Even though cloth diapers have become more popular over the past few years, once in a while, I will get the question “why should I use cloth diapers?” or “is it really going to save me money to use cloth diapers rather than disposables?”

Here are some reasons why I believe in using cloth diapers:

1. Cloth diapers are reusable and thus environmentally friendly. On the contrary, disposable diapers can only be used once, obviously, and then end up in a landfill and remain there for hundreds & hundreds of years without decomposing. Even the so called “biodegradable” disposable diapers need light & oxygen to biodegrade and which is almost impossible when they are buried in the landfills. As a result, it also takes hundreds of years for those “biodegradable” diapers to decompose.

2. Based on research, it takes over 200,000 trees a year and around 80,000 pounds of plastic to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone!

3. The disposable diapers can contaminate ground water as they are placed in the landfills untreated.

4. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Diapers made up 2.1 percent of U.S. garbage or 3.4 million tons of waste, in landfills in 1998 -- the last year this information was collected.

5. Some people argue that washing cloth diapers uses up more energy and water add to the load on sanitary water system. The truth is the amount of water used to wash cloth diapers at home is almost equivalent to the amount of water an average person uses when flushing the toilet 4-5 times par day. And when it comes to the energy usage, here is all you need to know:

“Just consider the energy and fossil fuels used to cut down and transport thousands of trees to make the paper pulp used in a disposable diaper, not to mention the devastation this causes to our national forests. Water and energy are then used to create this paper pulp and bleach it. Even more energy is used to make the outer plastic shells and then assemble the diaper. These diapers are then packaged in plastic wrappings and put in cardboard boxes, which also had to be specially made for transporting these diapers. It doesn’t end there, however; these diapers are then transported from the factory all over the country and all over the world using trains, trucks, and cargo planes, so that they can be delivered to the stores that sell them to the public. No doubt, more energy is wasted by the consumer who must drive to and from these stores to make their purchase. To make matters worse, these consumers use these diapers and throw them away, essentially throwing their money in the garbage as well. The garbage must then be transported to a landfill using even more energy and fuel. This energy consumption is never ending. Cloth diaper users reduce, reuse, and recycle. Can any disposable diaper users claim that?”

Source: ( www.diaperjungle.com)

Moreover, when you flush the solids from a cloth diaper into the toilet then wash your diapers in the washing machine, the contaminated water goes into the sewer system where it is properly treated.

6. The cost of cloth diapers is absolutely less than buying disposables especially if they are used for a second child. Good high quality cloth diapers can last for a few years and thus save you a lot of money.

       Want the facts?

• The average baby goes through 5,000-6,000 diapers before being potty-trained. 
  

• You will save $1000-$2000 over the course of 2 years by using cloth diapers.

• The average parent spends $2,694.54 for 7,349 disposable, single-use diapers (source: Natural Family Online) while you can spend $400 on cloth diapers that will last you the 2 years before potty training and then reuse them for your next child if you have one.

7. Disposable diapers can contain all kinds of toxic dyes, sodium Polyacrylate which is used in the highly absorbent gel as well as Dioxin, which is a byproduct of bleaching paper. Polyacrylate was linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome, a bacteria-caused illness in 1985 and was removed from tampons. There was no such connection proven for that link in the use of it in disposable diapers and so it is still used!

Many of the chemicals and toxins used in disposables are linked to allergies and rashes in babies and other serious reactions. There have also been cases reported of babies pulling the disposable diapers apart and putting pieces of it in their mouth or nose.

8. Disposable diapers prevent proper ventilation and thus cause more rashes than cloth diapers. They also tend to feel dry when wet and if not changed frequently, that can also contribute to diaper rashes.

9. “The one study that does give cloth diapers a leg up in health benefits for baby boys appeared in the October 2000 issue of the Disease in Childhood medical journal. In that article, German researchers found that the scrotal skin temperatures of baby boys were significantly higher when they wore disposable diapers than when they wore cloth. While the scientists called for more research, their article suggested that prolonged use of disposable diapers as infants was an "important factor" contributing to the decline of sperm production among adult males. Proctor & Gamble conducted its own study and also found that scrotal skin temperatures increased for boys in disposable diapers, although not to the degree that the German scientists showed, Kuta said.”

Reference: (http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/04/63182)

These are the main reasons I recommend using cloth diapers over disposables. There are many more and the list can keep on going.

In the end, there is no right or wrong, it is a personal choice and some parents are just not ready to make that change and commit to cloth diapering or their lifestyle does not allow them to.

My mission is to try and educate people about cloth diapers and show them how easy they are to use these days. Cloth diapers have come a loooong looong way and using them is simple and most certainly rewarding!

I have been using cloth diapers for my son and will absolutely use them for my second. A simple gift we can give our children and they will thank us tomorrow.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

What are the benefits of breastfeeding my baby?

Benefits for Baby

Chapter 18 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Revised Edition, "Human Milk for Human Babies ," documents the benefits of breastfeeding such as the antibodies in it to protect the baby from illness. For example, a study in the Philippines showed that, "Deaths from respiratory infections and diarrhea were eight to ten times higher in babies who were artificially fed than in those who were even partiaully breastfed for six months " (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Revised Edition, page 350). Breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development as well as overall facial development. This means that people who were artificially fed may experience more trips to doctors and dentists

Benefits for Mother

Chapter 19 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "How Breastfeeding Affects a Mother," describes some of the physical benefits of breastfeeding for the mother such as reduced rates of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The time saved for mother is immense also. As a breastfeeding mother, you can feed your baby even during stressful times such as when normal supplies of food and water are not available.

Benefits for Employers

Breastfed babies are healthier babies; thus, mothers who are employed outside the home are likely to miss fewer days of work according to a study in the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, 3rd Revised edition. on page 242, To learn more about working and breastfeeding see our collection of breastfeeding resources.

Benefits for the Environment

The article "A Quick Look at Breastfeeding's Most Revolutionary Year Yet," by Dia Michels describes the environmentally friendly benefits of breastfeeding. Simply put, human milk is delivered without excess packaging or processing and thus contributes to the health of our planet.

Today I found the toothpaste in the toilet, the dog bowl in the bathtub and a pair of pants in the oven…hmmm…welcome to my world! My son Laith, now 16 months old, is my little inspiration….his world is full of creativity, adventure and surprises. Even though we are the teachers of our children, you have to admit, we learn a lot from them as well.

My mission is to make moms’ lives a little easier so they can focus on enjoying the gift of motherhood and savor those precious moments.

Since I was a little girl, I have loved babies and was fascinated by the miracle of birth. When I was pregnant I was on top of the world…so excited to meet that little one and to finally experience motherhood.

My pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding experiences made me realize that it was time to follow my passion and turn it into a career where I can share what I learned and experienced as a new mom with other moms out there.

After months of research and hard work, I finally opened Baby Fityani Boutique in my hometown.

Almost a year later, I decided to further grow this passion and build an online resource to enable me to share those experiences with moms all over the world.

Becoming a mom is the most wonderful experience ever but it can get overwhelming at times. Researching the tremendous amount of information and products that are out there can be very confusing and challenging.

I chose only the products that I absolutely believe in. I have either tried them myself or know moms who have tried them and raved about them. Furthermore, all my products are safe for both baby & mom. I am always looking for the most up-to-date products and information to share with you. I am also here to share my personal experiences and knowledge or answer any questions you may have. However, do not ask me why the toothpaste was in the toilet, how the dog bowl got in the bathtub or how the pants ended up in the oven.

Sara