Cloth diapers are making a comeback
Disposables represent 96 per cent of the North American diaper (or nappy) market and account for roughly $5.7 billion US in annual sales, according to Adrian Atterby, analyst of disposable paper products for Euromonitor.
Yet a revival in community values, environmental philosophies and a desire for more natural choices is prompting some parents to reconsider what they toss and how much they spend doing it.
April MacKinnon, a cloth-diaper using mother in Dartmouth, N.S., runs baby products company Nurtured Products for Parents. “I was trained as a civil engineer, and was not prepared for how profoundly motherhood changed me,” explains MacKinnon. “Having a civil engineering background gave me a perspective of what happens to what we throw away.”
MacKinnon launched her business in April 2006, complete with cloth diapers and a pickup service. Since the launch of her virtual/mail-order store, MacKinnon says she has experienced exponential growth:
“What I used to do in business in a six-month period I now do in three days. The huge variety of cloth diapers that are available make it possible for people to choose diapers that meet their personal criteria”
Angela Johnston, mother and owner of Valley Cloth Diapers, a Nova Scotia-based cloth-diaper company, started her business three years ago, and “spent a great deal of time convincing people about cloth diapers.” She recalls how everyone – from friends to family – told her she was, “crazy for thinking about cloth,” and says parents who opt for cloth often receive this same response today.
“There is a cultural misunderstanding about the simplicity of cloth diapers,” Johnston says. “Cloth diapers are not more work than disposables, and the environmental footprint from using disposables is far more harmful than that of cloth or reusable diapers.”
A few facts:
- The rate of diaper rash from both kinds of diapers are about the same.
- Disposable diapers don’t require diaper pins. You don’t need diaper pins for cloth diapers either if you buy diaper covers with Velcro straps.
- While the cloth diapers require an initial investment of roughly $300, the overall cost is significantly cheaper than disposables when factored over the number diapers a child will use.
Souce: CBC website
