Sustainable Diapers for Newborns: Softness, Safety, and Comfort

Are you running ragged trying to meet all the needs of your infant? Constantly wondering if what you are doing is the best for their health or not? Well, you are not alone. Most new parents feel that way. With the abundance of products in the market, it is natural to feel overwhelmed. Add to it the polarizing views of social media celebrities and the genius of marketing teams and you certainly do not know left from right, let alone which diaper is better for your baby or whether you should be feeding them puree food or not. It’s difficult, to put it mildly.

And while we do not want to add to the confusion, there is a case to be made for sustainable diapers which are better for the environment and have quite a few benefits for your child. Let’s take a look at the second, shall we? After all, the first is simple, sustainable diapers are usually made of cloth which is reusable and biodegradable, thus causing less waste and reducing plastic pollution. But what about your child- are they truly better?

I grew up watching advertisers for plastic diapers. Pampers come to mind. The ads would go along these lines- the baby is suffering from rashes due to cloth diapers being wet and soggy throughout the night. Seeing this, the doctor would recommend a plastic diaper that is both disposable and absorbent, thus ensuring the child’s rear stays dry through the night and the parent is not woken up by an infant in distress. This does highlight some of the pros of disposable and plastic diapers. They are absorbent, and for some children, they can be better in rash prevention. While there can be eco-friendly disposable diapers made of compostable materials, most diapers that go into landfills are made of paper and plastic. 

Now let us look at sustainable diapers. When describing a diaper as sustainable, we can look at four factors- health, environmental, financial, and ethical. While we can only ensure that something is made of materials that are ethically sourced and by labor that is fairly paid for is buying from trusted sources or from brands that carry fair wage certificates. 

In matters of the environment, we have facts and figures to guide us. According to UNICEF, India alone produces 548 tonnes of baby diaper waste every day. Diapers which have petroleum-based covers are not biodegradable and according to Healthline, not particularly breathable. While microfiber and nylon are more breathable, and less prone to leaks than cotton, they are still made of synthetic materials which can be bad for the environment and sometimes cause rashes on the child’s skin. 

Financially speaking reusable diapers are cheaper in the long run but when traveling or short on time, disposable diapers are better. Cloth diapers need particular care and one must always make sure they have at least one clean pair washed and ready, which is why many parents prefer disposable sustainable diapers with inserts made of hemp or other such materials. 

But the most important aspect of a diaper is health. While both petroleum-based diapers and sustainable diapers- whether disposable or reusable- have the possibility of causing a rash, since which is better for a child depends on their skin- broadly speaking, these are the advantages by material according to the experts at  Healthline-