Cloth Diapering:The Why

This is part one of a series of posts about my cloth diapering experiences. I hope this will help enlighten parents who are considering to make the big switch.

I first heard of modern cloth diapers back in 2010. I was searching for a gift for my inaanak (goddaughter) when I found Tushy Wushy (now called Next9) sized diapers. My best friend is a fan of environment-friendly products (she was using biodegradable disposable diapers at that time), so I thought this reusable diaper will be perfect for her child.

Fast forward to 2012, I came home and found my son crying. Our nanny explained that he had a diaper rash and it's getting worse. Being a rookie mom, I searched online for a good solution to prevent recurring diaper rashes. I read that using cloth diapers could be an answer to our problems. Several search results later, I found myself reading more about cloth diapers.

From what I gathered, mothers decide to switch to cloth diapers based on the following reasons:

• Health
• Disposable diapers contain the following chemicals:
• Dioxin - It is a by-product of paper bleaching process. It is known to cause damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
• Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
• Sodium polyacrylate - a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. In the early 1980s it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.
• Cloth diapers do not prevent diaper rashes, but you may deal with this problem less than you would with disposables.Cloth diapers allow your baby’s skin to breathe and heal more quickly. it also does not contain chemicals that would irritate the baby's skin.
• Cost
• Cloth diapers are reusable. If you have enough diapers in your stash, you may no longer need to buy disposable diapers again. They can still be used by your next child.
• Environmental Impact
• It is estimated to be around 250-500 years before a disposable diaper will decompose.
• Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste.
• The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.

Those are really good reasons, but they already had me at Dioxins. For a mom whose son was born with one kidney, the words 'kidney' and 'damage' used in the same sentence will raise a red flag. I want my son to live a long and healthy life,. As much possible, I choose not to expose him to harmful chemicals. In some cases, it might mean additional expenses, but the peace of mind that it brings is well worth the cost.

But I digress. Still unsure about cloth diapering, I started out with just 3 sets - pocket diapers from Next9. Slowly, I began building up my stash. I bought different types and tried out different brands. Most of the items I bought are made in China. Soon, I had enough diapers to last for three days without washing.

our humble stash

lucho in his cloth diapers

We're obviously happy with cloth diapering. For several months, cloth diapers are limited to daytime use. But a month ago, we began using cloth diapers at night. Imagine the relief I felt when I didn't have to buy disposables in one of my grocery trips!

However, I could not commit to using it 100%. While we no longer use disposables at home, outside is a different matter. I just dislike the idea of carrying around soiled diapers - no matter how cute the wet bag is.

Up next: The caveats...