1. Benefits of Natural Cloth Diapers Over Synthetic or Disposable

Benefits of Natural Cloth Diapers Cotton Hemp Wool

Aloha! Welcome to lesson 1 of our Natural Cloth Diapering Class. In this lesson we are going to share some of the benefits of using natural cloth diapers rather than synthetic cloth diapers or disposable diapers.

There are many benefits of choosing natural fiber cloth diapers!

When talking about natural cloth diapers, there are two portions of the diaper to consider. There is the inner absorbency and the outer waterproof cover.

In this Natural Cloth Diapering Class we will discuss using natural absorbency (cotton and hemp) with either natural wool diaper covers or synthetic polyester diaper covers.

Let's first look at the benefits of using natural fabrics for the absorbency. Then we will look at the benefits of using natural wool diaper covers.

Benefits of cloth diapers over disposable diapers

  • Diaper rashes are less likely to happen with cloth diapers than disposable diapers, which often contain irritating chemicals.
  • Purchasing and washing a cloth diaper stash CAN be less expensive than purchasing disposable diapers.
  • Cloth diapers are washed and reused multiple times, whereas disposable diapers head to a landfill after a single use.

Benefits of Natural Cotton Absorbency in Cloth Diapers

Natural Cloth Diaper Absorbency Cotton

Benefits of natural cotton cloth diapers:

  • Cotton prefolds and flats are durable and can be used on multiple babies.
  • Cotton prefolds and flats can be repurposed as towels or cleaning rags.
  • 100% cotton is biodegradable and can be composted, avoiding the landfill altogether.
  • Breathable, soft and comfortable to wear
  • Beautiful natural aesthetic
  • No strong chemical smell
  • Easy to wash and dry. In contrast, synthetic fibers such as polyester microfiber can hold onto stink.
  • Less likely to experience compression leak than with polyester microfiber
  • Do not release microplastics when washed
  • Allow your baby to feel wetness and retain awareness of peeing which helps with the potty learning process. If you prefer your baby not to feel wet, such as at night, you can use a natural wool diaper liner against your baby's skin.

Benefits of Using Wool Diaper Covers

Styles of Wool Diaper Covers: Wrap a nd Pull-on Soaker

Benefits of natural wool diaper covers:

  • Natural and biodegradable
  • Breathable and temperature regulating. Wool allows sweat and heat to escape. It therefore remains comfortable even in hot weather.
  • A lanolized wool diaper cover can be reused multiple times while still smelling fresh, since the lanolin wax neutralizes urine.
  • A wool diaper cover can go about 2 weeks between washes, unless it is soiled with poop, in which case it should be washed.
  • Fewer wool diaper covers are needed than polyester covers.
  • Wool diaper covers are soft and stretchy and less likely to leave red marks on baby's legs.
  • Many styles of wool diaper covers such as longies, shorties, and skirties double as clothing.
  • Wool diaper covers may have a good resale value, but the market is subject to change!

 

Those are just some of the benefits of natural cloth diapers! What draws you towards using natural fiber diapers?

Next up, in Lesson 2 we will take an in-depth look at which cloth diapering fabrics are natural.

INDEX: Natural Cloth Diapering Class

About Heidi Avelino

Heidi is passionate about spreading awareness of elimination communication and natural cloth diapering. She is an environmentalist and strives to live a minimalist and zero-waste lifestyle. Heidi practiced EC with each of her three children. Her eldest son and her daughter have reached potty independence. She is currently practicing EC with and cloth diapering her youngest son.