WHY DO I CHOOSE CLOTH DIAPER....? let's ponder over it

Cloth diapers are easy to use and it just take a little effort.

Cloth Diapers has evolved. Cloth diapers now are elasticized, waterproof breathable and equipped with Velcro-like closures or snaps. They are just as easy to use as disposable diapers but it is washable.

But wait, do extra load of laundry sounded like a prison sentence to you? Honestly speaking, yes it does take a little effort. Using cloth diaper do means extra of 2 – 3 loads of laundry. But trust me that washing it is just a breeze. This little efforts is actually outweighs the benefits that you’ll get from it.

Cloth Diapers Are Cheaper Than Disposable Diapers

At first glance, the price is expensive.

But wait.. Let us do some calculation before making any conclusion

As a rule of thumb, a new born baby will use up to 12 diapers per day. Older baby will need around 8 diapers a day until potty training.

Let’s do some estimation:

	Disposable Diapers	Cloth Diaper
How many diapers?	New born baby up to 4 months – 12 diapers per day Older baby – 8 diapers (Assumption: potty train at 3 years)	12 size small 12 size medium 8 size large
Total of diapers	(12 diapers X 4 months X 30 days) + (8 diapers X 32 months X 30 days) = 1440 + 7680 = 9120 diapers	32 diapers
Assumption on price per diaper	On average, cost of normal brand diaper in Malaysia RM0.50	On average, price for cloth diaper is RM75
Total money spend on diapers	RM4560 That’s haven’t include the wipes, and diaper rash cream!	RM2400
Savings		90%

As a rule of thumb, it is almost always cheaper to reuse than to buy new every time. If using disposable diapers, our hard earned money in buying those diapers is essentially garbage

In comparison to this, cloth diapers would only cost between RM1800 – RM 2500 which is equals to 90% of savings.

The interesting part is those cloth diapers may last for one or more successive children and your savings doubles and even triples.

How about laundering expenses? Cloth diapers will usually mean an extra one to three loads of laundry a week, but if everyone were to weigh the extra costs of their electricity, water usage, and detergent, I think they would be pleasantly surprised. These costs are still low if compared to the cost of expensive disposable diapers

Cloth Diapers Are Better For the Environment

Disposable diapers require thousands of tons of plastic and hundreds of thousands of trees to manufacture. After a few hours of active service these materials are trucked away, primarily to landfills, where they sit, neatly wrapped packages of excrement, entombed or mummified, for several hundred years.

Waste from disposables diapers are the 3rd largest single product in the waste stream behind newspapers and beverage containers. The urine and feces in disposable diapers enter landfills untreated, possibly contaminating the ground water supply.

When you consider the unnecessary depletion of our valuable forests, the huge volume of garbage created, the toxic air and water pollution and the potential health risks to children, it is very difficult to comprehend how washing and reusing cloth diapers could ever be considered an inconvenience. They are a rewarding investment all around. A financial investment, an investment in our children’s health, and an investment in our planet earth!

Cloth Diapers are Healthier for your Baby

Some toxic chemicals are presented in disposable diapers. Disposable diapers contain:

- Dioxin, which in various forms has been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and skin diseases, genetic damage, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in manufacturing disposable diapers, and trace quantities may exist in the diapers themselves. Dioxin is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of cancer related chemicals.

- Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.

- Sodium polyacrylate. If you have ever seen the gel-like, super absorbent crystals in a disposable than you have seen this first hand. Sodium polyacrylate is the same substance that was removed from tampons because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.

No studies have been done on the long-term effects of this chemical being in contact with a baby's reproductive organs 24 hours a day for upwards of two years. Studies have also been done to show that the chemical emissions from disposable diapers can cause respiratory problems in children.

Cloth diapers, on the other hand, are free of the many chemicals contained in disposable diapers.