If you don't use cloth, why not? - Page 8

[Sierra]

Originally Posted by Beene

It's only totally untrue IF you buy plastic diapers. There are eco-friendly sposies (like I said, IF you can afford them). Seventh Generation or 365 (whole foods brand) don't use plastic or bleach and are grrrrrrreat! :

But it still uses water to make, which was the whole argument against cloth...that cloth is not environmentally more sound than disposable because of the water useage.

That's not a criticism. Our kids leaked and got rashes in the "eco-friendly" diapers, on the rare occassion we could afford them, and we used Pampers when we weren't using cloth.

But I'd rather base my "not use" reasons on accurate info .

[Beene]

Originally Posted by Sierra

But it still uses water to make, which was the whole argument against cloth...that cloth is not environmentally more sound than disposable because of the water useage.

That's not a criticism. Our kids leaked and got rashes in the "eco-friendly" diapers, on the rare occassion we could afford them, and we used Pampers when we weren't using cloth.

But I'd rather base my "not use" reasons on accurate info .

Water AND electrical use for washing machine. Even for a diaper service, those industrial guys use more power and water than it takes for manufacturing them. The way water and electricity use add up in a household situation when you wash your own, it is still way more wasteful than using biodegradable sposies. I use Seventh Generation and they don't leak or have any problems other than their cost.

[dziwozony]

we use disposable nappies at night because we found it was the only way for all of us to get a good night's sleep! cloth nappies would leak/overfill too much & babe would wake up wet & unhappy...or they just didn't sleep well with the wet against them. i know there are cloth ways around this, but with 2 under 2 i couldn't manage to get the resources together to find a solution!

but during the day we use cloth. i really don't see why people find it so confusing...all you need is a piece of cotton & a waterproof/resistant cover! everything other than that is just different people offering different variations of this.

for DS1 we didn't have a washer, so i handwashed them. extra work? yes. but if you set out knowing that disposable isn't an option for you, it's just the way it is. now i have 2 under 2 & cloth is still the only option i saw fit. i just can't imagine throwing away allllll of those nappies everyday. i couldn't do it with a clear conscious.

we line dry all of our nappies & use water straight from the mountain stream in an area that rains regularly, so you simply can't argue that our use of cloth is at all wasteful. (plus our washer is run from power we generate ourselves). you can have your own personal excuses for not using cloth, but trying to argue that it's more damaging to the earth overall as a blanket statement is not convincing or accurate.

[kriket]

I want to stay away from the "are they green?" arguement. Its a never ending battle! It seems depending on who funded the servey, you get different answers! Plus, is that really a factor that is going to push you over the edge into or out of a decision? Probably not. Thanks everyone! I am printing this thread monday and starting!

[The4OfUs]

Originally Posted by sewchris2642

So much was lost between my mom's generation and my dd's generation. All in one generation. It's scary.

This is so true - and a real shame in a lot of instances, IMO.

(There are many things about the "good old days" I have no desire to go back to - but traditional skills are one thing I wish hadn't been lost)

[mamaofthree]

:
my mom used cloth also! but most everyone i know in real life was in posies. strange how just one generation can lose so much good information. it is like we threw out the good with the bad. hmmmm. that is a topic all in itself! lol

h

[funkymamajoy]

Originally Posted by Sierra

But it still uses water to make, which was the whole argument against cloth...that cloth is not environmentally more sound than disposable because of the water useage.

That's not a criticism. Our kids leaked and got rashes in the "eco-friendly" diapers, on the rare occassion we could afford them, and we used Pampers when we weren't using cloth.

But I'd rather base my "not use" reasons on accurate info .

Don't forget about the added fuel costs of disposables. My cloth was transported from factory to store to me just once. When I used sposies, I bought a new box twice a month, so they went from factory to store to me 36 times.

[weliveintheforest]

I use cloth but some reasons why someone would not:

- some diapers just don't work well. cheap fitteds and aios sometimes don't fit very well, or they leak or wick and then they are useless. If that's what a person buys or is given, I can see why they wouldn't use them. Also, without the internet someone might not know to avoid fabric softener or other laundry 'no-nos' that make diapers work less well.

- cloth diapers are hard to come by irl. I can think of towns (I live in one) where you would not be able to buy cloth diapers unless you knew to look for them online, and that doesn't occur to everyone.

- lack of laundry facilities or diaper service

- cost is high initially

- cloth diapering requires planning when going out

[Latte Mama]

Oh how I wanted to use cloth, I spent hours researching all the different types online. However, I live in a small apt. building with only 1 washer. I also WOH. I added up the $ factor it would cost monthly for cloth along with extra time spent for maintenance of same and cloth would actually cost more than sposies.

I also feel funny using a communal washer for dirty diapers. I'm not sure that my neighbors would appreciate it, maybe they wouldn't care but some people get funny about stuff like that. If I had my own washer, I definitely would have used cloth.