Why, you might ask?

While I have been getting a lot of support from people about the cloth diapers, I also have heard a lot of negative comments about why on earth I would choose to do this. At first, it was for cost. The environmental factor has always bothered me, too. Well, in all the research that I have done there are now SO many reasons why I chose to do this. It is not a decision for everybody, and in no way am I saying that people who do use disposables are bad parents. It is the best thing for our family and disposables might be the best thing for those families.
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Having said that...here are all the reason why I chose to sloth diaper.

Health issues-

-In 1955 before modern disposable diapers were sold and consumed, it was estimated that 7% of babies and toddlers had diaper rash. In 1991, long after plastic disposables diapers dominated the market, the number jumped to 78%. Brendan has pretty much had a rash since birth. Since using the cloth, he has not had a rash!

-Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by product of the paper bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. In small quantities, dioxin causes birth defects, immune system suppression, skin an liver diseases, and genetic damage in lab animals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.

-Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.

-Disposable diapers contain sodium Polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. This chemical can cause skin irritations and severe allergic reactions including vomiting, staph infections, and fever.

Environmental Concerns

Cloth diapers are kinder to the environment than disposables. Consider these facts.

-Disposable diapers generate sixty times more soiled waste than cloth. We were using at least one garbage bag a week when both boys were in disposables. Now we are having trouble using one!

-Disposable diapers use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.

-No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it's estimated to be about 250-500 years under optimal circumstances, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.

-Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.

-Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.

-Throwaway diapers use twice as much water as cotton diapers, mostly in the manufacturing process.

Cost

-Your baby will need anywhere from 6,000-9,000 during the first three years of life. How much will that cost if your using disposables?

-Disposables. If you purchase disposable diapers, you can easily spend over $65 an month. You will have spent more than $1,600 before your baby turns two. You will have nothing to show for this money except stinky diapers in a landfill!

-Diaper service. If doing diaper laundry is not in your bag, a service can be an option, usually costing between $13-$17 each week. Over the course of 2 years, you will spend $1,600, about the same as disposable diapers. However, the diapers get used over and over, and do not enter a landfill until they are nothing but rags.

-Cloth Diapers. If you use simple pre-fold diapers and covers, you will only need a few dozen diapers (in various sizes), which you can use over and over. The cost of cloth diapering can vary considerably from as low as $300 for a basic set up to $1000 or more for organic cotton fitted diapers and wool covers. You can spend even less by using found objects (old towels & t-shirts) or much more by buying designer diapers.

I just wish I would have started sooner!