As an already reluctant diaper-changer I was leery when the topic of cloth diapers came up. Let me say that my wife and I try to live as eco-friendly as we can – but when it comes to poo – less is more. The less I have to deal with, the better. Some things are better out of sight, out of mind.

I mean, that’s where we draw the line right? From an experienced diaper-changer perspective - what could be better than disposable, non-leaking, easy to take on and off, go anywhere diapers? What’s so bad about conventional diapers, what’s the real dirt on diapers anyways? (pun intended)

An interesting article over at Wired told of a mother who was buying biodegradable diapers from Whole Foods only to find out that they aren’t much better for her baby or the environment.

“These diapers all contain super-absorbent gelling materials,” or AGM, said the latest newsletter from cloth diaper service Tiny Tots. “AGM is linked to an increase in childhood asthma and a decrease in sperm count among boys. Environmentally, these diapers require as much water, energy and fuel to produce as any other single-use diaper. The bottom line is they offer no environmental or health benefits.”

Well,…as much as I would love to use this quote to help me rationalize keeping my regular, uber-convenient diapers, the source is a cloth diaper service - kind of like trusting research funded by a drug company. So how many diapers do you think the USA dumps in an average day? (this time no pun was intended) According to Treehugger, the USA goes through 49 million diapers each day!

The article continues by pointing out that during the 2 years that the average child spends in diapers he/she will go through 5,000 diapers. The last year data was collected about diapers, they made up 3.4 million tons of waste, or 2.1% of the U.S. garbage in landfills where, contrary to popular opinion, nothing biodegrades. The website of the California Integrated Waste Management Board reads, “A landfill is not a composting site. Nothing degrades well in a landfill.” – That’s not very encouraging.

Well, more to come on the diaper but consider this part one of a blogisode about my experience with cloth diapers. One day I go to work, come back and there’s a pack of cloth diapers sitting on the table. My mother in law thinks its great – she’s also not the one changing the diapers. So far, my wife is admittedly much better than me at accepting the change. Stay tuned for our adventure in cloth diapering.