During my first pregnancy my husband proposed the idea of using cloth diapers on the baby.  My initial reaction was “No way!” I instantly had images of washboards, diaper pins, and plastic pants; not my idea of how I wanted to spend the next couple of years.  Despite my initial hesitation, I agreed to look into it. Two and a half years later, I am knee-deep in bumGenius™ and Happy Heinys®…. and not a washboard in sight.
 
To begin my research, I asked the “all-knowing” Google.  I quickly discovered that the days of diaper pins and plastic pants were long gone and that there were so many benefits of going cloth.  I believed cloth diapers were better for the environment, but I had no idea that it would take 500 years for a typical disposable diaper to decompose in a landfill site.  In fact, in 2004, “Environment Canada has recognized [cloth diapers] as a superior choice to disposable diapers.”[i]  From there I quickly learned of other benefits, namely financial and health.  Disposable diapers end up costing families about $2300 per child, but using cloth diapers for just one child saves parents an average of $1000-1300.  If you have a second baby and reuse those diapers, you then can save and additional $1800. 

Lastly, I began to learn what was actually in a disposable diaper.  In addition to the tissue and cellulose used in disposable diapers, there are other elements that may cause irritation such as plastics, adhesives, glues, lubricants, and super absorbent polymers (SAPs. . .these are the bits of gel that sometimes sticks on babies’ bums).  As recent as last year, lawsuits have been filed in the USA against Pampers® for concerns with the ingredients in some of their diapers which are claimed to have caused serious diaper rashes and/or skin burns.  This has lead to an investigation by Health Canada and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. [ii]

The biggest eye-opener was seeing first-hand that cloth diapering is really easy.  My sister had switched her son into cloth diapers so while visiting her I saw the realities of using cloth diapers.  There was no need to scrape poop off diapers into the toilet (I could just use a bio-degradable/flushable liner), the diaper would just go on like a disposable (easy to use velcro or snaps, and no separate waterproof cover), and there would be no swishing of diapers in toilets (just put the dirty diaper in the waterproof bag until wash day).  I must admit that the fashionista in me also found the colours and prints so much more appealing than the white paper alternative.  Finally, when the cloth diapers easily passed “the man hands” test, we were sold on the decision to go with cloth!

 I actually started to wonder why only 15% of Canadian families use cloth diapers when it was so easy and offered so many benefits.  In Edmonton, I learned that there were only a couple of local shops carrying a limited selection of cloth diapers;  none of which would actually sit down with me and help me to determine which diapers would be best for our baby.  I was fortunate to have my sister to show the products to me first-hand and to be able to ask as many questions as I wanted.  But what about others interested in cloth who didn’t already know someone using cloth diapers?  The internet has a wealth of information, but it doesn’t compare to seeing and learning things first-hand.  As a result, my sister and I opened Little Tree Hugger in 2008.  Our focus was, and still is, to provide parents in our local areas with information and experience related to cloth diapers so that they may make an informed decision.  We offer free information sessions to teach about cloth diapers and provide parents an opportunity to see and feel many brands and types of cloth diapers.  There are so many choices of cloth diapers today, parents have many options to customize what will suit their lifestyle and budget best.  A simple diapering package, like Flip™, can start at just $300!
 

Written by Janis Sherman, co-founder of Little Tree Hugger..  Today, Little Tree Hugger stocks one of the largest selections of cloth diapers and cloth diapering accessories in all of Alberta.  Their website  features all the products we sell as well as a lot of general information related to cloth diapering.   They have also expanded beyond local areas to have Cloth Diaper Consultants in various cities across the country educating parents considering cloth diapers.   At Little Tree Hugger, they believe that cloth diapering is good for your baby, easy on your wallet and beneficial for our environment.

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Photo Credit Heather Wagner Photography