Sustainable Diapering
for the modern parent
baby for free using found fabrics. Almost any
absorbent material can actually be used as a
diaper. T-shirts, kitchen towels and receiving
blankets can be folded, cut or sewn together to
make an upcycled baby diaper. Old wool sweaters can be sewn into diaper covers. These options are great for parents who are environmentally friendly but can also be helpful for families
struggling to afford diapers for their baby.
Cloth diapers can save
a family $40-60 a month!
*as compared to disposable diapers
Elimination Communication
The practice of elimination communication
(commonly referred to as EC) is not a new concept, but it became popular again in 2001 with
the book Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of
Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer.
Diaper belts, like these from EC Wear, make
diaper removal quick & easy, minimizing baby’s
discomfort and making it easier to offer opportunities to use the potty.
Sustainability vs. Convenience
As with some of the other choices you make
when living a sustainable lifestyle, the question
of convenience always comes up.
Our modern society is very busy and parents
like convenience. The joy of being a parent is
that you get to set your own standards. Some
parents can be extremely committed to the environment and practice elimination communication from birth through potty training, while
others use a combination of both disposables
and cloth diapers.
Your diapering decisions can be part-time or
full-time and even if you are only changing three
cloth diapers a day you can still reduce your
baby’s environmental foot bum- print.
Also keep in mind that reusable options mean
saving money—less hours worked to earn disposables and also less time spent purchasing them.
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Photo by Takis Kolokotronis
Elimination communication is by far the most
sustainable diapering option but not always the
most practical. It involves following your baby’s
cues and signals to know when your baby has
to relieve herself. When you learn to recognize
these cues your baby can be placed on a toilet
or potty chair to pee and poop. With prefolds,
diaper belts and split pants your baby doesn’t
have to be naked all day to practice elimination
communication.