As most new moms, all of us are so excited to start the journey of Mommyhood. I know I was when my husband and I start to try to conceive. I researched ever possible topic a mother needed to know, should know, or may not want to know but still was/is good to know. One topic that many parent's choose not to research on, is diapers.
I chose my journey to research diapers when I found an article that exposed what goes on into making a disposable diaper. I was SHOCKED. and typically, I really thought it was bull. Everyone uses disposables. right?... or so I thought. What I found out was all the extremely harsh chemicals they put in disposables have given children 1st.2nd,and 3rd degree burns on children's genitals... some to the point of needing skin graphs. What the hell? Can't be true. That's what I said until I kept doing research on the specific chemicals.
"Baby’s poorly developed outer skin layer absorbs about 50 different chemicals if you use disposable diapers, wipes and standard baby products.
One of the dangers of disposable diapers is that they all contain something called Sodium Polyacrylate. Even the “eco-friendly” diapers contain this chemical, too. This is the chemical added to the inner pad of a disposable that makes it super-absorbent. When the powder gets wet, it turns into a gel that:
- Can absorb up to 100 times its weight in water.
- Can stick to baby’s genitals, causing allergic reactions.
- Can cause severe skin irritation, oozing blood from perineum and scrotal tissues, fever, vomiting and staph infections in babies.
- Was banned from tampons in 1985 because of its link to Toxic Shock Syndrome.
- When injected into rats, has caused hemorrhage, cardiovascular failure and death.
- Has killed children after ingesting as little as 5 grams of it.
These are the small, shiny, gelatinous crystals that you will sometimes find in your baby’s private parts during diaper changing."
...... This was BANNED in womans' tampons and STILL being put on our childs raw skin?
Most disposable diapers also contain Dioxin. This is a chemical by-product of the paper-bleaching process used in the manufacturing of most diapers. Dioxin is carcinogenic. In fact, the EPA lists it as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. In small quantities it causes birth defects, skin disease, liver disease, immune system suppression & genetic damage in lab animals. Dioxin is banned in most countries, but not the United States.
And if dioxin and sodium polyacrylate weren’t toxic enough, many disposable diapers contain Tributyl Tin (TBT). Considered a highly toxic environmental pollutant, TBT spreads through the skin and has a hormone-like effect in the tiniest concentrations. TBT harms the immune system and impairs the hormonal system, and it is speculated that it could cause sterility in boys.
Even worse, in 1999, a study showed that childhood respiratory problems, including asthma, might be linked to inhaling the mixture of chemicals emitted from disposable diapers. The study identified these chemicals in emissions from two brands of disposable diapers (specific brands tested were not disclosed):
Disposables Cause Rashes
Even if sodium polyacrylate was completely safe, the super-absorbent qualities of disposable diapers are not really the blessing they seem to be. Super-absorbent disposables can do three things:
- Facilitate less diaper changing from parents, which leads to rashes because of exposure to the super-absorbent chemicals, bacteria, and ammonia from accumulated urine in the diaper.
- Reduce air circulation and pull natural moisture (not just urine) our of your baby’s skin—which can cause irritation.
- Raise the temperature of a baby boy’s scrotum far above body temperature, to the point that it can stop his testicles from developing normally, according to a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Widespread diaper rash is a relatively new phenomenon that surfaced in tandem with the widespread use of disposable diapers, and is now found in over half of all U.S. babies. While diaper rashes can be caused by a variety of problems (food allergies, yeast, etc.), the majority of these rashes come from allergies to diaper and wipe chemicals, lack of air, higher temperatures (because plastic retains body heat), and being changed less often because babies feel dry when they are actually wet.
Certain dyes used to add color to disposable diapers have been shown to cause allergic reactions resulting in rashes. Repeated exposure to the dye can cause a long-term allergy. One study (Alberta et al., 2005) that looked at several babies who suffered from rashes found that the rashes only occurred in places where the skin was in direct contact with the dyed part of the diaper. Researchers believe that it is the continued exposure to the dyes that causes a sensitization, or allergic reaction, in babies.
The study also found the following chemicals in disposable diapers to be associated with allergic contact dermatitis (skin rash):
- Mercaptobenzothiazole (rubber chemical)
- P-tert-butyl-phenol-formaldehyde resin (glue)
- Cyclohexylthiophthalimide (found in rubber)
Since prolonged exposure to a hot, dirty, chemical-laden diaper is the most common cause of diaper rashes, super-absorbent diapers may actually encourage parents to leave them on longer, causing these rashes.
Think about it. How many times have you stuck your finger into the leg of your baby’s bulging disposable diaper, and decided it was dry enough to stay on for another hour?
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By NO means am I trying to start any debate. I just don't like parent's or people who are not even parents telling me I'm making my life harder by cloth diapering. I'm really not. I'm possibly saving my children from burns, chemical reactions, pain and suffering, and allergic reactions. I want what's best for my babies just like all other moms do.. most.
My cloth diaper and wipe stash. :) It's getting there!
MY DREAM!!
So to ALL the people that keep questioning.. my answer will be blunt. I want what's best for my son and future children. My husband and I didn't even start this to save money. Once I found out the chemicals that were in disposables, I couldn't bring myself to put that on my baby's raw skin. Plain and simple. That's best for me may not be best for everyone. But this is MY family. My beliefs.My life.
- Carly
your baby at 18 weeks
