[blparent] Diapers - Reuseable? Or, disposable?

Sat Feb 20 19:01:55 UTC 2010

Hard to say on the faster to potty train, a lot of that is the kid, and you
can't test the same kid twice.
 My three year old took about 6 months to really start getting it, and it
was being around her older cousins over the summer that did it.  If she ran
around naked, she was fine, but if she had panties on, forget it, she would
mess them every time.

They make smaller cloth diapers.  Some kids are never in paper diapers,
parents take the cloth to the hospital.

Michael Baldwin
Got print, need Braille?
http://www.ReadWithDots.com

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Scott Lawlor
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:29 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Diapers - Reuseable? Or, disposable?

I've also heard that using cloth diapers results in potty training sooner
than disposable counterparts.

We have cloth but Leah is still too small for them so we're using disposable
until she can fit in them.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Baldwin" <mbaldwin at gpcom.net>
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Diapers - Reuseable? Or, disposable?

Miranda,
I have lots of thoughts on this issue.
 First, you need to decide which is going to fit in your life style the
best.  I never thought cloth would, but it isn't as bad as a lot of people
think.  The only extra work involved with cloth diapers, is washing them.
We do that every other day.  With two kids, we already do a lot of laundry,
so an extra load every few days was not that big of a deal.  We only use
about 1200 gallons of water a month, so the extra wash is not really an
additional cost, and we use Charlie's soap, and a 5 gallon bucket of that
cost a hundred and something, and has lasted us over 2 years.  My point here
is that if anyone tells you cloth diapers cost more cause of the extra
laundry, they have not done their research, and don't know what they are
talking about.

If your making your decision based on cost, it is estimated that it will
cost you $1500 to $2000 for diapers from the time the baby is born, until
they are potty trained.  We have spent no more than $500 on cloth diapers
and supplies, and have used them on two kids, soon to be three.  Some of the
all-in-ones, and pocket diapers have a great used market as well, so you can
sell those kind and recoup part of your initial cost.

Environmental impact:
Disposable diapers are the third most common consumer product in landfills
today.
A disposable diaper may take up to 500 years to decompose.
One baby in disposable diapers will contribute at least 1 ton of waste to
your local landfill.
Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty
times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.
The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more
water wasted than cloth.
Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of
chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.

Here is some other thoughts, taken from various sources.
Disposable diapers are actually more likely to cause diaper rashes than
properly cleaned cloth diapers. Not only do they tend to be left on the baby
longer (leading to ammonia and bacteria buildup) but they are also more
likely to cause rashes for a variety of other reasons.

They don't know what effect the chemicals used in disposable diapers have
for the long term health of your baby. Disposable diapers contain super
absorbent polymers, petroleum based ingredients (such as plastic) and traces
of chemicals used in manufacturing.

Baby boys may be at increased risk due to the heat build up in disposable
diapers. While the link between infertility and disposable diapers has not
been proven, the October 2000 issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood
speculates that the rise in infertility may be partially due to the heat
build up in disposable diapers. With temperatures inside a disposable as
much as 1.8 degrees higher there is the potential for damage to the baby's
genitals. We do
know that if a baby with an undescended testicle is not treated before 1
year of age, that they will have a higher future risk of testicular cancer
or infertility due to the higher heat inside the body.

Many babies are allergic to the dyes and glues used in disposable diapers.
The concern is that if these chemicals are so well absorbed that they can
cause
a rash this severe, then what is it doing that we can't see? We know that
these chemical dyes are linked to liver problems and other long term health
problems.

In their September 2005 issue the American Academy of Pediatrics magazine,
not exactly known for being a a promoter of natural health care, published
an article about Diaper Dye Dermatitis. You can see some of the
Pictures here, for sited people.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/116/3/e450

Disposable diapers also come apart - leaving your baby at risk of choking on
the parts of the diaper. The absorbent gel (sodium polyacrylate) inside the
diapers has been linked to scrotal bleeding in boys, is fatal when inhaled
by cats, and can cause choking. Ingestion of as little as 5 grams (hardly
more than a spoonful) of sodium polyacrylate has been known to cause death
in humans and animals.

I can get you a ton more reasons and info, but a search on Google will give
you plenty to read on the subject.  If you have any questions though, feel
free to ask them.

Michael Baldwin
Got print, need Braille?
http://www.ReadWithDots.com

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Miranda Borka
Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2010 4:30 AM
To: Blind Parents
Subject: [blparent] Diapers - Reuseable? Or, disposable?

Hi,
Ok, we're wondering what diapers you use and why? If disposable, why? What
brandd(s) and why did you choose that brand?
If reusable, why did you choose reusable? For reusable, we've found Kushies
and G-Diaper. We've found that G-Diaper is less exvensive. Any thoughts?
Thanks in advance, and have a great weekend!

In Christ, Miranda

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