Carter goes cloth

In July, a very important change was made in our home. After much thought, researching, and planning, I decided it was best that we start cloth diapering Carter. He had spent most of his life with a severe diaper rash, because he was practically wearing a plastic bag over his tiny hiney. What an uncomfy way to live! During my research, I came across some pretty moving facts. Here they are, in their copyrighted entirety:

* Disposable diapers contain Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process.  It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals.  It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
* Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
* Disposable diapers contain the super absorbent chemical, sodium polyacrylate, which has been linked to toxic shock syndrome (TSS). This same chemical was removed from tampons in 1985.
* In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.
* The instructions on a disposable diaper package advice that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding, yet less than one half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into the sewage system.
* In 1988, nearly $300 million were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.
* Each SINGLE disposable diaper takes approximately 500 years to decompose, long after your children, grandchildren, and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone. No one knows if they ever completely break down.
* An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are hauled to the landfill every year in the U.S.
* Each child who is put in disposable diapers will use an average of 9,000 diapers before potty training.
* In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.
* The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.
* Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.
* Americans spend about $7 billion on disposable diapers every year. If every family switched to home-laundered cloth diapers, they would save more than $6 billion, enough to feed about 2.5 million American children for an entire year. Coincidentally, the 2002 U.S. Census reveals that 2.3 million children under age six live in poverty. 

How can we knowingly be okay with this?! 

Today’s washing machines are great at conserving water and energy, and the laundry detergents are so efficient that you only need to use a small amount. Realistically, one load of laundry uses the same amount of water as a few toilet flushes, that your baby when a toddler will use daily.

We've been using cloth diapers since July 22, and I can honestly say that I LOVE IT!! From a mom's point of view, it is no less convenient than disposables. From Carter's point of view, I'm definite that he is a much happier baby. No more rashes, because his skin can breathe now.

I will have more posts later that tell about the different types of diapers, along with some pictures.