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Why use cloth diapers? There are so many reasons!

1. Better for Baby
Cloth diapers are better for your baby. It's that simple.

Many parents mistakenly believe that disposable diapers - because they feel drier - cause less diaper rash than cloth diapers, but that is just simply not the case (this has been proven through studies). Diaper rash is caused by any number of factors, and the single most important factor in preventing it is frequent diaper changes - whether the baby is in disposables or cloth. However, disposables feel dry to the touch, so parents often change their babies less frequently, which can mean that babies in disposables are actually more prone to diaper rash. Although the diaper may feel dry, bacteria from the urine is still in contact with the baby's skin. Further, plastic doesn't breathe to let out the ammonia that forms when urine breaks down. Cloth diapers and covers let air circulate around baby's skin, helping to keep it healthy. (Even Procter & Gamble's studies show that diaper rash increases with the increased use of disposable diapers ("A Review of Procter & Gamble's Environmental Balances for Disposable and Re-usable Nappies" The Landbank Consultancy Limited, 1991).)

Disposable diapers also may contain toxic chemicals. Dioxin, which has been found to cause cancer, birth defects, and liver damage, is a by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in creating disposable diapers, and trace quantities may remain in the diapers. (EPA, "Integrated Risk Assessment for Dioxins and Furans from Chlorine Bleaching in Pulp and Paper Mills.")

Not to mention those absorbing crystals that keep the diaper feeling dry. That stuff is sodium polyacrylate, the very same stuff that was removed from tampons in 1985 because it was linked to toxic shock syndrome. No studies have been done on the effects this chemical may have on a baby.

2. Better for the environment
To my knowledge, there haven't been any truly unbiased and accurate studies that really capture the environmental impact of cloth diapers or disposable diapers. There are so many factors involved in the use of either type. But consider the following.

Disposable diapers are made of processed paper and plastic. (Yep, there go those rainforests.) After use, they are tossed into a landfill (often full of human waste). Once in the landfill, they sit for years and years (as many as 500 years). Plastic is not biodegradable, and will sit in that landfill until the end of time.

Of course, cloth diapers are

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