One of the many decisions the parents will make when having a baby is choosing between cloth diapers and disposable diapers. This dilemma has become a debate over the years now. Disposable diapers are, without a doubt, the most convenient to use when you are traveling and headed to your destination; nevertheless, it seems to have a lot of disadvantages that may harm not just your baby, but as well as the environment and your wallet. Little did they know that cloth diapers also have harmful effects on your baby and the environment, too.
We all know that best cloth diapers are available nowadays make a lot of progress and has improved a lot compared to the old, saggy layer of cottons that uses large pins to hold the fabrics together. With the continuous improvement in cloth diapers, some of the manufacturers use polymer chemicals in the more up-to-date models; namely: vinyl, polyester, PUL (Polyurethane Laminate), wool, and fleece. These chemicals are used on the cloth diaper covers to prevent leaks when the baby is using cloth diapers.
- PUL Cloth Diaper Cover. PUL stands for Polyurethane Laminate, which is a toxic synthetic product. The disadvantage of this kind of diaper cover is that, it uses synthetic fabric that doesn’t offer breathable space when attached to your child’s skin. This type of diaper cover usually combines with polyesters.
- Fleece Cloth Diaper Cover. These diaper covers are made up of 100% polyester. When compared to the PUL diaper cover, this one does breathe a little more. The cons about this diaper cover is that it holds the smell of your baby’s poop, and it is not a natural fabric.
- Vinyl Cloth Diaper Cover. Vinyl is commonly called the polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. It is considered very toxic as it contains phthalates, which may disrupt your baby’s endocrine. Furthermore, it does not allow your baby’s skin to breathe.
- Wool Cloth Diaper Cover. The disadvantage of this kind of cloth diaper cover is that it is not waterproof, and when it is filled up with too much urine, chances are; it will leak.
One more thing, if you are fond of letting your clothes washed in a laundry shop, they probably use a chlorine bleach which can irritate your baby’s skin. If you are still contemplating on whether to use a cloth diaper or disposable diapers, included below are some advantages and disadvantages for disposable diapers; just for additional information.
Pros of Using a Disposable Diaper:
- In case you’re on the road and headed for a family trip with your baby, using disposable diapers is definitely convenient for you as it easily available in any store—furthermore, you can just throw them away instead of being washed.
- Absorption capacity. Compared to the cloth diapers, disposable diapers can absorb more amounts of urine as it has absorbent crystals that can hold more liquid.
- Sanitary wise. Removing a cloth diaper can be definitely messy; in addition, you will have to throw the poop away first before washing it. While in disposable diaper, you can easily throw it away in the trash bins.
Cons of Using a Disposable Diaper:
- Can cause harmful effects to your baby. Most disposable diapers are made of toxic materials that can irritate your child’s sensitive skin.
- Not eco-friendly. It is considered non-biodegradable since you can only use it once. Loads of disposable diapers are dumped in landfills consistently adding to the reason for land pollution.
- Not cost-effective. You have to constantly buy diapers in a store whenever you run out of it, and we all know that disposable diapers are expensive.