High and Dry

Photo by: jakerohn

Any new parent easily identifies with the stinky. Since we've invested copious amounts of engineering into diaper blowout prevention, most of us take comfort in strapping those disposable excrement catchers on our tiny's hiney. We also don't think much about where the mounds of poo go after the trash heads out.

Not that using disposable diapers is completely avoidable. Many daycare establishments, nurseries, and babysitters must be able to manage several kids at once and can't work on potty training or use cloth diapers for all of them.

But the mounds of poopy diapers, around 18 billion a year, sit preserved under stories of refuse for centuries. Ae haven't lived long enough to see any ramifications of this massive disposal habit. From toxic leakage to decomposition emissions, those little wads might just be the next generation land mine.

Yet the debate is not at cut and dry as we are led to believe. Both types of diapers have an economic impact and we need to closely examine the results of each before slapping a huge tax on disposables.

Allen Hershkowitz of the National Resources Defense Council says after a careful compilation of every production facet, "Disposables consume more raw materials and produce more solid waste ... but cloth diaper production and use consume more water and energy and produce more ... atmospheric emissions and waste water effluent."

While no one method is clearly superior, environmentally speaking, the choice is a no-brainer for your wallet. Let's say you spend around $70 per month for diapers. Most kids will be able to eliminate in a potty anywhere from 18 months to 3 years old, so let's take an average of 27 months. Parents will pay over $1,700 for diapers alone for just one child.

The typical 2.5 children home will yield $4,250 for nappies. Compare that to cloth. Even if you go the boutique diaper route, a set of 18 FuzziBunz diapers (including cloth wipes, different sized inserts, and fancy diaper sprayer) is $369.

Adding replacement costs, disposables, and laundry costs, the total comes to $1,400 for the same time period. Take off at least $400 if you're willing to brave it with regular cloth and pin diapers. DiaperPin.com has excellent cloth diaper advice if you go the traditional route.

And monetary savings are just the beginning. The New York Times reported that nearly 92% of kids in 1957 were potty trained by 18 months of age. Today it's common to see three-year-olds running around in nappies.

Kids who start with cloth diapers usually potty train faster incentive enough for those of us sick of wiping dirty bottoms! The combination of starting potty training earlier has a double-edged benefit, since your kid is in diapers for less time and the cost of cloth over time is less.

The End!

Start Over: Eco-Frugal Life Guide