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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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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PureAyre makes several organic odor eliminating sprays that really do work for the smells babies, kids, and adults produce in the bathroom.

In our family of four, we have only one bathroom. Sometimes in the mornings, we can’t wait for the air to clear before another family member needs to brush their teeth before school.  We keep a bottle of PureAyre on the back of the toilet, and it really does works to eliminate odors without masking them.  I don’t really understand how it works, but the strong smells just seem to disappear.  I’ve tried lavender bunches, matches, scented candles, etc., but nothing compares to PureAyre’s ability to eliminate odor.

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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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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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Using the process of pyrolysis to convert diapers to diesel, a facility is going to be built in Montreal. Pyrolysis, also known as thermal cracking, involves heating the dirty diapers in a closed environment that lacks oxygen. This closed system does not produce any emissions. Luciano Piciacchia, an engineer and vice-president with Amec’s Quebec office, explains,

Then you’re bringing it to the next level which is breaking the carbon chains down … and (in the end) they will resemble the fuels which are what we’re going to end up producing.

The company plans to begin collecting soiled diapers from area hospitals. “One of the beauties of the diaper is that it is going to be a very consistent input,” compared to trying to make fuel from other kinds municipal waste.

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1. Bring Your Own Organic Food

When my son first had open-heart surgery, breastfeeding supplied his nourishment, although pumping was required. If you are concerned about Bisphenol A (BPA), be sure to remember your own BPA free bottles or sippy cups, as you may have to pump breastmilk initially for a child recovering from surgery. During our last hospital stay, we brought our own organic food to the ICU. In my experience, the first nourishment they give a child after surgery is a popsicle, soda, or juice. After being exposed to so many meds and germs, I want my child’s first drink after a fast to be organic. Organic juice boxes are convenient in such a situation, although they do use excessive packaging. When your child is ready for solid food, their favorite organic foods make a nice replacement for the hospital food, and your child will recover more quickly from eating the foods they like. It is important to check with your child’s doctor about any dietary restrictions and follow this advice.

2. Bring Your Own Beauty Products

Don’t forget your own toothpastes and soaps when planning a hospital stay. When the nurses gave my son a bath with Johnson & Johnson’s Original Baby Shampoo, which scores a 5 out of 10 on Skin Deep, my son broke out in a horrible rash all over his body. The nurses felt terrible, and we learned the hard way to bring our own green beauty products to the hospital. The last thing a child needs in this situation is to have their suffering increased by unnatural beauty products, and you can feel better that you have not abandoned your green living principles during the hospital stay.

3. What Diapers Will You Use?

After surgery, my son was put in Pampers, and an hour later, another rash erupted. We used cloth diapers at home, but I did not bring any to the hospital, as I felt we would have no way to deal with them. Seventh Generation unbleached diapers offered a good solution (this was before gDiapers), and the doctors used to comment on how they looked like the brown napkins from the cafeteria. Consider your child’s diapering needs before being admitted to the hospital, and ask if there are any accommodations for cloth. As it turns out, UCSF Children’s Hospital had a regular supply of cloth diapers that we could have used if we would have brought our own covers.

4. Provide Toys, Books, and Clothes From Home

The more like home you can make your child’s hospital stay, the better it will be for your child. Bringing their favorite organic teddy bear and pajamas will eliminate the need for hospital gowns and provide comfort. Unless these items are already green, this may not green your family’s stay, but your child will benefit. Babytoolkit offers an extensive post "What to Take When Your ER Visit May Become a Hospital Stay."

5. Pack Out the Recycling!

Some hospitals may have recycling bins near the cafeteria, but in my experience, these bins are not sufficient to accommodate all of your recycling needs. During our stay, the NICU did not wash baby bottles, but they continually used new, sterilized bottles. This is also true for pumped breastmilk and its storage. I came home from the hospital with two grocery bags full of plastic bottles, with every intent to reuse them. These bottles ended up in the recycling bin, but this is a much better option than the landfill. Who knows, your efforts to pack it out might inspire other parents and the nurses to change their disposable ways.

If you have a choice, selecting a green hospital will make your family’s hospital stay more eco-friendly; however, the green hospital of your choice may not be an option for your child’s medical needs. What makes a hospital green? The Green Guide used 12 criteria for rating green hospitals: 1) siting, 2) water efficiency, 3) energy and air pollutions, 4) materials and resources, 5) indoor environmental quality, 6) healthy hospital food, 7) green education, procurement, 9) contaminants, 10) green cleaning, 11) waste reduction, and 12) healing gardens. The greenest hospital in the country is Boulder Community Hospital Foothills Campus. "Hospitals are the heart and soul of the community and we need to be open for business no matter what," says Kai Abelkis, environmental coordinator for Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado. "If the hospitals in New Orleans had solar panels, at least they could have kept the respirators going. If hospitals upgraded to more efficient lighting, we could save a considerable sum, enhance emergency preparedness and improve air quality."

The more you can make your child’s hospital stay like home, the better your child will adapt and recover. For green families, this means bringing green products to the hospital and carrying out any recycling. Just like when going into the wilderness, the green hospital stay follows the credo "if you pack it in, you pack it out" (with the exception of medical waste!). If you can’t bring these items or know in advance what you might need, find the closest health food store or coop to the hospital, and ask a friend or relative to run an errand for you. By greening your family’s hospital stay, you will alleviate one less stress during these difficult times.

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.

Editor’s note: This month, GNMParents writer Tiffany Washko explores diapering options for green parents. We swap original content with GNMParents on the first Monday of every month, so make sure to head over there to check out Jennifer’s contribution to them.

For many green moms and dads the decision about how to diaper their baby does not come so easy. We all know disposable diapers are bad with a capital “B,” but the other options just seem so archaic and inconvenient.

But it’s not as bad as you may think. There are some pretty appealing diapering alternatives nowadays. If you want to lighten your environmental footprint by avoiding those landfill-filling, disposable diapers, then two options you might consider are cloth diapers or gDiapers.

Cloth Diapers

When many parents think of cloth diapers they still think of those thick, towel like diapers (the ones we now use as burp rags), diaper pins, and the plastic vinyl pants that go on top. Well, the cloth diapers you find today are far cry from that these days.

Bum Genius cloth diapers by Cotton Babies are designed to make cloth diapering easy for every-day people — like your babysitter, grandparents and even dad. Using a Bum Genius cloth diaper is just like using a disposable, but you don’t throw it away! Just wash it and they’re ready to go again. They come in a variety of beautiful colors like Blossom Pink and Grasshopper Green.

They are pocket diapers, which allows you to use the type of insert that meets your absorbency needs (although the included microfiber insert should be sufficient). Bum Genius also offers an all-in-one diaper, which is a one-piece diaper that most closely resembles a disposable. Plus, Bum Genius diapers have neat stretchy tabs that make diapering even the most wiggly babies a breeze.

The best thing about these diapers by far is that they are one-size-fits-most. They will fit babies between 6 and 35 pounds, so there’s no need to buy a bunch of diapers in different sizes. Ingenious! If you want to go a step further you can try a cloth diaper made from sustainable materials, such as organic cotton or even bamboo…

Bamboo Diapers

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on this planet. While some think of it as a tree, it is actually grass and it grows one third faster than the fastest growing tree; it reaches a harvestable size in three to five years. Some species of bamoboo grow as much as four feet a day. It requires no pesticides, is harvested with no impact to the environment, and is capable of complete regeneration without the need to replant.

All of which, of course, is great news for those of us who are conscious of the environment. Bamboo diapers are velvety soft too, and BumGenius offers a bamboo fitted diaper that is getting rave reviews from parents.

Diaper Duty

Buying cloth diapers is the easy part though. Caring for cloth diapers is the part that makes many moms and dads squeamish. But even that part is easier now. New fabric options allow you to skip the soaking and rinsing that were common in the past and use a dry pail method. You just store the soiled diapers in a diaper pail or bucket and then throw them in the wash a couple times a week. If you absolutely must rinse the diapers before washing then you may want to try a diaper sprayer called a mini shower that connects to your commode. To control odors, just sprinkle a bit of baking soda over the diapers or use Pail Pals. You can find all of these items at clothdiaper.com.

If you need general cloth diaper care information, like laundering tips and troubleshooting, you can turn to The Diaper Jungle: A Cloth Diaper Mega Information Source. This site has a nifty detergent chart that is “loads of fun.”

Alternatives to Cloth

So what if cloth diapers just aren’t for you? Well, another option is the flushable diaper by gDiapers. As their web site says, “Imagine taking your baby’s soiled diaper and simply flushing it down the toilet. No more smell. No more diaper. No more diaper pail. You’re putting waste right where it belongs, in the toilet. Not in a landfill.”

The ‘little g’ pants are made of water resistant, machine-washable, breathable material to keep wetness away and prevent diaper rash. Each pair of ‘little g’ pants comes with a spare snap-in liner. You also get a handy swishstick for breaking apart the flushable stuffing, and a H.U.G. - Handy User Guide. After you have a sufficient amount of the reusable pants then all you have to do is purchase the refills.

It can take as long as 500 years for disposable diapers to biodegrade in a landfill. It is comforting to know that we have options that will ensure our baby’s diapers will not be around to pollute the Earth for generations to come.

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.