Cloth Diaper

Over 18 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills every year, taking as long as 500 years to decompose. This statistic alone makes using reusable cloth diapers the clear eco-preferable choice. Another strong argument for cloth diapers over disposable is that the latter contain sodium polyacrylate and traces of dioxin, two potentially toxic chemicals.

Plus, the breathability of a diaper likegDiapers leads to fewer diaper rashes than the unbreathable plastic of disposables. But take care to choose cloth diapers make from unbleached organic cotton or hemp – conventionally grown cotton uses a myriad of carcinogenic pesticides.

Yet another plus to choosing cloth diapers (see on Greenzer) for your child is that they help children learn to identify when they're wet – thus leading to earlier and quicker potty training. Not to mention that with cloth diapers, parents are better able to tell when their own child is wet – and frequent diaper changes are much better for babies than leaving them in a super-absorbent soiled diaper.

Many parents shy away from using cloth diapers because of the supposed inconvenience and expense of having a diaper service – but studies have shown that using cloth diapers and a diaper service costs the equivalent or less than using disposables over your child's diapering period. And lugging an extra can of garbage to the curb every week is certainly no more convenient that putting out your pail of dirty cloth diapers and receiving a fresh supply delivered to your doorstep.