Two months before I gave birth to my baby girl I did some research on which diapers would have the least amount of environmental impact. Traditional, “non-eco” disposables were never even an option…I was interested only in comparing “eco” choices.

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Here are directions to make super cute diapers out of t-shirts.  How’s that for a reclaiming project?  The best part is you can put the fun saying or cute part of the shirt right onto babies bum!

Need some liners for inside the diapers, here’s a tutorial for that.

How about making your own felted wool covers out of second hand sweaters?

Need to know where to find diaper making fabrics and kits, here’s a link.  (Stay with us after the jump to find out more about the adorable diaper in the photo.)

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What makes Hankettes so great?  There isn’t a single aspect of “green” production that they’ve missed. All their products are hand-sewn.  The cloth is all organically-grown cotton.  Coloured fabrics are either colour-grown or hand-dyed with fiber reactive dyes.  Production is all local, along the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada.  It’s still at heart a small family business.  Their practices are transparent.  Their website links to “green” information, resources, and even competitors.  And the family itself is a homesteading, homeschooling, compost toileting role model, that truly walks the walk.  They are proof positive that sustainable and ethical business practices can be successful.

Our business truly reflects our lives and enhances the lives of our environmentally conscious customers around the world who purchase our natural based products.

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The little g pants are the outer shell of the gDiaper system or the diaper cover that holds the flushable inserts.  The inserts are the disposable and absorbent inner liners that you toss (flush, throw away or compost). You reuse the gDiaper pants again and again. For about 40 years there have been only two basic choices in diapering. Cloth or disposable. gDiapers offers consumers a third option….a hybrid cloth diaper with a disposable element.

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Everyone loves news on the octuplets.  Who wouldn’t want a quick fix on the mama who has 14 children under the age of 8?

But when you think of their waste, isn’t anyone ready to say “Eight is enough”? How about one of those other snappy lines from the Simpsons fertility episode…  Might we say they’ll have a “Love/Eight” relationship, at least with the environment?

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Or are they?

In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t.  They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“

In Part 1, we questioned the crib.   Part 2 bemoaned the bucket.  Part 3 scrutinized the stroller.  This week, let’s ditch the diapers!

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Many parents rely on diaper rash creams and talc, but the solution to diaper rash is much easier and cheaper in the long run if you use cloth wipes.

Bummas has the solution!  What are Bummas?  Bummas are:

Bummas are small soft, luxurious baby-sized cloths made especially for drying baby bottoms, as well as blocking those surprise squirts. And with a little douse of water, they can also replace wet wipes for clean up of sensitive bums. They are small enough to conveniently carry on the go and durable enough to wash over and over again and won’t pill shrink or fade. We think you will find Bummas to be an indispensable item in your diaper changing regimen.

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There is now even more fun in store since one of the biggest and most respected cloth diaper brands, bumGenius has just teamed up with another big favorite, BabyLegs! My youngest son is a fan of both products and has worn them since he was an infant.

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Today, the Grist’s Ask Umbra weighed on the subject with neutrality claiming cloth and disposable are on equal footing when it comes to environmental impact.

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For the Earth, a diaper free baby (Elimination Communication or EC) is the absolute best choice. This method requires complete dedication for the parents (as the parents must watch for cues and put baby on the elimination pot when needed). It works wonderfully for many families and there is no “potty learning”, the children make a natural transition to being able to recognize cues and go to the potty.

If going diaper free isn’t for you, then cloth diapers are the way to go. In order to keep this as environmentally sound as possible, some precautions need to be taken.

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Use the correct amount of product. For laundry soap, this is usually 2 ounces or about HALF the cap. Many of us naturally fill the cap, isn’t that what it’s for? Shampoo and conditioner usually require only a teaspoon or two. Better yet, if you can, switch to a shampoo bar. Store your soap out of the water spray, otherwise it will be shrinking while not in use. Ration your children’s shampoo and body wash supply by giving them small portions (use a shot glass size container) of products at bath time.

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This finding is shocking!  Government ministers couldn’t believe it either and actually buried the report, because they were embarrassed by the findings. According to the Times Online:

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has instructed civil servants not to publicise the conclusions of the £50,000 nappy research project and to adopt a “defensive” stance towards its conclusions.

The report found that using washable nappies, hailed by councils throughout Britain as a key way of saving the planet, have a higher carbon footprint than their disposable equivalents unless parents adopt an extreme approach to laundering them.

To reduce the impact of cloth nappies on climate change parents would have to hang wet nappies out to dry all year round, keep them for years for use on younger children, and make sure the water in their washing machines does not exceed 60C.

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What makes Sustainable Babyish more wonderful is that it’s GREEN! How is it green? Erin uses Eco-friendly textile such as hemp and Organic cotton. Hemp is great because it is a renewable resource and gentler to the planet. This wonder fiber is also ultra absorbent. Sustainable Babyish takes it a step further and uses Organic cotton which uses sustainable practices in cotton farming, a definite plus. Erin also utilizes fair trade labor by employing WAHMS in the United States. Her diapers, especially her soakers are sold out within minutes of being stocked. It’s incredible how a mother can change the world one diaper at a time.

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I’ve always professed that every baby should wear cloth diapers; however, with my son wearing one diaper in 24 hours, it takes a long time to make a diaper load of laundry. After a week, these cloth diapers get very rank, and I don’t really want to put them in my washing machine or waste energy and water to wash them more often.  Thus, I’ve resorted to Seventh Generation’s Chlorine-Free Diapers, as it is too late in the game (I don’t plan to have any more children) to invest in gDiapers. I do feel a slight pang of guilt using a landfill, aka disposable, diaper, but I rationalize six years of cloth diapering two kids has earned me the right to one disposable diaper a day.

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If you’re already a cloth diaper user, than the concept of using a resuable swim diaper is probably not a far stretch. But if you use disposables or ’sposies, then you might be glad to know that reusable swim diapers are a fantastic budget conscious choice, particularly since disposable swim diapers are super expensive.

Truth be told, disposable swim diapers are more for easing our minds and less about containing bodily fluids and bowel movements. Basically, they just don’t contain all the chemicals that regular disposables do, therefore keeping them trim and less saggy when they hit water. But, they certainly don’t hold urine well. And, while they might hold a bowel movement for a good five minutes, you do not want your kid swimming around with a swim diaper full of poop.

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After my disaster with the Eco-friendly gdiapers; I decided to transition into cloth diapering. I ordered some Organic cotton cloth diapers before my little one was born; however, it wasn’t enough to go into full time cloth diapering. Buying cloths can be a costly investment in the beginning, (You will eventually save thousands of dollars compared to ’sposies especially if you have more than one baby) but now with Diaper Swappers; Cloth Diaper Exchange Forum; you can mitigate the initial expense.

I came across the Diaper Swappers when I was looking for a used Psling. It was interesting to find a community of cloth diapering moms who traded diapers (along with baby carriers) with each other. There’s a rating system sort of like Ebay, and there’s also a Wall of Shame of banned users. (could be anything from too many negatives to having too many different user names) The forum moderators seem to have a good system in place to protect the cloth diapering, baby wearing mothers to have a safe and friendly place to exchange their unwanted items for something they need. I really dig it.

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As a father and pediatrician, I’ve changed many diapers—enough to teach me that diapers are a daily reminder that as humans we deplete resources as we consume, and we make messes with our waste.

Those landfill diapers that are so easily tossed into the trash are clearly a major ecological issue. But what about the energy, water, and often chlorine involved in laundering cloth diapers? Comparing the environmental impact of different types of diapers has been the subject of a number of studies—with differing results often linked to the vested interests of those behind the study.

The largest and most objective study to date was carried out by the Environment Agency, the public body responsible for protecting the environment in England and Wales. The panel compared disposable diapers to home-laundered cloth diapers and commercially laundered cotton diapers in terms of global warming, ozone depletion, smog formation, depletion of nonrenewable resources, water pollution, acidification, human toxicity, and land pollution. The study did not include what I call hybrid diapers—the reusable diapers equipped with flushable, biodegradable liners.

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When UK mom, Sarah Bennett, potty-trained her two toddlers she decided to sell her pre-owned cloth diapers on E-Bay. She was surprised and annoyed to find that E-bay had changed their policy, refusing to allow their sale and reclassifying them as “adult material”. (Go figure.)

Turning to classified ads, she found them frustrating as many ads were not removed after sale, she had little information about the seller and arranging for pick up and payment was time consuming. And so, she started an auction site for used diapers from her kitchen table. And was an immediate success.

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PORCHLIGHT:
A Family’s Weekly Guide to Reducing Your Impact on the Planet at Home

Written by Sonya K. Hess
_____________________________________________________________

Child-Raising: Three ways to lighten your impact on the planet AND economize

Children have become a fad: grocery store tabloids map celebrity-babies’ every move, note who is riding in which tricked-out stroller, and remind us where so-and-so got her baby’s $300 shoes. But fads mean money spent on a constantly changing environment of style, one that only encourages over-consumption and overuse of already precious resources. Want to bring child rearing back to earth, and save money in the process?

1. SHOP SECOND-HAND

For some parents thrift stores may be a budget necessity, but regardless of your wallet, shopping thrift stores for kids has endless benefits. First, remind yourself that your child, at least for the first two years of her life, could care less what she wears, as long as it’s weather-appropriate. Reminding yourself of this can help you to care less too. Second, children’s second-hand clothes are rarely worn out or even stained, thanks to kids’ rapid growth, so your bargains are going to look and wear like practically new clothes. Someone is out there paying full dollar for those clothes, and you stand only to benefit. Third, most small- to mid-sized cities, to say nothing of metropolitan areas, are exploding with consignment shops for children’s clothes. These stores range from mega-cheap to highly selective, so whatever your style and budget, you can find a deal. And finally, buying second hand will really add up: if the average new outfit for a child at a large chain store runs about $25 and you find it for $10, you’ve saved $15 per outfit which can easily mean close to $100 for a week’s worth of clothes. Plus, with the resale options many consignment stores offer, your kids’ outgrown clothes can go right out the door again and earn you credit or cash in the end.

2. USE CLOTH DIAPERS

It’s funny how many people I’ve talked to say something like this: “I know I should try cloth diapers just like I should try to recycle and use less gas and minimize my waste, but it just sounds so hard.” Well, I’m about to show you that it isn’t—at least no harder than trudging out to the grocery store late at night for another package of disposables because you discover you’ve used the last one.

The Economics of Cloth Diapers

If no other reason convinces you, saving money should be a no-brainer. The average child will be in diapers for over two years, and a family’s monthly disposable diaper spending averages $35-55, depending on brands bought, as well as extra supplies (wipes, etc.). Sure, you make an initial investment with cloth diapers that can run anywhere from $150-$300, but even at the high end you’ve easily spent less in total than you would on even six or seven months of disposable diapers. And if you chose to have more than one child, remember that that investment will last you through all your kids, while a family adding a child adds another $35-50 spent, per month, on what is basically garbage.

**Want to learn more about the economics of cloth diapers, including detailed breakdowns of waste production and water use for disposables vs. cloth? Check out Punkin Butt’s wonderful article entitled The Diaper Dilemma: The Environmental Cost of Diapers.

Cloth diapering really can be easy

Think for a minute: wouldn’t you calmly explain to a friend that he/she was crazy for using paper plates and cups for every meal, and show them that using a sink or dishwasher is actually pretty handy? We use paper plates at company picnics because they make things easier, but at home it just makes sense to eat your pasta out of a bowl, wash the bowl, and use it for your cereal the next morning.

Now shift those thoughts over to diapers and clothing: we all do laundry already, right? Does it sound easy to you to do one more load, especially if you know you’re saving money and easing your burden on the earth? I hope so, because that’s what cloth diapering is: a little more laundry, and a lot less money.

Options for cloth diapers

The internet is full of options for those who choose cloth, and this article will give you the basics, as well as referring you to a host of websites that can teach you even more.

Sharp diaper pins and cracked plastic pants are a thing of the past. Cloth diapers come in two basic types: “prefold” diapers (your basic thick rectangle of cotton, folded into diaper shape) with a waterproof velcro- or snap-closure cover, and “all-in-one” diapers (AIOs in the diapering world) that are cover and soaker in one, held on with Velcro, snaps, or elastic. Beyond cotton innards and waterproof coverings, there are many fleece and wool choices as well, especially nice for babies with skin sensitivities.

The prefold route: probably the most savings—you buy 4-8 diaper covers in your baby’s size, as well as 2-4 dozen cloth “prefolds,” depending on how often you’d like to do laundry. The diaper covers can be used more than once, until they are overly wet or soiled, and then a quick hand wash and line dry has them ready to go again in several hours. The inner prefolds that handle the bulk of the urine and waste get rinsed and soaked or tossed in your diaper bin until laundry time.

AIO: you’ll spend more up front for these, because you need enough to get you through all the diaper changes for a couple days (unless you want to do laundry every night). Most folks choosing all-in-ones will buy 2-3 dozen in each size necessary, and wash all of them every third day or so.

Washing cloth diapers—getting down to business

Everyone will develop their own system for washing diapers, and many types of all-in-one diapers or diaper covers may come with their own set of washing instructions. The very basics are a bucket-soak or soak-cycle in your washer, either with vinegar or baking soda, followed by a hot wash/cold rinse, and then drying on the line or in a hot dryer. Since your washing machine will be doing most of the work, the only time you spend is getting diapers to and from the machine, and if you hire a diaper service to do the washing, even this task is cut out, although it really isn’t that much of a hassle.

**Still skeptical? Skim through another article from Punkin Butt’s wonderful website, this one entitled “Punkin Butt Easy Wash System: Simple and effective instructions for how to wash cloth diapers“.

Other concerns: daycare, reusable wipes, etc.
Concerned about how to integrate cloth diapers into your child’s daycare routine?
Heather Sanders’ article “Cloth Diapered Children and Day Care Providers” can be found at http://www.thediaperhyena.com/daycare_clothdiapering.htm. She covers a range of issues, from introducing cloth diapering to your daycare provider to the more complex legal and health-code issues associated with diapering and daycare centers.
Reusable wipes?
Just like the washcloths we use in the shower, wipes for baby’s bottom can easily be made from cloth and used endlessly—my mother still has a pile in her rag bag that get used in the garage, twenty-some years after the fact! Many cloth diapering websites sell their own special styles of flannel or terry reusable wipes; you can make your own or simply buy thin baby washcloths or second-hand washcloths to do the job. Count on getting about two dozen to make life easier.
Ready to get started?
The Internet will be your best friend as you collect your cloth diapering supplies. The websites listed below are only a guide to get started, as many others abound and a simple web search will turn up enough sites for you to compare prices and options. Ebay is also a great way to find new and used diaper covers and brand new prefold diapers for less money than many online stores. If you are lucky enough to live near a children’s supply store that stocks cloth diapering materials, visit them and support your local business. Many carry used diaper covers as well.
www.thediaperhyena.com
www.punkinbutt.com
www.diapersafari.com
www.babycottonbottoms.com
www.treecitydiapers.com

3. TOYS—Simplifying the Playroom

Nowhere is marketing to children more apparent than in the toy department. Aside from limiting your children’s exposure to television (most pediatricians recommend NO screen time for children under 2-3 years of age) you can exercise a certain amount of control over how many toys your child has, and what types of toys you allow into your home. Here are some things to think about:

Plastics vs. natural materials

Recent research has shown the potential risks plastics pose to our bodily health, and this risk is increased for children because their bodies are so much smaller and because they spend much more time as babies with things in their mouths. Why not eliminate the risk of toxic leachates from plastics and give your baby wooden or cloth toys? Plastics are also petroleum products of one sort or another, and so in addition to the fossil-fuel energy it took to produce the toy, the toy itself is using up precious resources, and won’t biodegrade quickly (as wood and natural-fiber cloths do) when finally thrown away.

“Characters” vs. open-ended toys

Marketing is a factor again here. I don’t assume that we can indefinitely shield our children from all toy marketing, movies, and the like. Most parents don’t even want to do this. But at an early age, you probably noticed that babies derive just as much pleasure from playing with your car keys or a wooden spoon as the action-figure they’re given to knaw on. Rather than toys that have just one use, provide your growing children with tools for creativity: blocks, puzzles, materials for forts and other creative play, and of course the great outdoors are your child’s best playthings. These toys will likely be durable as well, reducing what you end up spending and throwing away over the course of childhood. And just like clothes, many quality toys are available second-hand.

A few other tidbits:

• Landfill load. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 80% of the diaperings in this nation are done with disposables. That comes to 18 billion diapers a year. Those 18 billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp from over 250,000 trees. They’re the third most common item in the average landfill behind newspapers and food and beverage containers.
• Don’t buy traditional disposables! A well-known study conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 found mice exposed to VOC chemicals emitted by conventional disposables had asthma-like reactions. Baby lungs aren’t as small as mice lungs, but they aren’t that big either. This is worrisome. Plus, their manufacture involves chlorine, one of man-kind’s worst pollutants.
• Even eco disposables contain SAP. SAP (asodium polyacrylate) is a super absorbant petroleum-based chemical used in most disposable diapers. Plastic disposables, and, unfortunately, Seventh Generation, Nature Boy & Girl, and G-Diapers, contain SAP to “lock in” moisture. In studies, SAP has shown to cause respiratory and skin irritations in occupational settings according to healthychild.org. Seventh Generation and other eco disposables are working hard to find an alternative that matches SAP’s performance. Tushies is the only disposable brand that does not include SAP and, user comments online say they are fine for short stretches during the day, but not at night.
• Eco diapers are not always more expensive. We order our diapers in bulk from either Amazon or Drugstore.com. For those of you who think that eco diapers are too expensive, you’re wrong. A case of Pamper’s “Cruiser” diapers at Drugstore.com costs $41.99 for 140 diapers. That’s $.32 per diaper. A case of Nature Boy and Girl diapers costs $44.99 for 136 diapers. That’s $.33 per diaper. When you consider all of the environmental costs of Pampers, would you rather save that penny or the planet your kid is going to live on for years to come? Seventh Generation is more expensive and they are the more widely available eco brand ($.41 per diaper on Drugstore.com). Buy Nature Boy and Girl online and save in multiple ways.

For what it’s worth, the Green Guide recommends Nature Boy and Girl disposables and they are what we use. They fit and absorb great. I will be happy when they find an alternative to SAP.

A few good resources:

1. National Geographic’s Green Guide: Diaper buying guide

Green Guide discusses the environmental impact of diapers, provides a “diapering 101″, product comparison, and Smart Shopper’s list, all VERY useful.

2. The Inside Poop on diapers

The above-mentioned study done by Dr. Alan Greene and Seventh Generation, along with a semi-entertaining video.

3. The Case for Disposable Diapers: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part I

A great article on The Daily Green by Alexandra Zissou, author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy that goes into great detail on disposables.

4. Cloth Diaper Brands You Can Trust: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part II

Another great article on The Daily Green by Alexandra Zissou, that provides numerous resources for buying and learning how to diaper with cloth.

A few other tidbits:

• Landfill load. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, 80% of the diaperings in this nation are done with disposables. That comes to 18 billion diapers a year. Those 18 billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp from over 250,000 trees. They’re the third most common item in the average landfill behind newspapers and food and beverage containers.
• Don’t buy traditional disposables! A well-known study conducted by Anderson Laboratories in 1999 found mice exposed to VOC chemicals emitted by conventional disposables had asthma-like reactions. Baby lungs aren’t as small as mice lungs, but they aren’t that big either. This is worrisome. Plus, their manufacture involves chlorine, one of man-kind’s worst pollutants.
• Even eco disposables contain SAP. SAP (asodium polyacrylate) is a super absorbant petroleum-based chemical used in most disposable diapers. Plastic disposables, and, unfortunately, Seventh Generation, Nature Boy & Girl, and G-Diapers, contain SAP to “lock in” moisture. In studies, SAP has shown to cause respiratory and skin irritations in occupational settings according to healthychild.org. Seventh Generation and other eco disposables are working hard to find an alternative that matches SAP’s performance. Tushies is the only disposable brand that does not include SAP and, user comments online say they are fine for short stretches during the day, but not at night.
• Eco diapers are not always more expensive. We order our diapers in bulk from either Amazon or Drugstore.com. For those of you who think that eco diapers are too expensive, you’re wrong. A case of Pamper’s “Cruiser” diapers at Drugstore.com costs $41.99 for 140 diapers. That’s $.32 per diaper. A case of Nature Boy and Girl diapers costs $44.99 for 136 diapers. That’s $.33 per diaper. When you consider all of the environmental costs of Pampers, would you rather save that penny or the planet your kid is going to live on for years to come? Seventh Generation is more expensive and they are the more widely available eco brand ($.41 per diaper on Drugstore.com). Buy Nature Boy and Girl online and save in multiple ways.

For what it’s worth, the Green Guide recommends Nature Boy and Girl disposables and they are what we use. They fit and absorb great. I will be happy when they find an alternative to SAP.

A few good resources:

1. National Geographic’s Green Guide: Diaper buying guide

Green Guide discusses the environmental impact of diapers, provides a “diapering 101″, product comparison, and Smart Shopper’s list, all VERY useful.

2. The Inside Poop on diapers

The above-mentioned study done by Dr. Alan Greene and Seventh Generation, along with a semi-entertaining video.

3. The Case for Disposable Diapers: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part I

A great article on The Daily Green by Alexandra Zissou, author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy that goes into great detail on disposables.

4. Cloth Diaper Brands You Can Trust: How to Choose Green, Eco-Friendly Diapers, Part II

Another great article on The Daily Green by Alexandra Zissou, that provides numerous resources for buying and learning how to diaper with cloth.