A beginner’s guide to reusable diapers

In North America, approximately 40 billion diapers end up in landfills every year. What’s worse is that even though some of their components are technically biodegradable, diapers take at least 250 years to decompose. While the plastic content of a single diaper isn’t harmful, the combined environmental impact of billions of diapers leaching plastic into the soil is potentially catastrophic. The solution? Adopting reusable diapers.

How effective are they?
One concern about reusable diapers is that they’re not as effective as the disposable kind. That may have been true in the past, but modern reusable diapers are equipped with waterproof banding that prevents leaks and strong, secure Velcro or snaps to ensure they’ll stay on.

How convenient are they?
All you need to do is dump the solids in the toilet and then put the dirty diapers in a plastic-lined bin until you’re ready to wash them. Most manufacturers recommend you wash them twice and add an extra rinse to ensure no detergent remains. There are also laundry services that can clean the diapers for you.

How expensive are they?
The outright investment for reusable diapers is more expensive than the one for their disposable counterparts. However, in the long run, using these diapers may save you money. First, you won’t need to buy any more disposables. Second, using them for more than one child will save you even more money. Finally, thanks to effective sanitization procedures, it’s common to sell them to another family once you’re done with them.

Raising a child isn’t easy, and you’ll need to make many difficult choices as a parent. Thankfully, choosing reusable diapers is an economically and ecologically sound decision you can stand behind.