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Getting to the bottom of cloth, disposable diapers

BY DEBBIE CAFAZZO

McClatchy Newspapers

TACOMA, Wash. --Cloth diapers are making a comeback among families searching for a more natural lifestyle.

Mothering magazine, the bible of the natural parenting set, recently featured a cloth diaper cover story complete with testimonials from moms, along with a guide to new products that make cloth diapering easier than ever.

Arguments for and against both kinds of diapers have raged for years.

Parents who choose disposable diapers point to convenience and sanitation in the nursery. They say babies stay dry longer due to modern materials that draw moisture away from the skin, so babies experience less diaper rash. Most point out that they do fewer loads of laundry, which not only saves time but also lowers household water and energy consumption.

Cloth diaper advocates say they're keeping tons of garbage -- not to mention human waste that parents fail to remove from disposables -- out of landfills.

The Real Diaper Association, which supports cloth, points out that disposables can take generations to decompose. It also says disposables contain traces of dioxin from the paper-bleaching process and other potentially harmful substances. Finally, cloth diaper users say that babies who actually feel wet once in a while may potty train earlier.

Some parents start with one kind of diaper, then switch as children grow older.

What's new in cloth diapers

These are not your mother's or your grandmother's diapers.

For starters, "hardly anybody uses pins," says Hillary Ryan, a Tacoma mom who sells cloth diapering products through her business, Wai Baby.

Instead, there are Snappis, T-shaped pieces of rubber with soft teeth that grip fabric, not baby.

While startup costs for cloth diapers are steeper, you pay for materials once, and re-use them. And when your child is out of diapers, the soft squares of fabric can be used as household rags.

• The basics: Diaper fabrics range from cotton to hemp. Prefolded diapers are rectangles of fabric that can be unfolded and expanded as baby grows. Contoured diapers are shaped like an hourglass, making them easier to put on. Fitted diapers have elastic legs and waists.

• Baby wraps: Plastic pants are passe, although many moms still use them. Modern diaper covers come in a variety of waterproof fabrics, many of them made of the same types of materials used in outdoor gear. Some wraps attach with Velcro, others use adjustable snaps.

• All-in-ones: These combine an inner diaper and an outer cover that's attached to the diaper. The all-in-one is secured with Velcro or snaps. The whole thing gets washed after it's soiled.

• Pocket diapers: Outside is waterproof polyurethane, inside is microfleece or other soft material. The two layers are sewn together, with a pocket opening in the back in which you insert a prefolded diaper or special insert that comes with the pocket diaper. The whole thing closes with snaps or Velcro. When baby wets, moisture passes through the inner layer and is absorbed by the insert.

Which do you prefer?

Are you a fan of cloth or disposable diapers? Or do you use both to cut down on waste while taking advantage of convenience?

Tell us about your diaper philosophy on our WichiTalk blog at http://blogs.kansas.com/wichitalk/.