10 Reasons to Make the Switch!

Cloth diapers are a great way to do something amazing for the planet and play a little part in a more eco-conscious way of living that we should all be thinking about a little bit more. Cloth diapering, just like all of the little things that we can do in our day to day life to contribute, is not an all or nothing solution. We don’t need to become environmental activists, switch all of our disposable items to reusable counterparts and live a waste free life. Merely becoming a bit more aware of our waste is enough to make an enormous difference, especially in those areas of our life where we produce a lot of waste in a short amount of time. That’s exactly the case with diapers. Despite the fact that the length of time that a baby needs diapers is relatively short compared to the average lifespan, usually anywhere between 18 months and 3 years, the amount of waste generated in those years has one of the biggest impacts on our planet. Diapers alone account for more than 50% of the waste generated by a household with a newborn, and they make up 4% of all the solid waste sitting in landfills.

The disposable diapers market lifecycle is linear, they are produced, often using new materials such as wood pulp, cotton, viscose, rayon, and several plastics, then they are used, and then disposed of. None of the materials initially used to produce them gets a second life. Disposable diapers recycling is nearly non existent as they are often thrown away with solid waste still inside, despite the fact that all solid waste should be disposed of in the toilet, both from disposable and reusable diapers. As a result, it is estimated that every minute around 300.000 disposable diapers are incinerated, sent to landfill or end up in the environment. Every minute, of every hour, of every day. 250 million diapers every day, of which most are impossible to recycle. 

The exceptions to the rule are rare and sparse, some companies are making an effort to either create diapers with recycled materials, or implement systems to allow the recycling of used diapers, but the efforts are a drop in the sea and we are far from a good solution. Even the disposable diapers marketed as a more eco-friendly option, such as biodegradable diapers, aren't the miracle solution we might hope for. This is largely because there is no universally accepted definition of what biodegradable truly means. The term is often used for marketing purposes, as most products designed to biodegrade will only do so under very specific conditions, ones that we are often unable to recreate in our own homes and that would require a more comprehensive system for managing biodegradable items.

So what is the solution? One possible solution is to use reusable cloth diapers!

Cloth diapers have significantly evolved since the days when our grandparents and occasionally our parents used them. Nowadays, there are countless options that eliminate the difficulties associated with traditional cloth diapering and everyone is sure to find a system that they feel comfortable and confident using.

Aside from the very important ecological reason for switching to cloth diapering, there are other benefits that might convince the unsure ones amongst us. Here are a few! 

 

1. SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT FROM 6500+ DIAPERS 

We already, mentioned this one, but hear us out! Every baby born today will use anywhere between 6 and 10 diapers a day for 1,5-3 years. For the sake of the argument let’s assume a conservative 8 diapers a day for 2,5 years…that’s 7300 diapers! Some babies will need less, some will need more, nonetheless this amount is HUGE. With cloth diapers you can often diaper a baby from birth to potty using the same diapers. This is of course a rough estimate as the exact amount of time will depend on the size of your baby, but you will definitely be able to use the same diapers for a long, long time. If you plan on having more than one baby, you can use the same diapers for a few children, which makes them an even more ecological solution and saves the planet from 15k+ disposable diapers.

 

2. SAVE €1000+ ON DISPOSABLE DIAPERS

The exact amount that you can save will vary from family to family as many factors can influence the final amount, however we estimate that you can save well over €1000 per baby if you decide to cloth diaper! With the average cost of disposable diapers hovering at €0.25 (usually ranging between €0.11 and €0.61 depending on the brand), this amounts to roughly €1800+ per child. Even when deducting the costs for a full stash of new cloth diapers and the costs of water and electricity used to wash them, you will still see a saving of over €1000! If you reuse those diapers on another baby, the amount really starts to become impressive!

 

3. THEY LAST FOR MORE THAN ONE BABY

Carrying on from the previous point, cloth diapers can withstand hundreds of washings! Here at Kaayah we really did our best to choose only the highest quality, durable fabrics, and paired those with the best quality manufacturing we could find. All this so that our diapers would see you through your whole cloth diapering journey, whether with one child or more!

 

4. NO MORE DIAPER BLOWOUTS!

Yes, really! We also didn’t believe it when we first started with cloth diapers! The combination of features that the best quality modern cloth diapers offer, drastically reduces the amount of blowouts that you will have to deal with! We are not saying that you will NEVER see one, but how does 1 diaper blowout instead of 10 sound? Less mess, less stains, less washing….Sign us up!

 

5. EARLIER POTTY TRAINING

Your read this right! Modern cloth diapers do provide babies with all the comforts of disposable diapers, but even the best stay-dry lining will give a little feedback of wetness to babies. This means that babies can stay comfortably dry in cloth diapers, but will know when they need a diaper change! As a result many babies become aware of their potty habits much sooner than their disposable-diapered friends, and might actively work toward controlling them sooner.

 

6. LESS DIAPER RASH

It is believed that the reason for less incidence of diaper rash in cloth diapered babies is due to the fact that their skin doesn’t come in contact with the same chemicals and plastics that are used for the production of disposable diapers. Disposable diapers are known for not allowing the skin to breathe the same way that cloth diapers do, which means that any moisture that is not absorbed by the diaper lingers on the skin for much longer. In fact, many paediatricians recommend that babies suffering from eczema or psoriasis, switch to cloth diapers as a way to help the skin breathe better.

 

7. REAL FABRICS TOUCHING YOUR BABY’S SKIN

Disposable diapers are made out of similar synthetic polymers to those used in some layers of cloth diapers (the waterproof outer cover and the stay-dry inner layer), however they use them in a very different way. Because disposable diapers need to be made quickly and cheaply as they are destined to be thrown away, the materials used are often minimally treated to be made soft, pliable and breathable, instead the result is an often plasticky feeling fabric that doesn’t allow the skin to breathe. Additionally disposable diapers contain high levels of dyes, chlorine, phthalates and adhesives. On the contrary, the layers of the Kaayah cloth diapers that need to be made out of synthetic fabrics (due to their moisture wicking and waterproof qualities) are of the highest quality, manufactured from recycled plastic bottles, and where the polymers are spun to create a soft fabric, exactly like some fabrics used in clothes manufacturing, and not like a plastic sheet. No adhesive materials are or will ever be used in our products.

 

8. ONLY TWO EXTRA LAUNDRY WASHES PER WEEK

Cloth diapering doesn’t need to add to your workload! (or your bills!) When considering that you will wash your cloth diaper stash every 2-3 days, this averages to only 2 or 3 extra laundry loads per week. The costs are also a lot less than you might think, as an average diaper wash will only cost you around €0.20 - €0.50 between the water and the electricity used. This means that you will only need about half an hour extra per week, and your bills will cost an average of €50 extra per year…That’s a lot less than you were expecting, are we right? 🙂

 

9. IT´S A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY

Ok, this might not be a benefit as such, but you'll soon realise what a beautiful community you've joined! There’s nothing quite like meeting a fellow cloth parent out in the wild and exchange understanding gazes. It’s a great conversation starter and it will surely gain you a new friend!

 

10. THE PATTERNS!

Cloth diapers are so cute! Take full advantage of being able to show your personality, patterns are for the parents after all! 

 

Note! For information regarding the waste impact of disposable diapers, as well as the positive impact that cloth diapers could have on the issue, we have consulted the following organisations websites:

The UN Environmental Program

The World Economic Forum