Eco Disposables

When my daughter was born this past June, we had to make a number of important decisions about consumption, the biggest of which was going to be diapers. With disposables, the average baby goes through 10 to 12 diapers a day, which add up to a whopping 4,380 diapers a year! For a number of reasons, we decided to go with disposables and so the search began to find the best of the worst… in other words, we wanted to get disposables that were made out of renewable sources, that would decompose easily (even though landfills are anaerobic, perhaps making the criteria irrelevant), and that would be gentle against my baby’s skin.

The third criterion is especially important because most popular brands contain some pretty toxic substances and, unfortunately, the manufacturers are not required to disclose exactly what’s inside. But the list of components likely includes dyes, fragrances, as well as toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene and dipentene.

So what are these ‘enes’ and why should I keep them far away from my baby’s bottom? Well, some have been found to be endocrine disruptors, neurological toxins and respiratory irritants. It’s definitely not how I want to welcome my little one into the world! Using cloth diapers is really the preferred way to avoid chemicals, but a number of eco disposables have appeared on the market that are gentler on both baby bums and the environment (Guide to Less Toxic Products). What’s more, many include voluntary component lists.

I can only assume that the number of Mommies concerned with minimizing the impact of disposable diapers on bums/environment is growing and that we will continue to have more choices at a lower cost in the near future.

Here is a list of some choice brands currently available in Canada, links to further component information, and the cost for Size 1 diapers:

Earth’s Best Tendercare (56 for $19.99 at www.betterbabybums.ca)
Broody Chick 100% Natural and Fully Compostable (32 for $16.99 at www.betterbabybums.ca)
Nature Baby Care (40 for $18.95 at www.ecobotts.ca)
Seventh Generation (44 for $16.99 at www.betterbabybums.ca)
Bambo Nature (30 for $14.95 at www.ecobotts.ca)