Ah, Pampers. That fresh diaper smell! That cute plastic butt! On the one hand, cloth diapers are “gross.” On the other hand, there are so many good reasons to wrap your baby’s most private parts in perfumed plastic diapers.
Here are 11 reasons why Pampers is right and you should use plastic diapers on your newborn:
1. You’re not worried about chemical burns.
Or extreme diaper rash. So what if this Michigan mom’s four-month-old daughter’s skin started blistering and bleeding from plastic diapers?! And so what that a pediatrician diagnosed the angry red rash as a chemical burn?! The super absorbent chemicals in plastic diapers can irritate your infant’s sensitive skin to the point of bleeding?! Meh.
While we’re on the subject, who cares that P&G, the company that makes Pampers, has a long and unfortunate history of ignoring product safety and belittling parents who speak out against their diapers? (This book explains in detail how this company has behaved in the face of health scandals caused by their products.) It puts profits over people? So what!
Besides, this all happened a long time ago. There’s no way any of this would happen now. They made an unfortunate plastic diaper ten years ago. These days everything is peachy keen.
This mom who posted on What to Expect that disposable diapers caused extreme diaper rash and bleeding, must be lying. And the thousands of other hits that come up in a quick Google or DuckDuckGo search about plastic diapers and diaper rash? Those parents are all lying too.
Screenshot from What to Expect from a mom whose baby got chemical burns from disposable diapers
2. You could care less about cuteness.
Disposable diapers are chemical-laden single-use products that create foul-smelling trash. Cloth diapers are washable, reusable, and adorable. This cloth-diapered cutie is opening the morning mail from his dad, who was stationed overseas.
Cloth-diapered babies are the cutest and most fashionable. You’d rather yours be Plain Jane.
3. You like buckling your baby in the car and driving to the store to buy more plastic diapers better than doing a load of laundry.Â
Pampers says their plastic diapers are more convenient. So they must be. No worries that the number one killer of children in the United States according to the CDCÂ is injuries due to accidents like car crashes. What’s that you say? There’s nothing convenient about having to drive to the grocery store when you run out of diapers? I can’t hear you. I’m too busy watching advertising on TV.
4. You don’t want stylish custom-made diapers for your baby.
A cloth diaper made from United States Air Force fabric. Photo courtesy of Erika Douglass.
Cloth diapers are chic. You can even have them custom made. But why have your baby be so stylin’ when you can go with ugly plastic?!
5.  You don’t give a hoot about killing trees.
Environmental degradation? Global warming? The fact that every year at least 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks, and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for just one baby, as this article details? So we humans are polluting ourselves out of existence? No big deal.
6. You love the fresh smell of plastic off-gassing each time you open a new package of plastic diapers.
That lovely scent of plastic off-gassing, the one that makes you gag and choke when you open a fresh pack of Pampers. The one that’s so aromatic that you opt for the heavily perfumed variety of plastic diapers? That plastic off-gassing smell as well as the perfume are both caused by volatile organic compounds known to be harmful to human health.
According to the EPA, VOCs have many negative health effects.
The negative health effects of off-gassing plastic and other VOCs include:
- Cancer in both animals and humans
- Damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system
- Eye, nose and throat irritation
- Headaches, loss of coordination and nausea
Symptoms associated with VOC exposure include (but aren’t limited to):
- allergic skin reaction
- conjunctival irritation
- declines in serum cholinesterase levels
- dizziness
- dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
- fatigue
- headaches
- nausea
- nose and throat discomfort
That bad smell is your human noise warning you against plastic diapers. Bring it on.
7. You have all the money in the world.Â
The Real Diaper Association has detailed calculations about savings from not using disposable diapers. They conclude that plastic diapers cost parents nearly ten times as much as cloth.
Why save money for college when you can spend it on a plastic product to catch your baby’s excrement instead?
8. You don’t want actual real cloth next to your baby’s privates, you’d rather have plastic crap advertised as “cloth-like.”
“Protect your little miracle with blanket-like softness” is one of Pampers’ slogans.
Ah yes, we all know that off-gassing plastic really is “blankie soft.” Another excellent reason to use disposable diapers over reusable, cloth diapers is how blankie soft they are!
9. You don’t care about the amount of trash your family generates.
We’re drowning ourselves in plastic.
There are tons of plastic-free alternatives to single-use plastic products.
Plastic diapers were invented in the early 1960s. Experts estimate it will take between 100 and 500 years for a single plastic diaper to decompose. What that means is that no plastic diaper has fully decomposed fully since these diapers were first invented.
Every plastic diaper that’s ever been put in the landfill is still there.
If we manage to pollute humans out of existence, at least our baby’s diapers will endure.
10. You love dioxins and think Baby should too.
Dixons are a chemical group so toxic even in the tiniest amounts that the World Health Organization claims they “can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.”
Plastic diapers also contain Tributyl-tin (TBT), an endocrine disruptor, as well as sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer that can absorb 300 times its weight in tap water.
Sodium polyacrylate is a known eye and lung irritant.
Shrug.
Who cares that childhood cancer is on the rise, environmentally induced allergies are plaguing our children, and these nasty chemicals are in contact with our baby’s privates all day long?
11. You want Baby to be in diapers for as long as possible.
Plastic diapers do such a good job of whisking the moisture away that a baby doesn’t learn to make the connection between peeing and being wet.
There’s nothing “convenient” about having a three-year-old or four-year-old still wearing diapers.
It’s common to see three, four, and five-year-olds wearing diapers in America these days, which baffles my friends from West Africa who ask me if there is something physiologically wrong with American children that they are unable to learn how to use the toilet.
Though every child is different, parents who cloth diaper report a much smoother transition to Big Kid underpants.
? So what’s a crunchy mama who wants to be environmentally friendly and raise a healthy baby to do?!
Check out your cloth diapers options.
Learn about infant pottying.
Do a combination of cloth diapers (get hand-me-downs and they’re free!) and infant pottying (your baby will teach you how. I recommend you start by reading The Diaper-Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative by my friend and colleague Christine Gross-Loh).
Why? Because then you’ll have a healthier, happier baby, save vast amounts of money, and help save our planet too.
Related articles:
13 Reasons Why the CDC is Right and You Should Vaccinate Your Kids
Go Ahead, Touch My Belly!
Alternatives to Tylenol: Better, Safer Remedies
Published: February 25, 2014Â
Updated: November 22, 2019
Hate using disposables, and only do when traveling. I now make my diaper covers (super easy) and they only cost around $4 each. This article is spot on.
ROCK ON< JENNIFER.
Thanks for all this accurate information!
Consider elimination communication too.
What is that?
I find this to be pretty belittling and not helping the mommy wars at all. I cloth diaper my kids and am all for it. However, this post is rude and will not convince people to cloth.
I agree so far with the commenters who say this article is belittling and unhelpful. It’s never a good idea to try antagonism as a means of winning hearts and minds. I also find it interesting that no mention is made of the resources required to launder “34” cloth diapers over and over and over and over and over and over and over. It may be that ultimately the electricity, water, detergent and associated processing *does* make less of a mark on the planet than the production/use of disposables, but I would like to point out that when you’re using cloth, you’re not JUST using cloth. Unless, of course, you do your laundry in your bathtub with your feet using soap you made yourself from lye, which you made yourself from hardwood ash from the fire you made yourself (hopefully to heat the water) (but omg the trees!!), and water from a spring or a well with a hand-pump, and didn’t use bleach unless you also know how to make bleach from scratch (I don’t), and hung the diapers to dry. Oh also you’ve got to attach them to the baby NOT with safety pins (because those are manufactured, mostly in China, which means not just the use of resources in manufacture but also import costs). And what about the ink/dye used on all those super-fashionable cloth diapers pictured in the article? That probably didn’t use any “chemicals” in processing but just appeared magically on the cloth from thin air instead of via machinery which probably ran on electricity, which was fueled by…?
P.S. I believe is a minimized carbon footprint. If I had babies, I’d probably use cloth diapers. I’m concerned about unnecessary chemicals and irritants and their effects on the world. I just don’t think being condescending and sarcastic is going to change anybody’s attitude.
As a cloth diapering mom, I think this is pretty obnoxious and judgmental..
Can we just stop the “mommy wars” please?
The way to get a point across is not to be rude and demeaning. This article just creates more fuel for mommy wars. How very sad.
I think you have the wrong idea and I think you frankly were looking to be offended. Please be an adult on the internet and if you don’t like what it has to say then browse somewhere else.
I think you missed the point. The article is rude and prenttious. I am a cloth diaper mom and found it offensive because the writer implied that driving to get diapers would put a child in danger. I mean, come on.
I think it’s a great way to get parents to stop and think “what AM I putting on my little one?” and too many parents are just looking to be offended. It’s sad really. The info is out there and I wish more people would stop and look at it. Great blog mama!
Reason No. 3 about the car – seriously? You never take your baby out of the house? I’m a cloth diaper user, but some of these reasons are absolutely ridiculous.
You did miss the point entirely.
I doubt any minds will be changed by the time if this article.
I didn’t think it was offensive. It was amusing at times and thought provoking at others.
The only thought this provoked was “this mom has a holier than thou” opinion of her parenting choices, which is sad. I don’t think people came looking to be offended. I came looking to be entertained. What i found was rude, demeaning and not at all helpful. If you want to educate people on the benefits of using cloth, this is not the way to do so. I am a cloth diapering mom, for the record.
Funny coy. Not to worry about the mommy wars… Its true that disposables take 100-500 years to decompose. If people were really concerned about their children’s futures and the air they will be breathing, they’ll consider using cloth. There’s not much to rebut about that fact.
Yes, an environmental argument makes sense here. But trying to scare moms into cloth by saying they’re endangering their kids is what folks are responding to here.
This article is totally obnoxious. I can’t imagine a single person would be swayed to use cloth because of this. There are plenty of kind, persuasive ways to share the love for cloth diapers. This is not the way/
I know that some people might not like your approach, but I personally know of one mama who hadn’t realized a few of these things, read this blog posted by a coworker, asked the cloth diapering coworker, and has already purchased a complete stash for her little one… Sometimes what fuels debate also opens the mind for deeper thought. 🙂 Thank you for being willing to cross some lines.
I am totally in the minority. I find it quite convenient to have a 3 year old in diapers. How is it more convenient to have to take a three year old to a grimy public restroom where they will inevitably grab the toilet seat. While having to wrangle whatever other small children you have with you. Then its time to wash their hands, which will probably end up with water all over their shirt and yours. Or you can lay them down, change the diaper, wash your hands and be out of there. Way more convenient.
I dunno about your kid, but my daughter is 2, and she knows that when you go potty, you go into the stall, you pull down pants and panties, hop onto the toilet, do your business, wipe, hop down, pull clothes back up, flush, wash hands, dry hands, throw paper towel away. and when I am stuck on the pot and she is with me, i have something for her to do….
Wow, This is one of the most biased and un-educated article I have ever read…PERIOD.
When will people realise there are 2 sides to every coin and just making a blanket statement that cloth is better is completely rediculous and makes the writer sound like a prejudice moron. Seriously, I suggest you re-read this and think about what you have said. I could make an argument like this about atomic bombs or smoking or just about any other thing.
To everyone reading this page…do your own research and try all options for diapers and do what you feel is best for you and your baby. This kind of biased crap doesnt help anyone.
It’s time for ALL moms to support each other. Not constantly attack moms who make different choices then you. I’m a cloth diaper mom and this offended me.
SanctiMOMMY said what?
I loved this article. It has a sassy, sarcastic undertone (which did not offend me because I realize this) and it had some info on it I didn’t know. I will definitely be considering cloth diapering my 3rd. Thanks!!
Not all moms have time to sit at home and make diaper covers and do a load of laundry every time their child puts a load in their pants. Some of us work full time outside of the home.
And your comment about children who use disposals diapers not being potty trained till much later is a load of crap! My daughter is 2 and all our friends children were potty trained before 4. And none of our children have ever had any medical issues caused by the diapers!
Your article is just RUDE!
As a full time working mom, I do not sit around and do a load of laundry each time my kid poos in his cloth diaper. I do laundry twice a week only and it literally involves adding another 15 minutes into my day twice a week to get that accomplished. To dispute cloth by stating it adds loads of time onto your life to use it is just plain false – it’s just people looking for an excuse not to use it.
And, writer correct me if I’m wrong here, but the majority (not all) of cloth diapered children tend to be potty trained around 2 1/2 years old. I would consider age 3 and 4 to be potty trained late. I’ve cloth diapered both my kids who were potty trained at 24 months and 27 months. I really do believe it’s true that the dots are connected easier for them because they always feel when they pee in a cloth diaper versus a disposable.
And, although your friends children may not have had medical issues with disposable diapers, there are plenty of kids that have, my oldest being one of them. Pampers gave him one heck of a chemical burn when we tried them.
I’m not the most savvy internet user, but is this some kind of spam, Jennifer? I never knew that there were so many cloth diapering moms out there who were offended by articles that promote the use of cloth diapers! Amazing! And these moms found their way to your blog, or have read your writing, where your views are plain for all to see? Huh? Weird.
I reread it, looking for what might be so off-putting, but I don’t see it.
Your article in Mothering (Diaper Dilemma) is one of my favorite pieces, and I appreciate the thorough research that you do.
Thanks Natalie B. It’s interesting to me that those who have taken the time to criticize this article have been personally attacking the writer (yours truly) and saying that the ideas are “moronic.” And then being angry that my piece is somehow fomenting mommy wars.
Instead of arguing with, nuancing, or correcting the facts, people resort to name calling. It hit a nerve because it exposes some painful truths about diapers and about the lifestyles we lead that we all take for granted despite the devastating climate change and global warming we’re creating.
Americans do not want to be told that driving is dangerous. You can be angry about the fact that every time you put your child in the car you put her–and other people’s children–at risk. But the anger won’t make it stop being true.
I always appreciate your thoughtful comments, Natalie B. Thanks for reading.
People need to relax. Thanks for the article, it was interesting and also amusing.
Man so many people are mad at this post. Honestly I loved it. It’s funny. I don’t think it should be read for mom that are thinking about gooing cloth diapering but for mom that are already doing it and need a good laugh. Geez people come down. It’s just some truth in between something to laugh.
I used cloth diapers for my son and he was born in 1990. It was hard getting daycare on board and eventually used plastic for his care there. It actually made the transition from diaper to toilet so much easier because he knew what it felt like, and it wasn’t ‘comfortable, mommy!’
New moms and dads it is a great option and truly recommend it. I was a single mom at the time and it worked for me; so I know you all can do it.