Jennifer Crossley, staff writer for the TimesDaily.com published an interesting article, Green bottoms up: Many parents returning to cloth diapers, last Friday. In it she described how cloth diapers are “en vogue with snaps and Velcro and other added conveniences” and that “The diapers ride the green wave for families hoping to cut back on the amount of waste they produce.”
It got me to thinking about this supposed “green wave” and wonder whether or not caregivers would continue to wrap their children in cloth diapers if there wasn’t a need for a “green wave”; for instance, if it was revealed that Climate Researchers Manipulated and Hid Data.
Why Not Cloth Diaper Your Baby for THEM – NOT the WORLD?!
Respect for the earth is certainly one of the reasons for some of the personal decisions we make to recycle, reuse and reduce. It makes sense to protect what we’ve been given. It makes sense to not “use” more than our fair share and to give back whenever possible. It makes sense, global warming climate change or not.
However…why would THAT be the sole factor for cloth diapering my child? A consideration, yes. A final factor, no.
I would cloth diaper my children even if disposable diapers weren’t filling the landfills, plastics weren’t off-gassing, sodium polyacrylate wasn’t a chemical with disputed negative effects, and the economical “climate” wasn’t haphazard.
Why not respect children with the same conviction, urgency, and heart we put into all things GREEN? Why not choose cloth diapers on our babies because it wraps them in comfort. Why not choose cloth diapers on our babies because we wouldn’t dream of wearing paper and plastic underwear ourselves and want to afford the same comforts to our babies? Why not choose cloth diapers for our babies because we expect to change them regularly – don’t mind changing them regularly – instead of letting them sit in their own urine and waste for as much as a disposable diaper can hold?
Green Wave or Not – Cloth Diapers Respect our Babies!
Yes, cloth diapers are convenient. Yes, cloth diapers offer quick on-and-off closures with snaps or Velcro and are available in what seems to be an endless variety of highly absorbent, soft, plush fabrics. Yes, today’s cloth diapers are leakproof, easy to wash, easy to change, and are available in sizes to fit babies from birth to potty training.
But most of all…YES, cloth diapers give our children the respect they deserve – the respect we hope they offer us when the tables are turned and it is OUR diapers THEY are changing.
Bryana is the owner of 
Becca is a part-time Spanish Teacher and part-time Stay-At-Home-Mom. She's a cloth diaper expert who enjoys spending time with her family, crafting and selling her wares in her very own
Julie is a mom to three kids including a set of identical twins. Through cloth diapering her twins she developed a passion for the industry and is an avid cloth diaper advocate. You can also find her on her blog
Oh I am so glad to read this article! I have believed for a long time that there is no such thing as “global warming.” To combat the myriad of “green” options I often say “I go brown.” I believe in being good stewards of what we have been given…even the earth. But I do not believe in taking things to the extreme. I first researched cloth diapers when I was pregnant because I knew it was better for my baby. That was my first reason. My second reason was to save money. “Going green” had nothing to do with it!
Beautifully written. No matter what, I would cloth diaper for the very reason you state: I would not wear plastic or paper myself! Yuck!
I am in no way “green”. My DH and I are adopting two babies so I knew we needed to save money wherever possible. That is the #1 reason I started looking into CD’s, #2 reason was finding out about how long disposables stay in the landfills (I might not be “green” but 500 years is crazy), and the last reason is because they are so much better for our babies bums! Oh and they are so darn cute on baby bottoms!
Interesting perspective! I hope that if people have multiple reasons for cloth diapering (better for baby, $, green-ness), they will be more likely to stick with it, and it will be attractive to a wider variety of people.
We made the switch to CD’s when our son kept breaking out from disposable diapers. Our pediatrician said that we needed to make the switch to chlorine free diapers. I said that we would do one better, cloth! She looked at me like I was crazy, but he hasn’t had a break out since. Cloth is THE best way to go for babies.
I don’t even care if there is global warming…fact is do what is right for your kids and the Earth. I switched to cloth for my child and my pocket book and the Earth last…even with the most costly and nicest cloth diapers I am still saving money helping my children (I have 2 in dipes) and they are really cute to boot!
Well the first reason I started was to save money. I figured that buying disposable diapers was pretty much like throwing money away. Plus I read so much about cloth diapered babies having little to no rashes. I hate when my babies get a rash. I know what it feels like. Also, when I was thinking about that part, I came to the conclusion that a cloth diaper must be more comfortable for them. And they do seem to like them better. So I had many reasons for switching to cloth, but not about being “green”, that’s just an added bonus.
My biggest reason for using cloth was to save money. I just wish I would have started when my baby was born and not at 6 months old! =)