Much ado about green diapers

Green advice givers are all talking about diapers this week. Both Slate's Green Lantern and Salon's Pablo tackle the subject -- and give conflicting advice.

The Lantern says that cloth diapers are greener -- but that he uses disposables themselves due to time management issues, and will consider switching to cloth or flushable gDiapers later on.

Pablo too says cloth diapers are greener -- but is not so keen on the gDiapers -- and recommends diaper services that'll launder the dirty diapers for you.

In an earlier column, Umbra of Grist concluded that "the disposable vs. reusable diaper fight is in a stalemate for the foreseeable future," and suggests diaperless parenting -- an option Pablo deems impractical.

I'm more psyched than ever that I don't have to deal with diaper issues, but having read all these diaper articles in detail, Pablo's option sounds like the most practical green option, assuming you can afford a diaper washing service -- something you likely can do if you can afford to buy disposable diapers at a buck a pop.

Any green parents got more practical advice or stories?

Photo of baby in gDiaper by Donna D via Flickr

Comments

[Seana Hansen - The Eco-Organizer]

I use BumGenius all-in-one diapers. These diapers are so easy to use, grandparents and daycares don't mind using them. The only difference in effort is you have to dump to poo in the toilet instead of throwing it in the diaper pail with the rest of the diapers. And instead of throwing the diapers from the diaper pail into the trash, you throw them in the washer. Once you start reusing the same diapers over and over, you'll quickly realize just how wasteful disposables are.

[Autumn Beck]

Cloth diapers are so easy! There are options that go on the same as a disposable but without all the chemicals! Washing cloth diapers is no different than washing a load of towels.

Autumn Beck
http://allaboutclothdiapers.com

[Kate]

How does day care affect diapering options?

[Sara HOLLAND]

I use Nature BabyCare disposable diapers. I found them at Target. They were available there for a limited time. I now purchase them on-line at diapers.corn. They are a an eco-friendly diaper in that they use 100 % chlorine free absorbent material that is based on corn which makes them biodegradable. Even the packaging is biodegradable. It's a happy compromise. I don't have time for cloth diapers.