Diapers: The Process of Elimination

According to a Mother Jones article from May/June 2008, “A typical baby goes through 3,800 disposable diapers in her first 2.5 years.” Visualize this for a second. If a 34-count pack of Seventh Generation diapers (unused) registers as too bulky to pack in a sizable suitcase, try to get a handle on the landscape imprint of what nearly 112 times that amount (used) leaves on the horizon.

This was the type of statistic that made me commit to cloth diapers over a year ago. I could not live with the idea, that somewhere, there would stand an elastic-banded shrine to my child’s gastrointestinal tract. So, I opted for the old fashioned route, which was a bit more expensive and, more often, a bit messier. But each soiled cloth diaper, that I cursedly change, diminishes that mythical pile by one.

But arguments have been made/posted revealing that cloth diapers are little better than disposables after all the washing, bleaching and resources consumed to keep your child sanitary. I appreciate the effort taken to undermine cloth in favor of the synthetic standby, but it hardly sways my confidence.

However, in the past few years a third, or maybe even a fourth option has surfaced in the diaper debate, and this comes in the form of eco-friendly diaper options–almost moral hybrids between cloth and disposable. Gdiapers, Nature Babycare Diapers, and Nature Boy & Girl

Most of these new-fangled options come by way of our Euro brethren, making claims of compost-friendly, corn-based, carbon-neutral and often flushable diapers for your child. I have tried a few of these, and have been less than bowled over by their performance. But in actuality, it is just a diaper and diapers are deeply flawed requisites in our lives as parents, and I am nearly convinced that they are simply necessary evils. Nearly.

While certainly not a new idea, but Elimination Communication (or EC for short) by definition “is a process by which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues and intuition to address an infant’s excretive needs, partially or completely avoiding the use of diapers.” This process is used widely throughout the developing world with much success, so, despite our disbelief, it can be done. I spoke with a couple recently who have EC’d their child from day 13 on, and now, at 14 months, he is “eliminating” in a chamber pot, and only using the occasional diaper. Is this just kooky, utopian parenting, or should potty training begin at birth?

Read more: Blogs, Babies, Parenting at the Crossroads

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

KS G.

12:56AM PDT on Mar 19, 2011

Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Alyssa K.

10:27AM PDT on Aug 31, 2010

hmmmm

7:16AM PDT on Apr 4, 2010

So, the best is early toilet training.

Amber B.

7:43PM PST on Mar 12, 2010

It all comes down to convenience. Unfortunately the diaper companies know that and don't bother to change their product since there isn't the demand from the users... How can we get them to change? I cloth diaper 90% of the time and feel guilty with the occasional disposable. We have to demand change from the Huggies and Pampers brands out there.

Monkey M.

12:09PM PDT on Oct 30, 2008

Me, too!

Staple G.

12:06PM PDT on Oct 30, 2008

I concur.

Violeta V.

5:59PM PDT on Oct 28, 2008

I also go for Elimination Communication. I found out about it only when my firstborn was four months old, but hope to try that on the next one (when we have one :) )

MK L.

12:24PM PDT on Jun 26, 2008

As consumers of massive amounts of diapers and wipes, I think we need to voice our concerns for the environment and demand that the manufacturers become more responsible about their products. If we all demand a hassle-free, biodegradable disposable diaper, they might deliver. In 2008, they cannot claim that they don't have the technology-- they just need the incentive . . . $$.

Past Member .

9:14PM PDT on Jun 19, 2008

If you live in water-starved areas of this country, then water is considered a renewable resource! Toilets to the taps, Orange County! Plus we use a front-loader washer that only uses about 6 gallons of water per load. 6 gallons per day to wash the diapers for two kids? They'll use more once they're potty trained and able to flush the toilet!

Marykay L.

7:42PM PDT on May 23, 2008

I like the idea of EC . . . imagine the number of environment destroying diapers we could save if we all had our babies over a potty from their first month of life. What is it about people in the developed world that (myself included) makes the convenience of disposable diapers now more important than saving the planet for the very children who we care so much about? I guess its a culture of quick fixes, but the kind of mess are we leaving behind for our kids future is a lot worse than the mess inside my kid's diaper!