so I ended up having to scrub every single poopy diaper, which got me sick of it all. I switched back to disposable diapers and about one or two months later, trained my daughter to go on the potty.
I used some of my credit card rewards points on a Amazon card so I could buy some of the bum genius brand of cloth diapers. We tried them out for a few weeks and based on all the data I accumulated or projected the cloth diapers were only going to be between 10 and 20% cheaper than buying disposable diapers. We ordinarily use the BJ’s brand of diapers, so my baseline might be lower than someone that insists on one of the national brands. The biggest contributor to the analysis was how my water bill shot up in the time we used them. Even with a high efficiency washer I was running it twice as much as I normally did and had to occasionally use sanitation cycles. I’m sure it would have been “greener” to keep up with the cloth diapers, but I just didn’t have the time nor energy for what little savings I calculated.
.-= PJ Mullen´s last blog ..Took Him Out to the Ball Game =-.
I’ve been taking my baby to the potty since he was born (EC) and he wears cloth at home in between potty breaks. I maybe wash a load a week of only #1 diapers. When we’re out I put him in disposables, but since we use so few – a box last about a month. This is truly the cheapest way and ridiculously easy. + no diaper rashes and EC babies usually train before 2 years old. Between breastfeeding and EC, I hardly have any baby expenses.
We went with cloth diapers, but from a service. Didn’t really compare costs, just heard that kids with cloth potty trained earlier.
Now at 3 our son has been in underwear for 6 months. and is almost fully trained.
That was our ulterior motive.
.-= Seattledad (Luke, I am Your Father)´s last blog ..Catch 42 =-.
Laurie,
Can you tell me what city you lived in that offered you a rebate? I am preparing a presentation for our local city council on a rebate program such as this.
Any city stats I can offer in my presentation will be of benefit.
Thanks for the response.
Hello, I have an 11 year old son who always has accidents, and sometimes those accident aren’t pleasant! I find that reuable nappies were a fantastic help as the ones that I bought for my son, also known as ‘the shitter’ were able to expand to his size. He finds them very comfortable even when he is carrying a gurt turd in there! Sometimes, he is able to make it to the toilet but not very often and cleaning his shit is not nice!