Any parents on here used/use non-disposable diapers, or know 1st hand accounts of parents who did/do?

I have done some very basic research, and I have found 3 types:

1) All in ones: One many-layered cotton shell that you wash and re-use
2) With washable insert: Outer washable cotton shell with an absorbent washable insert
3) With flushable insert: Outer washable cotton shell with a flushable one-time use insert

The 3rd one is out for us, because that would cost more in the long run, as you have to keep buying the inserts. Also, they aren't available here, so we have to get them from overseas.

The 1st and 2nd one, we are a bit queasy about putting soiled (esp feces) diapers into a washing machine. Also, it would mean doing a load just for 1 or 2 diapers only at a time, unless we put other clothes in as well. But again, if I am already uneasy about putting soiled diapers into the machine even on their own, I wouldn't want to put ours or the baby's clothes with them, would I?

So, how to do this?

12/7/2008 4:07:25 PM

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/7/2008 4:08:40 PM

shit in your pants, do some laundry, report back to tww

12/7/2008 4:12:44 PM

Would you want to wear undies you peed and pooped in?

12/7/2008 4:14:03 PM

I don't think I'd like to wash shit soaked diapers in my washer

12/7/2008 4:14:29 PM

I don't know why'd you ever want to do this.

A recent study suggests that the carbon footprint from the use of traditional/washable diapers is greater than that of disposables. Although, I am not certain of the credibility of the study, it certainly seems plausible.



http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4969413.ece

12/7/2008 4:46:24 PM

http://www.cottonbabies.com

my wife and I have used cloth diapers since our son was about a month old. he's now 5 months.

It's actually a lot easier than we had thought: the difficulty is in getting the routine set up. Our motivations were first to save money over disposable diapers, and secondly environmental concerns.

we haven't had any problems with leaks, with poop in the washer, etc. etc. The only issue we have is that cloth diapers are bulkier and it affects how his clothes fit.

we have 18 or 20 cotton prefolds, 5 or 6 velcro covers, a couple of pairs of nylon pants, and 3 all in ones (bum genius adjustables). The bum genius diapers are for sleeping, we use a standard insert and a doubler.

we're on our second size prefolds and covers, the first lasted from ~1month to ~3months. the smaller prefolds make awesome burp cloths. We've probably spent about $200 or so on everything so far.

our process:
wet diapers go in an old kitty litter bucket, which has a lid that snaps shut tight. poopy diapers get shaken into the toilet first. at this point he poops about once every two days, which is normal. If a cover is clean (i.e. pee only), it can get wiped out with a baby wipe and hung by the changing table, so we get about 2 uses per cover.

every other day, we do a load of diapers, first thing in the morning, then the diapers go out on the clothesline if the weather's nice. clean the bucket and start all over.

=====
some diapers we've had:

bum genius one size (pocket): really nice, really expensive, soak up a lot of pee and so are good at night
kushies all in one: got these used off craigslist. they were OK.

covers:
Dappi plastic pants + snappies elastic diaper pin thingies: Pretty great, very very cheap ($4 for 2 pants) Not the most attractive. Basically anything else can be worn on its own.
we've also used all the other types of solid covers at cottonbabies, and they're all pretty nice. The bummis and the proraps are the best they have at the moment.

12/7/2008 4:47:15 PM

I was raised on cotton diapers.


But I can't really ask the person who was in charge of them.




So I'm of no help. Except to say that it is indeed possible.

12/7/2008 4:47:42 PM

my dog is pad trained and pees on a cloth pad, which is basically a giant diaper. i clean it in the washing machine (poop goes in toilet first if possible). it bothered me at first, but it really doesnt get in the washer. no big deal.

12/7/2008 5:01:27 PM

i was also raised on cotton diapers, but that's b/c they were the only things available. my parents used two layer diaper cloth and safety pins.

my skivvies were cleaned of any loose soil and then washed/boiled for the rinse cycle.

if you have a washing machine that has it's own water heater/sanitizing feature, this works great. i throw any soiled bedding/clothes/towels in there and it's one load with some bleach, nothing to worry about.

your concern about throwing soiled diapers in the washing machine has merit (moreso with front loaders). i have my washing machine serviced every 6mos-year and they clean every part of it. it's funny how much buildup there is (organic/mineral).

12/7/2008 5:02:04 PM

cotton baby diapers are good for cleaning

that's the only thing i think they're good for

12/7/2008 5:15:14 PM

Thanks for all the responses. Haven't read them all, but will soon.

For now, I just want to respond to this post:

Quote :

"A recent study suggests that the carbon footprint from the use of traditional/washable diapers is greater than that of disposables. Although, I am not certain of the credibility of the study, it certainly seems plausible. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4969413.ece "

Read this:

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/society/environment/factcheck+rash+verdict+on+nappies/603782

12/7/2008 5:27:10 PM

oh good lord. really? carbon footprints? arguing over eco-friendly diapers?

j

12/7/2008 5:30:26 PM

12 BILLION+ disposable diapers are thrown into landfills EVERY YEAR, just in the US.

250,000 trees are cut down to make those diapers, every year.

So yeah, it IS a very big issue.

Ignoramus.

12/7/2008 5:32:58 PM

great. a one-sided hippie argument

12/7/2008 5:35:49 PM

This sounds like something Al Gore would champion...perhaps he will be on Oprah again discussing this issue and how it will end the world if it does not change.

12/7/2008 5:44:13 PM

These are not arguments, you moron:

Quote :

"12 BILLION+ disposable diapers are thrown into landfills EVERY YEAR, just in the US. 250,000 trees are cut down to make those diapers, every year."

They are facts.

NOTE: I am not saying non-disposables are better than disposables, or vice versa. I just stated two facts about disposables, which you can verify. If those facts are true, that shows that this issue (CARBON FOOTPRINT OF DIAPERS) is an important issue, and is worth investing time and money into to create alternatives. We can't keep cutting down a QUARTER OF A MILLION trees each year just to make diapers forever, you know. And this doesn't even go into the leakage of bacteria and chemicals from disposable diapers into the soil and ground water. That's a whole another issue.

12/7/2008 5:44:59 PM

Quote :

"12 BILLION+ disposable diapers are thrown into landfills EVERY YEAR, just in the US. 250,000 trees are cut down to make those diapers, every year."

Considering there are about 6.5 BILLION people in the world, and yearly about 3-5 Billion trees are cut down (which is probably only 1 percent of all the trees worldwide), those numbers aren't that staggering.

12/7/2008 6:04:33 PM

My parents didn't make much of anything when I came about, so They used cloth diapers... I'm none the worse for it... Didn't even know until it came up a couple of years ago... Logistics I don't know about, but I'll probably go this route also...

They also used powdered milk... which I distinctly remember hating even though I was 2...

12/7/2008 6:05:28 PM

also i thought they were better for the baby (not just the environment) but maybe i'm wrong.

but i thought the plastic ones caused diaper rash more or something. i mean i'm sure diaper technology has come a long way. but i wore cloth and if i ever have kids they are wearing cloth. that is just how it is.

12/7/2008 6:05:36 PM

Quote :

""12 BILLION+ disposable diapers are thrown into landfills EVERY YEAR, just in the US. 250,000 trees are cut down to make those diapers, every year.""

but the vast majority of those trees are replanted. it doesn't make long-term business sense to cut down all of your trees without replanting.

12/7/2008 6:27:49 PM

disposable diapers aren't plastic except for the straps. and the debunking of the study claiming washable was better than disposable was weak at best. Here's the conclusion:

Quote :

"But on balance the evidence suggests that cotton nappies washed at lower temperatures do represent the least damaging option, though the difference may only be small."

Go ahead and wash those cotton diapers on the cold water cycle...and be sure not to use bleach. Hell, that's got to be worse than some poop leaking out in a landfill. What we have here is conventional wisdom vs. truth.

I applaud your efforts, and I agree the sample size in the study was too small for even JMP to run a population on for at least 1 question out of an unknown number of questions, the difference between the two isn't enough to warrant having a bucket of shit water sitting around my house, dumping gallons of bleach into the water system, and then feeling guilty if I use hot water.

12/7/2008 7:24:30 PM

How about compostable diapers? (shit and all)

12/7/2008 7:30:54 PM

^that would be the tits

Quote :

"Go ahead and wash those cotton diapers on the cold water cycle...and be sure not to use bleach. Hell, that's got to be worse than some poop leaking out in a landfill. What we have here is conventional wisdom vs. truth. I applaud your efforts, and I agree the sample size in the study was too small for even JMP to run a population on for at least 1 question out of an unknown number of questions, the difference between the two isn't enough to warrant having a bucket of shit water sitting around my house, dumping gallons of bleach into the water system, and then feeling guilty if I use hot water."

I'm going to side with this statement



as for the "save the trees argument" I'd be more concerned about other ecological issues facing the world

12/7/2008 7:51:06 PM

Quote :

"dumping gallons of bleach into the water system"

i do that every day.

12/7/2008 10:58:03 PM

^^^ I'm pretty sure most disposable diapers are nonwoven polymers throughout, so nearly 100% plastic. They've got silica gel inside them, too.

I think the arguments are silly. Do it if you want, don't if you don't want. But the amount of trash that has to get stored somewhere is a little unsettling.

12/7/2008 11:51:40 PM

"A. Clark Wiseman, an economist at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, has calculated that if Americans keep generating garbage at current rates for 1,000 years, and if all their garbage is put in a landfill 100 yards deep, by the year 3000 this national garbage heap will fill a square piece of land 35 miles on each side. This doesn't seem a huge imposition in a country the size of America. The garbage would occupy only 5 percent of the area needed for the national array of solar panels proposed by environmentalists. The millennial landfill would fit on one-tenth of 1 percent of the range land now available for grazing in the continental United States. And if it still pains you to think of depriving posterity of that 35-mile square, remember that the loss will be only temporary. Eventually, like previous landfills, the mounds of trash will be covered with grass and become a minuscule addition to the nation's 150,000 square miles of parkland."

12/8/2008 12:28:21 AM

^
God damn, what a fucking joke....stupid fucking economists...
I bet we could also save money by eating babies, huh? Great idea!

Quote :

"that would be the tits"

http://www.google.com/search?q=compost+diapers

Quote :

"I'm pretty sure most disposable diapers are nonwoven polymers throughout, so nearly 100% plastic"

I'm not saying to compost plastic. You can't do that anyway.... (were you talking to me?)

[Edited on December 8, 2008 at 9:20 AM. Reason : ]

12/8/2008 9:17:05 AM

If you're serious about reducing your footprint, consider this:

http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

12/8/2008 9:44:52 AM

^wow. people are bat-shit crazy.

12/8/2008 9:54:52 AM

^wow. people are bat-shit judgmental.

12/8/2008 10:01:08 AM

i didn't read the whole thread, but my parents used the layered cotton diapers on my brothers and i when we were babies

apparently, they washed the diapers themselves for me, but used a service for my two brothers

i'll probably not use disposable diapers with my children unless we're traveling (which is also what my parents did)...it's so horribly wasteful

of course, i'm not a pansy, so the idea of washing a diaper doesn't freak me out like it does so many other people

12/8/2008 11:27:39 AM

Quote :

"wow. people are bat-shit judgmental."

I don't know you, but have you raised a baby yet?

12/8/2008 11:37:32 AM

^ WTF? You should be asking that of the moron in this thread who keeps on saying and implying:

Quote :

"^wow. people are bat-shit crazy."

12/8/2008 11:40:08 AM

Both my wife's parents and my parents used cloth diapers on us.

we don't have time to deal with it, so we use disposables for our daughter. That and I don't think our daycare allows cloth diapers anyway.

I'll be sure to burn a candle for mother nature when I go to church.

12/8/2008 11:50:39 AM

Quote :

"of course, i'm not a pansy, so the idea of washing a diaper doesn't freak me out"

so,.....you're into scat???

12/8/2008 12:43:34 PM

my mother used cloth diapers
i believe she handwashed them


sounds gross, but i'm pretty sure a lot of parents get over a lot of grossness

12/8/2008 1:03:38 PM

^^ hah

^ exactly...i grew up on a farm and worked at a vet for 6 years...after a while, things like poop just aren't a big deal...i'm not saying i'd love it, but it wouldn't really BOTHER me...it's just something that needs to be done

it's also a LOT cheaper than buying disposable diapers all the time

12/8/2008 1:10:02 PM

Quote :

"^ WTF? You should be asking that of the moron in this thread who keeps on saying and implying:"

Because the diaper free thing is "bat shit crazy" in my eyes (and his too). It may work for some people, but I'm not even about to attempt that.

That being said, we use disposable diapers with our twins, mainly because of convenience.

Not wanting to wash nasty shit stained diapers in the same washer i pull my work clothes from also plays into that decision as well.

[Edited on December 8, 2008 at 1:49 PM. Reason : .]

12/8/2008 1:48:53 PM

I poop on your non-disposable diapers

12/8/2008 2:30:17 PM

Quote :

"Not wanting to wash nasty shit stained diapers in the same washer i pull my work clothes from also plays into that decision as well."

why is that the only option? washing them in a bleach water or paying for a service are both feasible...and the service is still cheaper than buying disposable diapers

12/8/2008 3:30:52 PM

my parents used cloth diapers on all us kids, they paid for a diaper service that cleaned them. maybe you can find a diaper service where you live?

12/8/2008 6:59:55 PM

Yeah, but a lot of people claim that the washing through the diaper service is just as bad as using a disposable diaper. You can wash them "greener" at home than through a service.

12/8/2008 7:20:01 PM

Saying "I use disposable diapers for their convenience" is the same as saying "I use them because I'm lazy."

That being said, I use disposable diapers because I'm lazy. I don't know about you guys, but I already wash about 30x more loads of laundry than I used to between burp cloths, bips, 8 changes of clothes a day when she blows out or vomits or whatever. That and feeding, burping, playing, doctor visits, trips to the E.R., rocking her to sleep, more playing, more of everything above, I could use just a little convenience in this whole baby thing.

We also have 2 diaper genies and I swear I haven't smelled a dirty diaper in those things.

12/8/2008 7:36:38 PM

I hear you.

I was hardcore about using the cloth diapers while I was pregnant.

Then I had Silas. In between seizures, medications, learning how to manage a feeding tube, therapy, and all of the other normal stuff that comes with a baby. . .the hell if I had time to deal with cloth diapers.

12/8/2008 7:40:16 PM

my mom used them and loved them.. then she used them as rags after we grew out of them..

i know my old roommate's mom used them and they were actually picked up from a cleaning service, a lot like restaurants have their napkins picked up and cleaned from a service.

i'll consider it when the time comes, but for now i'm only worried about making sure my dog doesn't piss or shit in my apartment

12/8/2008 8:05:52 PM

12/8/2008 9:31:27 PM

I was planning on using the Baby Gs, but they wouldn't work for OEPII1 because he's overseas.

12/8/2008 9:39:39 PM

?

12/9/2008 6:55:16 AM

I'm just going to turn my kids out to pasture and let them graze and fertilize the land as nature intended...

12/9/2008 9:40:28 AM