Monday, May 17, 2010

A Pampers Frenzy - The REAL Truth About Cloth Diapers

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cloth diaper education. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.

I don't know if any of my readers have heard about New Pampers Dry Max causing all kinds of problems for Moms who use disposables or not. I have recently heard about this, and you can read about it too! One google search of "Pampers Dry max causing problems" and Bingo, you'll find all kinds of information. Even more interesting, is that Pampers is lashing out at Moms on Facebook who started a group called Pampers Bring Back The Old Cruisers/Swaddlers. It has 9,428 members, so you would think Pampers would listen. Instead they are attacking those Moms and basically calling them liars! Pampers has even published Diapers Myths and Facts, which really made me get angry. I am here to publish my own Myths and Facts when it comes to sustainable diapers, like cloth!

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for my baby.
Fact: Disposable diapers like Pampers were developed to offer babies benefits that cloth diapers could not meet. That goes beyond convenience to helping keep babies' skin dryer and more comfortable by reducing leaks and locking wetness inside the diaper in a way that cloth doesn't. As a result, doctors and parents simply don't see the same level of diaper rash that used to exist before disposable diapers.

This is a crock of crap. Sorry, there is just no other way to say it. Pampers is basing today's cloth diapers on old cloth diaper standards. Cloth diapers are not what they used to be folks! You can get superior diapers that are amazing for during the night and during naps. I have never once had a leak or a blowout using cloth, but every single time I put my daughter in a disposable, there is always a leak. Cloth diapers are better for babies because you change them more, you dont NEED them to be exceptionally absorbent! No baby wants to sit in their own pee for hours on end just because it gets soaked into the middle. Ridiculous. Change your baby more often and there will be no diaper rash. My daughter has never had diaper rash using cloth! I know several people who have gotten chemical burns from using diaposables! That sounds horrible and looks even more horrible. My sister in law took her baby girl to the doctor and he told her it was a chemical burn from her diapers! Cloth does not do this. Cloth is natural, there are no chemicals or artificial ingredients. You choose what you wash them in, so you choose what comes into contact with your baby! Furthermore, "disposable" diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S!! If that doesn't gross you out, then maybe this will:

Sodium polyacrylate was removed from tampons in 1985 because of its link to toxic shock syndrome. This is the same absorbent gel material used in disposable diapers today. Proctor and Gamble claims there is no connection to that and disposable diapers. German scientists also found that baby boys who are using disposable diapers have higher scrotal skin temperatures!

Myth: Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables.
Fact: In October 2008, the United Kingdom's Environment Agency published an update to its 2005 Life Cycle Assessment study on cloth versus disposable diapers. The update confirmed the earlier study's findings that there is no clear winner in terms of environmental impacts between disposable and cloth diapers in the U.K., once all factors such as water, energy, detergent, and disposal are considered.


I can't even believe they are trying to claim that there is no clear winner when it comes to the environment! It is estimated that one "disposable" diaper will take 500 years to decompose. The first "disposable diapers" that were introduced in 1970 are still sitting in a landfill today. I am 24 years old, the diapers I used as a baby are still sitting around on this Earth in the form of a diaper! That is disgusting! This one fact alone has helped to convert many people I know to using cloth diapers. Furthermore, I am of the opinion that they will never fully biodegrade. At least not the plastic parts. Plastic NEVER biodegrades. Every piece of plastic ever made is still floating around on this Earth! The average beby goes through 5,000 diapers before being potty trained. That is just for ONE baby. Not to mention, disposable diapers have to be manufactured, filled with chemicals, packaged in plastic and cardboard and shipped all over the country and world to get to people in order to use them. I have about 25 cloth diapers. That is it. I haven't had to buy anything else for my daughter!

You cannot argue that cloth diapers use more water and more energy. I have not seen an increase in either of these bills. I hang my diapers outside to dry. I only wash twice a week, that is not a HUGE increase in water usage. I use natural detergents when washing my diapers that do not leach out into our water supply. When my baby soils her diaper, I dunk it in the toilet and it gets flushed down into the sewer where waste is supposed to go. Did you know that "disposable" diapers are supposed to have the poop dunked off before they are thrown into the garbage? Do you know anyone who actually does this? I sure don't!



It really appalls me that this information is actually out there and published for people to read! Cloth Diapers are much better for your babies and the Earth! Stand up against this foolishness. It is going to take a ton of Mamas all saying no to disposables in order to turn this around for us and the Earth. Don't let a chemical burn be your first step to cloth diapering. Don't let it get that far. These companies don't care about our kids or the Earth, they only care about their money.

1 comment :

  1. I love your conclusion and call to arms! I'm so proud we're using cloth diapers :)

    ReplyDelete