The Dirty Truth

By Ashley Harkrader & Melissa Moog

Itsabelly's Diapering Disclaimer:

Itsabelly educates parents on the many options they have when deciding how to care for their precious baby. We specifically have an interest in choosing the non-toxic or green route as this is our specialty. For a few of our baby planners, we've learned about choosing a less toxic approach long after having used disposables so we've honestly experienced both sides. Most of us have even used disposables for traveling because it was convenient. Hearing the information about what our diapers were made of and how many ended up polluting our landfill was totally shocking. In the end, even though we were armed with this information we realized using disposables doesn't make us bad parents. Our own parents used disposables when we were babies but we would never judge them for doing what they thought was best.

When we researched the different diapering options we understood why today's parents might want to make the switch. Heck, making the switch today towards a lighter shade of green diapering is made so easy! You can choose from a hybrid disposable diaper like gDiapers to a green disposable diaper like Seventh Generation carried by your local Whole Foods store - that is if you don't want the hassle of using cloth. Some new families even get creative and take the 50/50 approach (half green disposable diapers and half cloth). With all of the stylish and creative choices available green diapering has almost become as cool as getting a new iPhone!

After doing our research we believe there are truly better options than the traditional disposable diapering brands. Bottom line, is that we do not judge or push information on any parent who isn't interested in this topic. In the end, after reading our information you have to decide what the right path is for you based on your lifestyle, budget and values but most importantly your gut instincts. We hope that this post will inform you about the benefits in choosing a healthier option for baby, avoiding disposables or at least considering how to reduce your consumption and protecting mother earth. Ultimately, as the parent it is your decision that matters most and you have to decide if you're on the spectrum of green what shade you'll be!

The Dirty Truth

Today, June 8th is "No Plastic Day." I wanted to incorporate this into my blog and what better way to do that then discuss diapers. I attended the World's Largest Baby Shower last month in Atlanta. The room was filled with experts including baby industry leaders to small businesses. For the event I was given the pleasure of speaking on behalf of Itsabelly Baby Planners along with my Itsabelly partner, Anna Vandiver. Our topic was disposables vs. eco-friendly diapers. On the trip down I thought "how many people will actually be interested in learning why green diapering is better?" My answer was quickly handed to me as I arrived. I found so many people (moms, dads, aunts, grandparents, etc...) were really interested in hearing what Anna and I had to say. We were asked questions like what is the difference between cloth and disposable, what are they made of and what are my options. If you're interested in going green in your baby's diapering here is some information that may help you answer some of those questions.

Decoding the Disposable:

• Disposables are made up of a water proof polyethylene outer layer, an inner layer made from wood pulp and synthetic polyacralate, and a water repellant liner. Most brands have even added perfume and fragrance to the diapers as well.
• It can take up to 200-500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose-if it even does?
• Americans throw away close to 20 billion disposable diapers a year. Enough to stretch to the moon and back 9x.
• Disposables cost $2,000+ a baby's lifetime (multiply that if there is more than one baby).
• It takes 1 cup of crude oil to make the plastic for 1 disposable diaper... eekk that’s a lot of diapers floating in the gulf.
• It takes 286 lbs. of plastic (including the packaging to supply 1 baby in disposables.
• It takes 200-400kg of fluff to supply 1 baby in disposables for a year.
• Disposables create 2.3x as much water waste.
• 3.5x the energy, 8.3x the non-generable raw materials, 90x renewable raw materials, 30x as much land to grow the raw materials, and it is estimated that 75% of the hospitals in the US use disposables.

If you're concerned about being eco-friendly then this information might hit home:

"It takes 3.4 billion gallons of oil and over 250,00 trees annually to manufacture a diaper that ends up in a landfill which we're not even sure biodegrades. It is estimated by scientists that a diaper may take up to a few hundred years to biodegrade but we'll never know because we won't live that long."

The Dirty 3:

Disposables are made up of many things that should not come in contact with vulnerable and delicate baby skin. In most disposable diapers there are three main toxins.

Tributlyin (TBT)

• A toxin pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in animals and humans.
• Also been linked to obesity in humans, as it triggers genes that cause the growth of fat cells.

Sodium Polyacralate

• An absorbent gel used in most disposable diapers.
• Linked to asthma and reduced sperm count in boys.
• The chemical was once used in tampons and became banned in 1985 due to the cause of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome).

Dioxins:

• A chemical by product of the paper bleaching process that uses chlorine gas in the manufacturing of diapers.
• Contains carcinogens- which are a cancer causing chemical.
• Small quantities of dioxins can affect the liver and immune system.
• Banned in most countries but widely used in the US.

A Different Way to Diaper

With so many new diapering choices many parents are taking a closer look at choosing green diapering over disposables. We have an array of choices before us such as eco-friendly diapers (Organic, cotton, jersey, bamboo and hemp) that come in every color of the rainbow, Velcro, snaps, flushable, cloth inserts, chlorine free, and then the re-invented diaper service.

Itsabelly Baby Planners has a few green diapering choices we recommend if you are considering this route.

• Nature Baby Care-Chlorine free and made from Stewardship Council certified wood pulp. They also have a corn based bio plastic. 
• Seventh Generation- Also made of certified wood pulp and also chlorine free ( they are brown for a reason) 
• Bum Genius- Super absorbent microfiber inserts and fasten easy with Velcro sides. 
• gDiapers- Come in cloth and flushable liners. Fashionable colors that are sure to be the talk of the playground, easy Velcro sides and they are biodegradable for composting.