Cloth Diapering

Cloth Diapering

Making a  decision to opt for cloth diapering can be overwhelming as there are so much information to take in! It may be something NEW to some mothers. However, there are a lot of resources online for learning the basics of cloth diapering which is just a click away.  You may find helpful information in the baby care or parenting books and magazines!

I would like to share with you the benefits of cloth diapering over disposable diapering that I had read on Babybook.

Disposable Diapers Vs Cloth Diapers

Not so long ago, diapers are known to be cloth and not disposable. It is recent time that we think that having to buy diapers every week is a norm when having a baby.

The one key advantage of disposable diapers over cloth diapers is that disposable diapers do not require you to wash and dry them!

However this doesn't mean there will be less laundry because disposable diapers are not as good as cloth diapers at keeping mess inside diaper which resulting in a dirty baby and sheets.

Modern cloth diapers are not the inconvenient large square of cloth that our grandmothers used. They are now designed to be just as easy to put on as disposable diapers, simple to wash and care for and comfortable for the baby. 

There are many advantages of cloth diapers over disposable diapers:

1. Cost Effectiveness- Although cloth diapers require a higher upfront investment, over the long run you can save over 50% of cost (depending on the method of cloth diapering used). A disposable diapered child will need diapers for an average of 3 years. A t a cost of Rm0.50 per diaper ( on average brands), a child will need diapers over RM3,000.00. On the other hand, a good cloth diapering system can be purchased for only RM1800.00. There are so many method much lower than that nowadays! Just think of car fuel saving, do not have to make a fuss during busy schedule to purchase diapers.
2. Early toilet Train-Disposable diapers are designed to keep your child 'feeling dry', it is harder for children to associate going to the toilet with something wet happening 'down there". Baby who wears cloth diapers tends to get to toilet train earlier.
3. • Health Benefits- Disposable diapers contain a high amount of super absorbent polymer (SAP) that makes disposable diapers slim yet able to absorb so much. There are preliminary studies that even link children asthma with the use of disposable diapers as babies close to the diapers and constantly inhale the gases released by the diapers once SAPs are activated by the urine. Apart from that, your baby will have less diaper rash wearing cloth diapers.
4. Comfort- Cloth diaper may appear warmer as it usually looks bulkier from the multiple layers of cloth. Although it is thicker but cloth is woven and allows more air circulation, keeping baby cooler. Disposable diapers actually retain more heat as they are always waterproofed by plastic.
5. Friendlier to environment- Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills. Every single disposable diaper will take generations to decompose-at an estimated 250-500 years. Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstock and 20 pounds of chlorine is used to produce disposable diapers for one baby each year! 
6. Adorable- Well, cloth diapers can be seen as a fashion statement. It's cute since they come in variety of fashion colours and prints! Have fun with it!

Reference:

Babybook Second Edition 2011

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/04/10-benefits-to-using-cloth-diapers.html

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/thenursery/a/reasonscloth.htm