Santa has come and gone, the relative have fawned over pictures of the baby in adorable new outfits, and you are left with a house to clean and resolutions to make in the New Year. These promises to ourselves mainly involve things we can do to better ourselves in terms of health and attitude, but perhaps this year for you new parents (aside from resolving to better organize your time) may want to consider a resolution that helps your baby and the environment. Switch to cloth diapers from disposables in 2011.
Taking this step isn't as daunting as you think. When you weigh the pros and cons of using cloth as opposed to disposables, you will find the column of pluses is much longer:
- Cloth diapers and accessories save you money in the long run. Disposables over the three years of a baby's growth can amount to several thousand dollars, while purchasing about twenty reusable diapers that adjust to the baby's size are about a few hundred.
- You're reducing your carbon footprint and the waste that goes to landfills. Cloth offers an opportunity to reuse covers and inserts, and you'll be surprised to see your water bill doesn't skyrocket.
- These diapers are quite fashionable. The delightful patterns and colors turn heads when you go to the park, and cloth diapers are easy to travel with, too. All you need is a quality wet bag to carry along, and you wash when you get home.
- With cloth you use material that is soft and safe on a baby's sensitive skin. If you knew exactly what kind of chemicals go into disposable diapers, you definitely wouldn't put them on your child!
If you are still skittish about making this your New Year's resolution, start slowly. One doesn't expect to lose all the weight in January, so try a few days with cloth to start, then expand to a week. As you become accustomed to using cloth diapers, you'll satisfy this resolution in no time!
Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on cloth diapers and green parenting tips.
