*Disclaimer, I do not write my blog posts (or any social media content) with AI, what you are reading are my own unfiltered thoughts and my own imperfect opinions.
Let’s start by saying that people cloth diaper for many different reasons. Cost, aesthetics, the environment, health reasons, sensitive skin, just to name a few. Therefore, not everyone is going to have same criteria when it comes to choosing a diaper system. Not everyone has the same budget, amount of time, washing facilities, or priorities. I will never, ever, ever have anything negative to say about ANYONE’s diapering choices, whether that’s disposables, pocket diapers, flats, aios, etc.
I have a bone to pick specifically with the way products are marketed. After all, marketing is our main source of info when we, as consumer, are choosing which system to use. If we aren’t getting the whole picture, we can’t make a truly informed decision.
Ask 50 random women off the street, how many of them would wear plastic underwear. You might hear 50 negative responses. Ask them how many would wear polyester underwear (same thing) and you may hear about 10 affirmative responses. The majority of women would likely tell you they try to stick to cotton undies - many notice they are more breathable and comfortable.
Ask 50 holistically minded women off the street how many would wear polyester underwear, you’ll probably get 50 negative responses. Some might point you toward the polyester and fertility study done on dogs https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18393023/
Others might inform you about the microplastics and PFAs that they would want to avoid in underwear.
Ask 50 holistically minded mamas what diapers they’ve used, you’ll hear a mix of disposables (perhaps a cleaner brand), pocket cloth diapers, and natural fiber cloth diapers like prefolds or workhorses. I wager many of them simply didn’t make the connection that the disposables and the pocket diapers they’ve used, were plastic. Why would they? Disposable diaper companies focus on their chlorine free bleaching process for their wood pulp, completely glossing over the fact that their top sheet is polyethylene. Pocket diaper companies focus on “recycled materials” (recycled plastic is actually even worse https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653522036682) and “organic inserts” (read, the part not actually touching your baby) and cheerfully gloss over the polyurethane and polyester in their diapers.
I’ve been there! As a second time mom to my son, it NEVER occurred to me that sticking polyester fleece or mesh up against his skin probably wasn’t in line with the rest of my healthy living choices. I too, would not have worn polyester underwear. Somehow when it came to children’s diapers, I didn’t make the connection. I even sold polyester diapers when my business first started. “Look at all the chemicals in disposables” I’d say, but completely ignored all the chemicals in plastic diapers (calling them “cloth” is a bit of a stretch to be honest). It just never occurred to me.
This is the article that got me thinking about the actual construction of the diapers I was using https://mamavation.com/motherhood/diapers-pfas-forever-chemicals.html
Pocket diapers and inserts are also one of the hardest systems to wash, increasing the risk of nasty bacteria (and or ammonia) building up on diapers, or toxic chemicals in detergent getting deposited and then not completely rinsed clean. 5-6 layer inserts present the biggest challenge for washing machines, due to each individual layer presenting an opportunity to trap bacteria. That’s not to say they are impossible to clean - clearly many people do! There’s the most room for error is my point. Most people aren’t in all the cloth Facebook groups - they throw some detergent in (probably too much) and go on with their day, oblivious to measuring, 2nd washes, extra rinses, and so on.
Pocket diapers are loved for their convenience, and I appreciate not having to find a snappi and a separate cover on occasion. The All in One is more convenient however! Options like Smart Bottoms cotton all in ones are soooo convenient, quick to wash and dry, and while they still have the plastic outer layer, the only thing that touches baby’s skin is 100% organic cotton. The laminated polyurethane layer is completely covered and inaccessible on the diaper. They are expensive, but I’ve gotten all mine secondhand for less that $10 a diaper and I’m super happy with them (and Made in the USA!)
What about covers? 2 part systems like Esembly, GMD workhorses, flats, prefolds, etc rely on natural fiber inners and a polyester/polyurethane cover for water resistance. This isn’t nearly as bad in my view, and we use PUL covers daily here. The part that touches baby’s skin is natural fibers (I avoid bamboo viscose personally) and the cover doesn’t touch much skin. Microplastics are still probably released when washing, and their manufacture isn’t good for the environment, but this is a better option.
Finally, natural fiber inner systems along with a wool or alpaca cover are my favorite. I’ll preface this by saying they aren’t for everyone - daycares probably aren’t going to accommodate for example, and grandma will have more to learn with this system than an all in one. However for us, a hybrid system of natural fiber inners and mostly wool covers (with PUL on occasion for Dad and for trips in the car) has been the golden ticket (too bad it took me 3 kids to figure it out!) combined with elimination communication. EC really is a lifesaver if you love wool - one of the main downsides is having to wash the cover if it gets poop on it, but with EC my son has pooped in the potty since 2 months old, meaning 0 blow outs and no extra cover washing!
To reiterate, everyone should choose the best diapering system for them and no one should judge. I believe in education around the implications of each diapering system and with pocket diapers being the most popular (which is kind of silly) there isn’t as much education about their disadvantages - polyester on babies sensitive areas, mostly manufactured overseas with variable levels of vetting, harder to wash inserts, more environmental impact (they don’t degrade in the environment), and not the most effective for heavy wetters or nighttime.
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