Cloth Diapering: The Mystery Unfolded, Pre-folded, or All In One??? Part One of Two

by Agana Baby

Go Green or Go Disposable

If your last experience with cloth diapering was watching your mom use them, you are in for a surprise. Cloth diapering has advanced far beyond the days of giant safety pins and plastic pants. A shift away from using disposable diapers is becoming increasingly popular with the changing climate of Going Green. For those who have somehow missed this current buzzword, Going Green is an effort to sustain resources for future generations by practicing the three “R’s,” recycle, reduce, and reuse! Is cloth diapering a Green choice that is viable for your family?

Everywhere you turn the term Go Green is being tossed around both in marketing schemes and in everyday conversation. So how does cloth diapering fit into the Going Green theme? First, using cloth diapers reduces the amount of solid waste, or the waste that is being disposed of in landfills. “Disposable diapers account for an estimated 1.5 to 2.0 percent of municipal solid waste, contributing to the existing problem of landfill availability and escalating cost of solid waste management (2).” The California Integrated Waste Management Board states the following concerning the uses of reusable cloth diapers versus disposables. “Reusable items, in general, are environmentally preferable to non-reusable items. This applies to diapers. Although biodegradable or recyclable diapers may have some environmental appeal, reusable diapers have less environmental impact, and they are generally cheaper in the long run (1).”

Cloth diapers consist of several layers of fabric made from renewable resource like cotton, hemp, bamboo, or fleece. A cover is typically used to prevent leaking and it is either sewn together with the absorbent fabric or a separate cover. Covers are made of PLU, a waterproof fabric, wool, or cotton. The materials in cloth diapers can be washed, dried, and reused daily. The disposable diaper consists of materials that include wood cellulose grown in tree farms, liquid absorbing gels, and plastic. After one use, all of the materials in these diapers are disposed of, which leads to an estimated 2.7 million tons of single use diapers going into our landfills every year (2).

Of course there is an argument for the use of disposable diapers as well. The main argument is that disposable diapers are more convenient and less mess (and poop) to deal with than cloth. Many parents feel disposing of diapers, especially while away from the home is easier than having to tote laundry with them on errands or do extra laundry at home. The initial investment of cloth diapers can seem overwhelming. The care of the cloth diapers also plays a part in the argument for the use of disposables. The resources including time, laundry soap, and water required to clean the cloth diapers are another reason some argue against their use. Additional time to care for your cloth diapers is needed over disposables. You might mention that as a mom, you’re doing laundry everyday anyway and what’s one more load?

Monetary Considerations

If the environmental impact of cloth diapering does not really excite you, perhaps the monetary savings will. For those of you feeling the belt tightening due to our current economic situation, this section is for you. First let me explain my experience with cloth diapering and how this life style choice fits my family. Let me say, we are frugal. We garden, raise chickens for fresh eggs, co-op, drive alternative fuel cars, breastfeed, and cloth diaper because in addition to saving the planet all of these choices save us money! I have compared my personal cost basis with those found on the Internet and the average cost comparisons are similar.

I have had the blessing of two children. With each, I tried a different method of diapering. With my first child, I exclusively used disposables. I was amazed at how many times per day you end up changing diapers. For those who have no first time knowledge with this, it is a frequent event. Our average was a little over one large box of diapers per month. Let’s say approximately 180 diaper changes in a month (depending on age of baby) divided by the thirty days in a month, is an average of 5.9 changes per day. The first was officially potty trained at two years and nine months old (33 months). When you multiply 33 months by 180 changes per month that is 5,940 diaper changes! The cost per diaper is $0.33. Giving my family the financial burden of $2060 for just the diapers. Now add in wipes, creams, and diaper pail liners you are really getting up there in cost, approximately $2260.89.

With the second baby I decided to go full tilt into cloth diapering against my husband’s desire to continue using disposable diapers for convenience sake. I prepared my house and my hubby before hand. I hung a line, installed a diaper sprayer on my toilet, purchased a diaper pail that doubles as a great place for prewashing solids, purchased the soap, and of course researched the cloth diapering options. From early on I decided if I was taking on what I felt at the time to be the burden of cloth diapering, I was at least going to make it easy on myself and buy nice, no fuss, all-in-one cloth diapers. I also felt the easier on my resistant husband I could make it, the less diapers you know who would be changing. At first the price seemed outrageous, eighteen plus dollars for one really nice AIO cloth diaper? But then I started looking at the actual numbers. In a last ditch effort to convince my husband by showing him the monetary savings; I calculated a very basic cost basis analysis. All in all, cloth diapering from birth till potty trained will end up costing $1515.32 for the cloth diapers (45 diapers total, 15 in three different sizes), soap, water, and wipes until baby number two is potty trained. Compared to the cost of disposable diapers, cloth diapering is substantially less expensive.

But there is an even less expensive route, the one I chose. I opted to only purchase 15 of one size AIO diaper. I chose medium because I felt like my daughter would be wearing that size for the longest period of time. But in the beginning while babies are growing at such a rapid weight and wetting their diapers at an even faster one, I chose to use pre-folded diapers. Doing so lowered my overall cost to $935.65. Therefore my personal savings with child number two by cloth diapering amounts to $1,325.27.

Glossary of Cloth Diapering Lingo
Additive Free Laundry Detergent – A cleaning option that lacks soap (lye ingediants), dyes, softeners, phosphates, and is usually biodegradable. An example of this type of soap is made by Allen’s Naturally®.

AIO – Stands for all in one cloth diaper and contains the absorbent materials and waterproofing cover together as one piece.

Aplex closures – Velcro® like closure

Baking soda – Used in the wash cycle to neutralize the urine in absorbed by the diapers

Birds-eye - A type of cotton cloth used for diapering which must be folded before using. This type of diaper needs a cover to prevent leaks.

Bleach – Concentrated Chlorine used for disinfecting and whitening which should not be used with cloth diapers.

Chinese Pre-fold – see pre-fold

Cover – Either a separate cover or a cover sewn into an AIO diaper that acts as a barrier between wet and soiled diapers and clothing. Can be made from a variety of materials including PLU, cotton, fleece, or wool.

Diaper pin – A large safety pin used for holding on pre-folded or birds-eye diapers

Flushable liner – A liner that can be placed inside your cloth diaper and flushed. Aids in removing solids from cloth diapers and makes clean up easier.

Fitted – a diaper that is shaped like a regular diaper but does not contain a waterproofing layer. Comes in several different sizes. A separate cover would be needed in order to make the diaper waterproof.

Gussets – elastic Material in the diaper fitter to synch fabric tight around the legs and backs. It helps hold the poop in.

One Size AIO – A type of diaper that is adjustable to the size of your baby and meant to be used from birth until potty training. The advantage being a reduction in the number or diapers needed since you would only have to purchase one size.

Pocket Diaper- A type of cloth diaper that contains a pocket which must be stuffed with absorbent materials for use. The cover and absorbent materials can be separated for laundering. The advantage of this type of diaper would be adjusting absorbency depending on need (like overnight use) and faster drying times.

Pre-fold – A type of cloth diaper that is folded and sewn so that the majority of the absorbent material is in the central section of the diaper. Must be held on the baby with either, pins, a Snappie®, or a diaper cover.

Snappie® – An elastic closure device used instead of diaper pins to keep pre-folded diapers tight on baby bottoms.

Soap – a lye based cleaner which should not be used with cloth diapers

White Vinegar – Vinegar used in the rinse cycle to re-establish the PH of diaper after being washed with baking soda