Why should you choose cloth diapers?
All the pros of using cloth diapers
Environmental Aspect
We find ourselves in a world crying out for help. Daily, we are bombarded with news about Earth's climate changes and the growing mountain of waste propelling these shifts. The use of plastic has skyrocketed globally in the past 70 years, and plastic, along with the plastic industry, is doing no favors for the environment. The disposable diapers available in stores today are mostly composed of plastic. The outer shell of a disposable diaper consists of polyethylene plastic, followed by several layers of cellulose and various superabsorbents in plastic. This is why today's disposable diapers are so effective – they can hold an impressive amount of liquid while keeping the child dry.
Many of the plastic components are made from oil products and chemicals derived from oil. The use of these oil products results in fossil carbon dioxide emissions. It is the manufacturing process that is the major environmental culprit when it comes to disposable diapers, even though disposable diapers also contribute to enormous landfills.
Tillverkning
Significant processes are also required to incinerate disposable diapers (and other waste). If a disposable diaper ends up in nature and remains until it has decomposed, it would take 450 years! Several studies indicate that cloth diapers have a lower environmental impact. Although the production of cloth diapers affects the environment, the impact is lower than that of manufacturing disposable diapers. The most significant environmental impact of cloth diapers occurs during their use, particularly with washing and drying the diapers (if one chooses to use a tumble dryer).
Tygblöjorna
Cloth diapers are mostly made of natural and recyclable materials. They are also part of a circular economy, where diapers can be used repeatedly instead of being discarded after each use. This makes them more environmentally friendly than disposable diapers. Additionally, today's washing machines are environmentally friendly enough to be gentler on the environment than disposable diapers, even if they need to be used more frequently than if cloth diapers are not used.
Sweden today
Currently, a child in Sweden uses around 5000 diapers during the diaper period. Approximately 400 million diapers are consumed each year in Sweden alone. Moreover, today's disposable diapers are so effective at absorbing liquid that children in Sweden use diapers for twice as long today as they did 50 years ago. Children are not bothered by disposable diapers, and parents feel no need to start potty training. Many parents using cloth diapers describe their children becoming diaper-free earlier. Even if a child using cloth diapers were to use diapers for the same duration as a child using disposable diapers, the environmental impact would be less for the child using cloth diapers.
Materials in Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers function much like disposable diapers, but instead of being discarded after use, they are placed in the laundry and washed for reuse. Modern cloth diapers are made from materials such as cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen, and wool. The outer layer of the cloth diaper, which makes it waterproof, can be made from various materials, but the most common is PUL (polyurethane-laminated polyester). While PUL is technically a type of plastic, its environmental impact in cloth diapers is less compared to disposable diapers because the product is reused instead of being discarded and replaced constantly.
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Save money
Det finns även en ekonomisk aspekt att välja tygblöjor. I Sverige är genomsnittsåldern för när barn blir blöjfria idag 3,5 år. Barn använder 2000–9000 blöjor under en blöjperiod, och man brukar räkna på ett genomsnitt av 8000 blöjor på 3,5 år. Om man ser till att ett genomsnittsprid på engångsblöjor idag är 2,80 kr blir detta en total kostnad på 22 400 kronor.
What Do Cloth Diapers Cost?
När det gäller tygblöjor finns det olika prisklasser beroende på system men här hos Green Poppy är det möjligt att köpa blöjor för hela blöjperioden för under 2000 kr (baserat på billigaste systemet bestående av 3 PUL-skal plus vikblöjor). Skulle man välja ett lite dyrare system i form av pocketblöjor kan kostnaden för hela perioden landa på 5475 kr (25 pocketblöjor á 219 kr). Tygblöjorna hos Green Poppy håller även så pass hög kvalitet att du kan använda dem till minst två barn.
Additionally, there is a thriving second-hand market, and there is a good chance of recouping a significant portion of your expenses for cloth diapers. A pocket diaper in good used condition from Green Poppy can be sold for up to 80% of the purchase price. How much money do you get back when you sell your used disposable diapers?
Benefits for the Child's Skin
As a parent, you want the best for your child. Even before the child is born, many people seek information about the best ways to care for their child. New parents are busy washing all the new clothes, choosing the best ointments for their children, giving them vitamin D, and, as the child gets older, introducing solid foods to provide the best and most nutritious diet. Many parents want to be environmentally conscious and minimize plastic in their child's daily life – perhaps buying all utensils and plates in silicone, wooden toys, locally produced and environmentally friendly clothing, and more.
Many parents want to be environmentally conscious and minimize plastic in their child's daily life – perhaps buying all utensils and plates in silicone, wooden toys, locally produced and environmentally friendly clothing, and more.
Still, many choose plastic disposable diapers for their child. These are in direct contact with the child's body and are used around the clock. Currently, there are no studies showing that children are affected by the plastic content in diapers, but we do know that an increasing number of children suffer from diaper rash.
As previously mentioned, today's disposable diapers are so effective that they can be worn for many hours. A clogged diaper that does not breathe can cause diaper rash. Many parents report experiencing eczema and rashes, and after switching to cloth diapers, which contain less plastic, these issues have disappeared.
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