Cloth diapers

A diaper is used on small children, infants and toddlers, to capture fluid and solid waste. Diapers of one form or another have been known for many generations and are generally defined as a basic garment for human waste containment for infants. When the diaper is wet or otherwise soiled from such waste, it is desirable and usually necessary to replace the diaper as soon as possible. Parents now have the option of using a variety of diapers for their child, ranging from the conventional cloth diaper washed at home or provided by a laundry service, disposable diapers, or a combination of these types in an all-in-one diaper. Historically the diaper has been a flat piece of cloth folded to a desired fit to contain bodily waste. A conventional cloth diaper consists of a folded cloth or other absorbent material drawn up between the legs and fastened about the waist of the wearer. To produce a suitable diaper, the cloth was folded in any one of plurality of patterns to achieve the appropriate diaper size and then pinned with at least one safety pin to retain the diaper about the waist of the wearer. Cloth diapers have a disadvantage over disposable diapers, however, in that they do not wick urine or other bodily fluids away from the skin of the wearer, rather tend to envelop the entire surface of the wearer’s skin contacting the diaper with the urine or other bodily fluid. In cases where cloth diapering is the option of choice, frequent diaper changes are required to keep the child dry and thereby help reduce infections such as diaper rash. Cloth diapers absorb moisture but do not necessarily wick moisture away from the body. Cloth diapers become saturated very quickly.

In recent years there has been considerable emphasis on disposable diapers because of the convenience that they represent to the parents. Disposable diapers generally include a thin inner liner that is normally not absorbent and serves to conform to the shape of the wearer, an outer water impervious layer and an absorbent core sandwiched between the inner liner and the outer layer. Disposable diapers not only can be easily discarded, but are adjustable and convenient to attach and remove. Diapers of the disposable diapers are typically capable of effective retention of liquid and solid material without having to resort to protective covers as was required by cloth diapers. Disposable diapers have been well received by mothers and fathers primarily because of their convenience and disposability. Disposable diapers have largely replaced the common cloth diaper to be worn by infants and toddlers. However, disposable diapers are not entirely satisfactory for several reasons including the relatively high cost and the large amount of diaper material that must be disposed of after these diapers are used. The number of diapers used by a typical baby during one day creates a large volume of garbage and a serious sanitation problem since most parents do not remove the feces from the diaper before disposing of the diaper. In addition, disposable diapers are relatively expensive. With the growing concerns for the environment, parents are looking to alternative diapers that are reusable, as well as less expensive.

Arguments are made on all sides regarding the health and sanitation issues, the energy and environmental cost, as well as the economics involved in using each type. To enhance safety for infants and adult home health care patients as well as promote preservation of the ecology, there is a trend by consumers to return to use of reusable, rather than disposable, infant and adult diapers. Consumers of cloth diapers are very sensitive to cost as well as to convenience of use of the product. As the cost of materials forming the cloth diaper is relatively fixed, differences in price among similar reusable diapers depend significantly on cost of manufacturing. Cloth diapers are reusable and can be made from natural fibers, manmade materials, or a combination of both. They are often made from industrial cotton which may be bleached white or left the fiber’s natural color. Other natural fiber cloth materials include wool, bamboo, and unbleached hemp. Traditionally, cloth diapers consisted of a folded square or rectangle of cloth, fastened with safety pins. Reusable cloth diapers have been designed attempting to incorporate some of the desirable characteristics of disposable diapers such as water impervious outer layers, highly absorbent liners and adjustable fasteners for a “one-size-fits-all” type of diaper. Modern cloth diapers come in a host of shapes, including preformed cloth diapers, all-in-one diapers with waterproof exteriors, and pocket or “stuffable” diapers, which consist of a water-resistant outer shell sewn with an opening for insertion of absorbent material inserts. Closure methods include snap closures, hook and loop fasteners, and other new closure methods such as the Snappi, a three-point, pin-free closure device.

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July 13, 2008 | Filed Under Baby nursery