Disposable diapers -enviro friendly?

jackiesmom324 · August 2017

hey!! Hubby started a coup yesterday against cloth diapering. He made the compelling argument that as the parent doing the most childcare he should get the final say on this. I agree but am sad about all my cloth diapering environmentally friendly dreams...

are there any biodegradable disposable diapers out there?

KLake42 · August 2017

Yes, several brands. Seventh Generation is usually easy to find. They do cost more, though.

We're planning to use both, starting with disposable for preemie/newborn sizes, then mixing it up. I understand that it helps a lot with potty training, since the kid can feel the wetness with cloth, so we'll becoming for mostly cloth by that time. So you might be able to make a compelling argument for including some cloth in the routine once the baby is a bigger size.

cait5413 · August 2017

There are arguments both ways, because of the environmental impact of washing the cloth diapers. It depends on the efficiency of your machine and whether you air dry or machine dry. https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2008/03/should_my_baby_wear_huggies.html

So, just know that cloth diapers are not necessarily that much better for the environment, esp. if you are considering the greener diapers as mentioned above.

brittyclem · August 2017

@cait5413 I don't know if I agree with the comparison in the Slate article. It's comparing the energy needed to produce disposable diapers vs the upkeep of cloth diapers. I think that's an apples to oranges comparison. While, it may take almost as much energy to reuse a cloth diaper over and over again over a year, it is different than the energy used to generate one disposable diaper. The bigger concern for me is the biodegradable nature of disposable diapers. We don't even know how long they take to decompose but the estimate is hundreds of years.

@jackiesmom324 I would suggest looking into a cloth diaper service if you have one in your area. They pick up the dirties, drop off clean diapers every week. The cost is about the same as disposable diapers but the ease/convenience is worth the price for us. Also if you are using daycare, make sure they are ok with cloth diapering. All the ones we've looked at in town have been fine with it, but I've heard many are not. We will probably use disposables when we are on the go/traveling. I'm leaning towards Earth's Best as it's made with renewable energy (not petroleum), and chlorine free. I've also heard good things about gDiapers, which have a flushable insert that shouldn't be as much work but I haven't looked into them too much.

splsmama2016 · August 2017

We do both cloth and disposable. Mainly disposable because they're crazy easy, but I use cloth a lot on the weekends and nights. It's so much more convenient now that DD's poops are solid and I can roll them into the toilet.

Amber_Waves · August 2017

"Biodegradable" is questionable...often it's biodegradable IF left in the sun for 10 years. Um...that's not going to happen. I have the same issue with the plastic baggies for cleaning up after my dog.

i think the current numbers are that the total carbon footprint for disposables is 2.5x that of cloth. It's 1.5x if you have less efficient appliances / use a dryer instead of air drying.

I do think your husband should have final say since he's going to be handling most of it, but he may not realize that it's a significant environmental difference and not very hard to use/wash cloth.

my MIL is going to be doing some child care for us and was freaked about the cloth until I showed her how simple it is.

i can get you links if needed.

wabash15 · August 2017

DH was unsure about cloth, but its really not that much work. We cloth diaper our twins and only was them twice a week. Cloth may not fit well for the newborns (unless you have specific newborn diapers, but they may out grow these quickly so it might not be worth the cost) If we have to disposable (like when they have a rash) we use 7th generation, they are not bleached and are among the more environmentally friendly options. There is also babyganics (though for us we did not like them as much as 7th gen) and honest diapers (though these are $$$)

eta plus if you have more kids down the road the cost savings increase and your still putting less waste in the landfills)

lavashiner · August 2017

some services in my area do cloth diapers (like @brittyclem described) along with compostables! I was always intrigued but never tried them...But you may want to look into it to avoid landfill. They must be picked up since obviously this isn't the type of composting you can do in your backyard, but for a service to pick them up and drop them off weekly, it seems like a no-brainer (well, depending on cost!).

DH hates cloth, but we did a nanny-share with DD and both kids had CDs, so it was no big deal. I would do the laundry every few days in the evening and DH didn't have to deal with them too much.

jackiesmom324 · August 2017

so there also is no cloth diapering in my area and we are probably not having another for at least another 2-3 years. im maybe thinking i can volunteer to do the CD laundry perhaps but right now its looking like we are going to the envirofriendly disposable route unfort. then i also realized that i need to seriously start looking into nanny share options now. i still can not believe how scarce of a resource childcare is

elcd458 · August 2017

Anecdotally, one nephew peed/leaked out of every CD I ever saw him wear. And yes, I realize that it probably means his mom was not doing something correctly (wrong fit, wrong detergent, yadda yadda) but she was a crunchy SAHM with previous kid experience and all the time in the world, so I told myself if she couldn't figure it out I'd have zero chance of success (as a generally scatterbrained, impatient, working FTM). My other nephews were CD'd a bit more successfully but their house was always overrun with piles and piles of diaper parts and I think that would ultimately drive me insane.

YodaIsGreen · August 2017

I've heard poor reviews on the seventh generation diapers for newborns. Many people have complained that they leak. It would be good to hear the experience of moms here who have used them.

eazybreezy225 · August 2017

There's actually quite a few biodegradable disposable diapers out there. Definitely more choices than what was available when I had DD1.
Honest Company
Seventh Generation
gDiapers (cloth diaper inserts that are disposable)
Earths Best
BabyGanics
Nature Babycare
Bambo Nature
Naty
Whole Foods 365
Target Up&Up
and more, I'm sure!

Although it should be pointed out that while eco-friendly diapers are an excellent choice, they are essentially pointless unless you dispose of them properly.... if you put them in a plastic bag (diaper genie bags, plastic shopping bag, garbage bag, or other similar bag) they won't be able to break down as they should, they will just sit in the plastic in a landfill somewhere and it will literally be no different from using a chemical filled mainstream diaper.
Also, landfills are not meant to break-down garbage, there's not enough airflow to allow for it. So even just tossing diapers not wrapped in plastic, just loose in your big curbside can, it will still take a VERY long time to break-down.
The best way to dispose of them is to compost them (poopy diapers cannot be composted) or to tear them up and flush them.

Ultimately cloth diapers are the best choice for diapering, because the method of disposal is far greener than biodegradable disposable diapers.

elcd458 · August 2017

To add to what @eazybreezy225 stated above, I read somewhere recently that theoretically parts of ALL disposable diapers are biodegradable, but that disposables haven't existed long enough for anyone to really know for sure, or to see how long it would take. We're talking hundreds of years if not longer. And also, as mentioned above, because our methods of disposal prevent that breakdown from occurring the way it should.

@jackiesmom324 I think it's good that you are researching but I'd encourage you not to agonize over whatever decision you ultimately make. Most of my CD friends end up still using a fair share of disposables during the newborn days, during travel, daycare, etc. and the investment may not pan out equally if LO is an only child or last child and you are CD for the first time. The good (?) news is that kids in the Western Hemisphere don't potty train very early so you have plenty of time to experiment and change your mind!

I've known for a while that despite the pressure to do it, CD just isn't for us but I continue to work to reduce my carbon footprint in other ways. On the other hand, my CD-ing SILs are the kind of people that run a load(s) of laundry daily, wash a towel or set of pajamas after one use, etc. and so I'm fairly certain their overall family water consumption negates whatever environmental resources they are preserving by using cloth. It literally is all "coming out in the wash" like the saying goes.

jackiesmom324 · August 2017

Thanks yall for the advice. Ill offer to hubby to wash the cloth diapers but it looks like unless a miracle happens I will probably be doing the biodegradable diapers for now and trying to flush the poop off them in the toilet. Did i get that right?

jackiesmom324 · August 2017

@eazybreezy225 are you supposed to flush the poop first then put them in the compost?

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