I have always been a big fan of cloth diapers. When I got pregnant with twins, I ran out and bought wonderful organic cotton diapers and was so excited to try them. Then reality set in. Twins? Cloth diapers? Yee gads.
Then when my babies were born they were sick and needed lots of care. My husband and other family members wanted to help take care of them. “Cloth diapers!?!,” they yelled. “No way.” Disposable diapers have been used since 1948 -- how bad can a few more be! I was powerless to buck the anti-cloth movement and secretly thankful that at least this aspect of their care might be easy. Thus began my slow descent into the world of ecological/health compromises.
Am I proud of my descent? No, but I'm not sure I could have handled (at least with the twins) the whole cloth diaper process. Are there ways to make your use of disposable diapers a little more environmentally friendly and healthy? Yes! I diapered my twins, and their little sister who followed a few years later, with disposable diapers, trying to make some environmentally sound, healthy decisions in my choice of brands along the way.
Most "conventional" diapers contain superabsorbent gels and chemicals that have been linked to childhood asthma (from breathing the airborne emissions from them). The chemicals used in them are absorbed by their sensitive skin and, once used, contaminate our landfills. Our babies' carbon footprints are HUGE...
