When I cloth diapered my babies I was on the answering side of a lot of questions. Of course, people had heard the horror stories from their grandmothers, or possibly their mothers, about cloth diapers. They always want to know WHY I would chose cloth diapers when the alternative, disposable diapers, were readily available.
That question was a simple one to answer. It was answered with a question of my own. "Would YOU like to wear paper or plastic underwear?"
Because folks, that's the bottom line. Cloth diapers are primarily made up of three ingredients; paper, plastic and sodium polyacrylate (the chemical that causes disposable diapers to be absorbent). You know what else uses these same three materials? Women's sanitary pads.
That's right.
Disposable diapers are made of the same ingredients as women's sanitary pads; not just the same ingredients, but also assembled in the same way. Disposable diapers and sanitary pads share the same absorbent center panel, the same waterproof plastic exterior, and finally, the same wrap around tabs to secure it. The only difference? One is secured to panties and the other to a baby.
Now, imagine wearing a giant sanitary pad wrapped around your waist - covering your body from your back waistline, down through your legs, and up to your front waistline. That is a disposable diaper.
So let me ask the question in a different way. Would you want to wear an adult size sanitary pad wrapped around your body 24 hours a day?
Didn't think so.
I wouldn't either.
