Cloth is Healthier than Disposables

When I found out I was pregnant I was the typical first time preggo mama- super strict about not drinking, taking my prenatal vitamins DAILY, not eating certain things like unpasteurized cheese or raw tuna (super hard for this die-hard sushi lover), eating what I was supposed to (with the occasional McDonalds... I'm so embarrassed!)- I wanted to do everything possible to make sure this little baby would be as healthy as possible. At the time a few Internet friends were cloth diapering so I was introduced to the idea via pictures of adorable baby butts in blue and pink diapers. How could you not love that? I began to research a little more and found out some possible health benefits of cloth diapering and decided if I was going to try and make sure this baby was as healthy as possible in utero, I can't really ignore the claims (facts in my mind but I'll say claims so as to avoid upsetting people) that disposable diapers are harmful to babies.

Facts/Claims/Opinions...

1- Cloth diapered babies get less diaper rashes. The only time N has ever had a diaper rash was when he first came home from the hospital and it was because he was in disposables in the hospital and for a little of the first two days. The chemicals in disposable diapers (more on that later) causing babies to bleed from chemical burns now too. Pamper's new Dry Max has caused what some pediatricians are diagnosing as chemical burns on poor babies! I can't even imagine what the increase in these chemicals will do to these poor children in the long run if they will cause welts in just a day of using these diapers.

2- The chemicals in disposable diapers cause cancer and even infertility.

Sodium polyacrylate is the gel in diapers that swells up with the liquid. It causes allergic reactions and/or SEVERE skin irritations (we're talking oozing blood, vomiting, and staph infections) in some people, babies have died from ingesting as little as 5 grams of it (a nickel is 5 grams), and was banned in tampons in 1985 because it was found to cause Toxic Shock Syndrome. This REALLY bothered me- how can something that is BANNED from adult products still be used (in large amounts) to make baby products. That just doesn't sit right with me.

Dioxin is the by-product that is produced through bleaching the disposable diapers. Not only is it a carcinogenic, but it is listed as the MOST toxic of all cancer-liked chemicals by the EPA. Most countries have banned it, but not the US. Again, disgusting!

Tributyl Tin is also found in disposable diapers. It is highly toxic and impairs both the hormonal and immune system and is thought to cause sterility in boys.

3- Disposable diapers don't let the baby's skin breathe. This is part of the reason that babies get more diaper rash with disposables but also part of the reason that disposable diapers are thought to make boys sterile. Let me explain. The reason that testicles are outside of the body is that the body temperature of 98* is too hot for the delicate sperm and sperm making facilities. When a baby is diagnosed with undescended testes, it is almost immediately rectified because of the long term effects that the extra degrees of heat could cause- sterility and increased risk of testicular cancer. Because disposable diapers do not allow the baby's skin to breath enough, they heat up the babies' testicles to such a degree that it can cause infertility and/or testicular cancer. There has been a sharp increase in infertility amoung males in the last 25 years... hmm... how long has it been since disposable diapers have become the seemingly only choice for parents?

I really had a hard time turning away from the idea of cloth diapers at that point. Knowing that cloth diapers could harm my child, how could I possibly put them on him/her? How could I knowingly put chemicals KNOWN to cause cancer on my baby's delicate skin? How could I use something on my baby that wouldn't be safe to use on myself?

And just because... here is N's first cloth diaper :)