Have you ever stopped to considered how your baby’s diapers are made? Would it shock you to know that most disposable diapers are bleached to get them the white color that they are.

Bleaching them with chlorine produces a byproduct called dioxins. Dioxins are among the most toxic chemicals in science and classified by the EPA as highly carcinogenic. Another additive to diapers is tributyl-tin (TBT). It is a toxic pollutant that is harmful to aquatic life and TBT can trigger genes that promote the growth of fat cells (which can lead to obesity).

A study published in the “Archives of Environmental Health” in 1999 says that disposable diapers should be considered to be a factor that may cause or worsen childhood asthma and respiratory problems. Due to the other additives to diapers a child can have: impairment to the immune system, nervous system, reproductive organs, and endocrine system. Along with skin irritations and any possible allergic reactions due to added dyes and fragrances.

Other Options

You can get disposable diapers that are “green” or no chemicals added, which are more expensive. You can CLOTH!

Cloth Diapering

I heart eyes cloth diapering!! 😍 I first got into cloth because I wanted a healthier option for my children and because I did not want to buy diapers weekly! Talk about expensive! There are soooo many options for cloth diapering nowadays versus when I was cloth diapered. Depending on how easy or cheap you want. You can mix and match styles, as well as, the option of doing cloth only part time as well.

There are 5 major cloth diaper options. All-in-one, All-in-two, Pocket, Prefold and Fitted.

All-in-one: These are designed for one use, one wash. It is a waterproof cover with all the absorbent material sewed in. These are a much more expensive option and the dry time is much longer than the other types of diapers. They are a good overnight diaper option in most cases.

All-in-two: These are a diaper cover that can have either a cloth insert or disposable insert. People like this option if you want to cloth at home but use a disposable insert while out and about or at daycare. This is a great option for when you don’t want to carry around a wet bag with dirty diapers in it.

Pocket: Just as it sounds there is a pocket inside the diaper cover that can be stuffed with any type of insert you would like. There are many different options of stuffers which include; microfiber, bamboo, cotton, hemp and minky. (Here is a good guide for absorbency.)

Fitted: These are diapers that have multiple layers to them that need to have a waterproof shell added to them. (I used workhorses, as they are sometimes called, for overnight use when Addison was a newborn and I LOVED them!) They can either have snaps or velcro.

Prefolds: These are also a diaper with multiple layers for absorbency. They can be folded into a ton of different ways to fit baby. Depending on size of your baby, as well as, where you need the most absorbency due to gender. (Here are 5 ways to fold a prefold. I use the pad fold (or trifold) for my cloth diapers. <— because it is the EASIEST!) Some folds require a “snappi” or a “safety pin”.

How many diapers do you need?

All-in-ones and Pockets: Since these are one wear one wash, you will need 18-24 (or more) depending on how often you want to wash. I prefer about every 2-3 days.

All-in-two, Fitted and Prefold: Again depending on how often you want to wash I suggest 20-30 (my prefolds were about $1.25 per “insert”.) Since these are just the pad inside the diaper you will need covers. I would suggest 6-8 covers. You only change the cover if they get too wet or get poop on the shell. If its just a wet diaper and wasn’t soaked you can reuse the cover.

Washing Routine

Washing is super simple. People think that it is going to be a hassle to wash diapers, but honestly its only one or two more loads a week than normal. I have a trashcan right by the changing table with a large wetbag. When I get low on diapers I just take the entire bag and dump (the bag and diapers) into the washer. If you use pockets, you have to pull the insert out before washing, (then re-stuff it when they are finished).

I have a small trash can that I dump my diapers into when they are dirty. About once a week I just change the bag in it. (This trashcan has a lid so I don’t have any stink.) There is an option to use liners for diapers when you don’t want the hassle of pre-rinsing any super dirty diapers before washing them. Liners just lay inside the diaper and when you go to change the diaper you simple lift it off the diaper and throw it away. This also prevents some staining to your diapers.

To get your diapers super clean, you need to use a mainstream brand such as Tide. Any of the free and clears or “green” laundry detergents won’t get your diapers clean. You need surfactants in the detergent to properly clean all the yuck out. If you don’t, you will have ammonia problems, diaper rashes and stinky diapers. (I use a full scoop of tide per load. I do a prewash with a forth to a half of a scoop of Tide and borax, due to our water being super hard.)

My Journey

When I first was pregnant with Carder, I told my husband we were going to cloth diaper. He was NOT on board. The more I talked about it the more I started to convince him it was going to be a walk in the park and he didn’t have to do any of the washing. (He now tells everyone they should cloth! 😍)

So I started out with Charlie Bananas one size pocket diapers for Carder. The Charlie one size pockets fit babies from 6-35 pounds. (Carder was 7.7 when he was born so they fit him from day one…. They were just very bulky!)  They have a bra strap fitting around the legs so you can make the leg holes smaller and larger as the child grows. This prevents leaking.

The beauty of pockets were that they were less expensive than all-in-ones or all-in-twos and they felt like a paper diaper (to my husband). You take off the used diaper, throw it in the diaper bin and put a new diaper on. Easy. I would then un-stuff them later and wash.

With my daughter I decided to buy super tiny newborn covers and prefolds. (😍) These worked great until her bladder got a little bigger! Then during the night I would use a “workhorse” under the diaper cover, so she wouldn’t wet through the diaper. I loved the diaper cover and prefold so much that I ended up buying 6 one size covers and bigger prefolds as she got older.

Upside to Cloth

-They are cheaper than paper diapers.

-Children potty train quicker in cloth. (My son started potty training at 18 months. My daughter is 16 months and she is already showing an interest in potty training.)

-You can resell them when your done with them and make a little bit of your money back.

-You can reuse them on multiple children.

-They are SOOO CUTE!

-They are healthier for baby.

Chiropractic

How does chiropractic fit into cloth? It’s the healthier, more affordable option! Chiropractic encompasses everything natural, healthy, and better for you. If you have chemicals on your skin, you will absorb the chemicals and in turn bombard your immune system with invaders. That is where the chiropractic adjustment comes into play.

Getting adjusted helps boost your immune system which in turn makes you HEALTHIER! If you think your child is having problems with anything, go see a chiropractor!

~Dr. Lacey~
Carder Chiropractic Clinic, INC.
El Reno, OK 73036