Organic Cotton Cloth Diapers – The Cheaper, Greener and Healthier Alternative to Disposables for Diapering Your Baby

Why Choose Cloth Diapers for Your Baby?
Every time you have a new arrival in your family, diapers become a big part of your life. Before you opt for the costly convenience of disposables - costly to you and costly to our planet, first consider some of the advantages of cloth diapers. The reduced environmental impact of organic cloth diapers is just one of the big plusses for environmentally conscious parents. Disposable diapers create one ton of landfill waste per diapered child per year, - AND - they don’t degrade for hundreds of years! So using cloth diapers for your baby significantly reduces your family’s contribution to the landfill.

Cost Savings of Cotton Diapers
Although there is an upfront investment when parents purchase quality cloth diapers, the expense is a bargain compared to the long-term cost of disposables, with the savings even greater if you have more than one young child. In the US, a case of disposables is at least $30. Depending on the age of your baby, you’ll buy a new case every two to four weeks, until your child is a toddler. That’s a lot of cash in the trash!

Health Benefits of Organic Cotton Diapers
Beyond the environmental and cost advantages, cloth diapers are also a healthier choice than disposables. The absorbency and waterproof features of disposable diapers result from chemicals such as sodium polyacrylate in the absorbent gel, skin drying stearyl alcohol, and plastics polyethylene and polypropylene. In 2000, Greenpeace reported that some disposable diapers even contain tributyl-tin (TBT), a polluting toxin that can cause hormonal problems.

Some children also show sensitivities to the materials found in disposables, and because of their extreme absorbency, disposable diapers tend to be changed less frequently, resulting in diaper rashes and other skin irritations.

Health-Wise - Natural Diapers Are The Way To Go
Cloth diapers really are a healthier alternative, and if you choose this waste-reducing option, make sure that your choice is as green as it can be by purchasing organic cotton diapers. Like all certified organic clothing, diapers made with organic cotton are grown without all those environmantally poinonous pesticides. They are finished without other dangerous chemical additives and dyes that can subtly get absorped into the fragile and delicate skins of new-borns while you're not watching.

Just How Inconvenient Are Cloth Diapers, Really?
We switched to cloth when our youngest child was born two years ago, fully prepared to invest the extra time required to soak and launder cloth diapers. After just a few weeks, we were surprised to find that cloth diapers were no more inconvenient than disposables, and so much more economical! Cotton diapers are now designed to be well fitted to your baby’s bottom and have Velcro fasteners—no pins required. And with reusable diapers, you are never suddenly caught without a diaper in the house; clean nappies are always a quick wash away, no trip to the store required!

Have you chosen to diaper your kids in cloth? Leave a comment and share your experience with parents who may be hesitant to make the switch from disposable diapers.  
Or if you're one of the hesitant ones - air your reservations. It's often really helpful to approach your doubts in a more public setting.
Anyway, do check back for an upcoming article explaining the no-hassle way to get started using cloth diapers.