The disposable -v- cloth diaper debate has raged since the first disposable diaper made its way to the grocery shelves. Each camp promotes their product with veracity – citing inconclusive evidence at times, and sensationalizing or de-sensationalizing different features, risks, health issues, and environmental issues.
If the domain name and blog contents aren’t readily obvious, we want you to know that we promote cloth diapers over disposable diapers, period. That includes the “natural” diapers found in your local Health Food Store, and the gDiapers that are being passed off as an alternative to both cloth and disposables.
Without detailing the vast array of reasons why we choose cloth (at least not in this post), we feel you should know/understand what is IN a disposable diaper … y’know the goopy stuff that magically absorbs all the urine your baby can pee into it. The active agent is a chemical; A CHEMICAL. This chemical is commonly noted as an acronym, SAP, and it stands for Super Absorbent Polymers. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?
Super Absorbent Polymers are absorbent beads that will absorb and hold liquid – lots of liquid – hence, their popularity as an ingredient in disposable diapers. Because of its absorbency, the manufacturers of disposable diapers have upped their disposable diaper recipes to include more and more of this polymer.
SAPs, used initially in the US in the late 1960s by the United States Department of Agriculture, were first used in diapers in Japan, in 1982. The original superabsorbent diapers contained five to six grams of SAPs per diaper. Today’s new, thinner disposables have less wood pulp and more SAPs: 10 to 15 grams per diaper. Superabsorbent diapers currently on sale at natural grocery stores contain SAPs.
A closer look, however, doesn’t render them as safe an option as their manufacturers and the disposable diaper companies promote.
SAPs can cause severe skin infections or worse. In the 1980s, SAPs were removed from superabsorbent tampons because the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.
But that was the 1980s, right? What about 20 years later? Surely they’ve decreased the risk of this chemical that is exposed to our baby’s skin all day long for up to 3 years of their lives, right?
A study in the September 1999 issue of Archives of Environmental Health found that laboratory mice exposed to various brands of throwaway diapers suffered eye, nose, and throat irritation, including bronchoconstriction similar to that resulting from an asthma attack. The lead author of the study advised asthmatic mothers to avoid exposure to the chemicals found in most throwaway diapers.
SAP in disposable diapers is important to consider. Continue reading about SAP in Disposable Diapers, as well as other aspects in the disposable -v- cloth diaper debate, in Peggy O’Mara’s editorial, A Tale of Two Diapers, at Mothering magazine online..
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
i agree that you have a point, but what is the actual chemical name of this chemical? what does the MSDS say about it? i think you’ll find even more good information for this article if you explore what the chemical actually IS and the safety recommendations for those handing it.
I know this was posted forever ago, but while your comments about SAP being related to TSS are true, your statement is unfair without more information.
What happened is tampons were SO absorbent that woman we leaving them in for longer and longer periods of time. Because the tampons were being left in for so long, the risk of bacteria forming is greater. The bacteria causes TSS.
So manufacturers had to make tampons less effective so women wouldn’t be stupid and leave them in too long.
I don’t disagree that this can be argued with disposable diapers. SO much SAP is being used that people can leave the diapers on until they are dragging on the ground that that isn’t healthy (same with leaving a tampon in for days), BUT saying that SAP is bad because it is linked to TSS is a poor statement.
Cloth diapers (and gDiapers) are great. Giving poor information to support them is not helpful.
thanks for listening.
Many cloth diapers use micro fiber inserts which I believe contain polymers. How is that different than the SAP in disposable diapers?
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