Health benefits of cloth diapers

[twentysixcats]

I've had several friends ask me why people would choose cloth diapers, so I set out to write a blog post about the benefits of using cloth. These friends tend to ask questions and challenge research, though, so I needed to make sure it was a very balanced view and that my sources were legitimate. I ran into some trouble when I got to the health benefits of cloth diapers. I know that the biggest concerns are dioxins, TBT, and SAP. However, it seems that a lot of the information I was coming across was 10+ years old. I couldn't even find anything about the negatives of SAP. All I found were websites listing the negatives, but no links to studies (or even mention of studies; just a reference to a 1987 newspaper article about how kids were getting sick from Pampers). Is it just a lack of studies or research? Are the negatives purely anecdotal?

[asraidevin]

I read somewhere (mothering?) that disposables heat up testicles in boys which could be linked to infertility.

Oh this link has some links http://gnmparents.com/a-little-greener-the-benefits-of-cloth-diapers/

And my baby woke up so i can't research more

[samstress]

well, i'm having the same problem you had.  finding lots of information, but all the references are over 10 years old (some, a lot older).

good luck!

[twentysixcats]

I emailed Pampers & Huggies about the TBT concern, which is another instance of an 11 year old study. It seemed odd to me that there were no responses by manufacturers to Greenpeace's announcement in 2000. Pampers responded: "Greenpeace announced on July 7, 2000, that a new analysis has found no TBT in Pampers... We are particularly pleased to note Greenpeace's conclusion that the diaper market is broadly free of TBT."

[kimble]

To resurrect an old thread ... I could use some up to date info on the health benefits of CD too!

9 months ago I would have thought CD was a crazy pain in the butt. After hanging out here for a while I've discovered modern cloth and love the idea. We are fortunate enough to live near a CD store with a trial program, and I would love to try them out once our kiddo is a month or two old.

I floated the idea of trying cloth with DH last night and got nothing but resistance. Our current plan is for him to be the SAH parent so his opinion carries more weight than mine. For him, it all comes down to convenience. He's largely ignorant of the options available today, so my goal is to convince him to participate in the trial program when the time comes. Fortunately I have a long time to build a strong argument but can use some help!

I will run the numbers on the cost of cloth vs sposie but would love to hear from anyone who has come across up to date studies on the health impact of cloth vs sposie. If I can convince him there is a health advantage to cloth, he might give it a try.

thanks in advance!

[twentysixcats]

I set out researching the health benefits in order to convince others, and also I wanted to convince myself that a sposie should never touch my child's bottom. I did not find enough information to convince myself, though. In my opinion, there is just not enough research to prove that disposables are harmful for my baby. (Lack of research doesn't mean that disposables are okay either... it's just a simple, we don't really know.) For me, the ecological benefits and cost savings were enough to continue cloth diapering. I also can't help but think it's better for my baby, even if there aren't tons of studies backing that up.

I mentioned in my OP that I was writing a blog post... if you are interested, here what I wrote:

http://www.atlantabirthcenter.org/2012/04/why-should-you-consider-cloth-diapers/

(At the end I included links for further research, if that's helpful.)