Years ago it took a lot of effort to diaper your young one in cloth nappies. You had to fold large rectangles of thick cloth so that they would fit securely around a baby’s bum. Then you had to get it on the young one, pin it in place using large, pokey diaper pins, and then quickly slide some rubber pants up his legs and over the diaper, all before he squired his way off the changing table. And at least a portion of the time you were doing this in the pitch black of night, attempting the diaper change without the lights so as not to awaken (any further) your sleepy bundle of joy.
Today [cue music] it’s a different story. There is a whole new breed of cloth nappies making it tremendously easier to diaper your wee one in the more traditional and healthier cloth option.
Why healthier? Most disposable diapers contain a number of toxic chemicals like TBT (Tributyl-tin), a chemical that has been shown to cause hormonal problems in animals, and sodium polyacrylate (from the absorbant gel) which causes skin irritation and is the same chemical once removed from tampons because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.
Cloth diapers are healthier for the planet too. About 80% of the diapers used in the US are disposables, totaling 18 billion disposable diapers in the US each year…piling up in landfills from sea to shining sea. The fact that we call these “disposable” is somewhat laughable because they won’t ever truly be disposed of. They may sit in that landfill for as many as 700 years with no hope of breaking down and truly being “disposed of” sooner than that.
Ok, enough of the serious stuff. What everybody wants to know is will cloth be a lot more work and aren’t they more expensive?!
No and no!
With the new breeds of disposable diapers, outfitted with velcro and shaped just like the disposables you’re familiar with, they feature simple cloth inserts that slide into the reusable (and often cute) outer pant. That’s simple. And, they’re cheap! Especially when you compare it to the cost of the 8000 single-use diapers you could be buying (that’s the number that the average child uses from birth to age three). Instead of spending as much as $3000 on diapers, the cloth alternative costs as little as $300-800. And they can be used for more than one child!
The people at gDiapers (the ones I’ll be using for my little one, come June) recently did a study in which they compared the cost of disposable diapers to their g-cloth option. Keeping in mind that it can cost as much as $3000 to diaper your child in disposable, here’s how the g-cloth ones compare.
1 Newborn Bundle $149.99
12 small gCloth $59.98
12 m/l gCloth $59.98
6 medium little gPants (as low as $70 for our everyday g’s) or $101.94
6 large little gPants (as low as $70 for our everyday g’s) or $101.94
This amounts to a cost as low as $410 for the bare minimum with gDiapers (to cover the whole life of the child!). You may choose to buy more of the diapers so you don’t have to launder every day and that could increase the cost. But even if the cost doubles, you’re still saving over $2000!
I’m choosing cloth for the healthy of my baby, the health of this planet….and it sure doesn’t hurt that it’ll save us money, too!!
Give cloth a chance!!
Also on SaraSnow.com
And so, in 2008, 
It was a rare trip to the states for the husband and wife team, who live and work as ecopreneurs in Kenya. Philip is the son of renowned paleo-anthropologists, Drs. Louis and Mary Leakey. And though Philip doesn’t work uncovering fragments of man’s past like his father, he is turning to nature to create gifts for the planet’s future and to provide sustainable work opportunities for over 1400 of his neighbors, the Maasai.
The Leakey Collection, a fair trade company, was born eight years ago, during the last severe drought which devastated Kenya’s pasturelands, bringing dire conditions to the Maasai who depend on their cattle for a livelihood. At this time, the Leakeys were personally supporting over 100 Maasai families financially. Quotes Philip, “This situation was not sustainable for either party”. The Leakeys were determined to find a way to help their neighbors become self-sufficient. Realizing the potential of the Maasai’s natural bead working skills, the Leakeys combined Philip’s knowledge of ecology and conservation with Katy’s artistic abilities and love of nature to create 
This is where 
My first reaction was, “cute story and cute stuff” but I’m not huge on sparkles and I’m going for organic cotton as much as possible for my baby girl.
I only wish we had a name picked out so I could order up some stuff now. I promise I’ll put some pics up once this little green bean is born with her wearing all sorts of sparkly, personalized garb.
I get asked, on at least a monthly basis, how I feel about 
And they say that the EcoSense formulas are developed around the most effective naturally derived ingredients. Here are some examples:
