I talk a lot about disposable products, because obviously I am an advocate for cloth, but it goes beyond that. Disposable products are just one more indication that we've become a "ME" society - that we don't care for each other or even what we're leaving behind for our own children and their children. It used to be that we were handing down a heritage…now our heritage is a bunch of junk…literally.While I was probing the internet for statistics on disposable diapers, I came across a write-up by Karen Klages of The Chicago Tribune.

Karen wrote:"If someone were to load all of the disposable wipes purchased by consumers in North America last year onto 18-wheel semis, the caravan would number 9,000 trucks and stretch for 68 miles. And it would be carrying 83,000 tons of these seemingly ephemeral cloths which are anything but fleeting."

Did you gasp? I did when I read it. Now, she's referring to ALL disposable wipes, not just baby's wipes, but still…my family's baby wipe usage doesn't need to add further to those statistics; thank goodness for cloth baby wipes. 

Intrigued by this research, I set out on another path and came across some hefty complaints about disposable wipes from those that maintain our city's sewage systems.

"Thicker than toilet paper, the wipes do not disintegrate when flushed. As their use has become more prevalent, the wipes are clogging treatment plant pumps and costing communities extra money in overtime and equipment repairs."

And you know why they are getting clogged, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT DISINTEGRATE LIKE TOILET PAPER. Right - as in, they aren't so eco-friendly. They don't belong in the sewage system and they don't belong in landfills either.THERE IS A CHOICE.The choice is cloth baby wipes and either water or, if you want an easy time of it - an all natural spray like bumGenius! Bottom Cleaner. The name alone will get a smerk out of ya each time you spray it on your baby's bum. Spray the Bottom Cleaner on baby's bottom and then wipe clean with any reusable cloth baby wipe or dry, soft cloth. It is unnecessary to wet your baby wipe when using the bumGenius Bottom Cleaner.

But do not get me wrong - you can use a worn, soft piece of flannel and warm water too. There doesn't have to be anything fancy about making the switch to cloth baby wipes from disposable wipes, you just need to make the switch.You can actually take an environmental stance with what you use to wipe your baby's bum…who would have thought?Cloth baby wipes can be purchased in nearly any online cloth diaper store; you can also cut up some used/recycled flannel baby blankets, worn wash cloths, even pick up some clearance flannel at year's end in the fabric shops or better yet, garage sales, to make into sweet little wipes. Use them over and over and your pipes and landfills will thank you.