Why We Chose Cloth Diapers

I LOVE cloth diapers and now love to help other families fall in love with them too.

How and why did we land where we are today? I don't even remember what initially made us consider it. We didn't have any friends or family that ever used cloth diapers and they were not as accessible as they are now. In fact I think all of our family thought we were crazy and wouldn't stick with them. We weren't even sure if we could manage it with six other children, and both of us working full time. Yet, we decided to give them a "try". We are a "green" family and it just made sense.

We looked at our options, and also decided that if we were going to use cloth we were going to use American made cloth (I know a completely separate issue). So, we ordered our first round of cloth diapers. OMG!! It was love at first sight. Those soft, colorful, tiny newborn Thirsties diapers were so stinkin adorable!! We removed "try" from our discussion about cloth and changed it to USE. We we're blessed to find a wonderful daycare in Franklin (Creekwood Academy) that happily accepted our cloth diapered baby. I have since visited many day cares in the area and all but one said they would accept cloth diapers. =) So we had our supplies, and our daycare, now onto dealing with the POOP! I was nervous at first (ok, paranoid) that I would not be able to clean off all the poopy and get back those clean fluffy diapers. Thanks to the invention of a diaper sprayer, and soft breast milk poop, my diapers stayed beautiful for two full years. Yes, cloth diapers take a little extra time to launder, and yes occasionally you will have to deal with a bit of stink, but we never once regretted using cloth diapers. We traveled to California and back using only cloth (twice), we worked full time jobs, breast fed, and started a family business selling the cloth that we fell in love with.

There are a million sites with actual facts about why to choose cloth. Financially it makes sense so hubbies read this: the average family saves between $1,500-$2,000 over a two year period by using cloth. Environmentally it makes sense so Earth lovers read this: the standard disposable diaper takes 500 years or more to decompose in a landfill, which means every diaper ever pooped in is out there contaminating our earth right now. Health benefits of cloth are tremendous, so all parents read this: standard disposable diapers contain three chemicals of concern:

1st: Sodium Polyacrylate is often visible as small gel-like crystals on the skin of babies and is thought to be linked to skin irritations and respiratory problems. This chemical was removed from tampons due to toxic shock syndrome concerns. As it has only been used in diapers for the last two decades, there is not yet research on the long-term health effects of sodium polyacrylate on babies.

2nd: Tributyl-tin (TBT). According to the EPA, this toxic pollutant is extremely harmful to aquatic (water) life and causes endocrine (hormonal) disruptions in aquatic organisms. TBT is a polluting chemical that does not degrade but remains in the environment and in our food chain. TBT is also an ingredient used in biocides to kill infecting organisms. Additionally, according to research published by the American Institute of Biological Sciences, tributyl-tin can trigger genes that promote the growth of fat cells, causing obesity in humans.

3rd: Dioxin. Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.


Why risk the health of your child, or the future of our planet for "convenience"? Besides those disposable diapers are stiff, wouldn't you rather have your baby in a soft fluffy diaper? Plus they look much better in photographs!

Check out the RDA website for additional information http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

With love of fluff & American made stuff,

Marie Sawyer
615) 542-4338
Green Pixie Baby
117 Third Avenue N.
Franklin, TN 37064
http://www.greenpixiebaby.com
http://www.facebook.com/Greenpixiebaby