Money in your pocket:
Cost of Disposables vs. Cloth
So you can surf the web and find countless sites that have this information listed. I am in the process of doing some research myself and will list my findings once they get completed.

Your Family’s Diapering Options:
Disposable, Diaper Service and Home Laundry

Health
Disposables
Diaper rash is a result of ammonia (a by-product of the breakdown of urine) burning your baby’s bum. Many children today have sensitive skin and leaving them in ‘feel dry’ (NOT really dry) disposables is just a recipe for disaster.

A child should be changed every 2-3 hours due to the build up of urine and fecal by-products that burn your baby’s bottom. Contrary to popular belief, just because a disposable has a ‘stay dry’ liner it does not mean the baby is clean.

Diaper Service
Cloth diapers are made of cotton and cotton breathes unlike a disposable. The breathability of cotton allows the evaporation of urine and keeps ammonia from building up and burning the baby’s bottom.

A service can provide usual and customary clean, fresh cloth diapers typically surpassing standards of cleanliness used by hospitals and nursing homes. The laundry facility sets water temperatures to at least 155 degrees to kill off any unhealthy viruses or bacteria that could make people sick. Also the commercial laundry service uses many rinsing cycles to completely rinse out all the detergents and bleaches used in the washing process.

Home Laundry
This is a good option used by many Moms (and Dads) these days as many diaper services have been ‘pushed out’ by large corporation disposable diaper companies. Although this is a better option than disposables, many home washers/ dryers do not get to the high temperatures that the commercial facilities can. Many children can still get rashes and have sensitivities due to residual detergents and bleaches left in the diaper after the laundry process is complete.

Environment
Disposables
The list of reasons to use cloth over disposables is endless. Disposable diapers are the third largest item found in landfills after newspaper and food containers. (EPA, “Positive Steps towards Waste Reduction”, June 1989)

Disposable single-use diapers are manufactured using a bleaching process that creates dioxins-one of the planet’s most hazardous poisons. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. (EPA, “Integrated Risk Assessment for Dioxins and Furans from Chlorine Bleaching in Pulp and Paper Mills”.)

These are also great websites for additional information about the subject of cloth vs. disposables:
http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
http://www.mothering.com

A little more easy reading…the report written by Carl Lehrburger, Jocelyn Mullen and C.V. Jones, “Diapers: Environmental Impacts and Lifecycle Analysis”, January 1991.

Not only are the disposable diapers filling our precious earth but take a look at the side of the disposable packaging…it tells you to place any solids into the toilet BEFORE disposable. Do any of us do that? Think about all the human solid waste going in to the landfill creating toxic runoff into our waterways…raw sewage in our groundwater…ewww! This is not only gross but really toxic and unsafe.

Diaper Service
Cloth diapers are a reusable product. Instead of throwing them away they can be used for subsequent children which results in less garbage. Cloth diapers don’t normally enter the landfill because as they start to deteriorate they are used as rags until they disintegrate.

Home Laundry
Although home laundry is not as efficient as commercial simply due to load size and efficiency of the washers/dryers in the process, this option does share many environmental and health benefits with the diaper service option.

Convenience
Disposables
Obviously made for convenience, but is it worth it? That’s the question you need to ask yourself. I believe that disposables have a place but not in the capacity that they are used by most families today.

Diaper Service
Diaper services (once delivery is set up) typically pick up/drop off on a weekly basis which allows the family to have fresh, clean diapers at their disposal without any effort or up front cost. Everything is done with no effort on the part of the customer including washing.

Home Laundry
Again this option is a good one for many people but there is a large front end cost and extra time and energy necessary for washing.

Cloth diapering is not the same as what your Mom did but thank God for her and her patience! The products have definitely changed since then to fit into the current market of convenience. All you need is a diaper and a cover, no pins! The covers today act just like a disposable (ugh, for lack of a better word!) does. They have a velcro (or snap) closure and a tuck in flap so no pins are needed.

Uh…hello what about fashion!
FANCY PANTS
OK so everyone loves a cute baby bottom…but imagine yours in cloth all comfy and cozy and then in a SUPER cute print coordinating with their outfit! Is it a boy or a girl? These diaper covers can speak for you! These covers are totally cute, moisture resistant and available through Sonrise Diaper Service. If you need help with sizing feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have. Currently you need call or email with your order. We are still working on getting an order link within our site.

Potty Training
Another advantage to cloth is that there is no ‘stay dry’ liner in the diaper. This means that the baby can feel their own wetness and will potty train at an earlier age. In 1999, the New York Times reported that 92% of children in 1957 were toilet trained by 18 months of age. (The New York Times, January 12, 1999) Disposables were not around yet!