SCORE!

It appears that the Myths and Facts section regarding cloth diapers on the Pampers website has mysteriously disappeared.  I am beyond thrilled.  I'm guessing they got a flood of emails from cloth diapering mommas who were unhappy with the lies they were spreading.  Hooray for them removing their heads from their, er sposies!

Sources

I was asked to list my sources for my entry the other day, specifically about the Disposable diapers take 500 years to decompose comment.  I realize now that I should have taken the time to find and list my sources within that entry, but I was upset with Pampers "Facts" and wanted to address them immediately, even if it was only with my anecdotal arguments.

I found multiple sites that said the same thing, disposable diapers take 500 years to breakdown, a few sites listed anywhere from 250-500 years, based on a study by Ann Link, Disposable nappies: a case study in waste prevention.  April 2003.  Women's Environmental Network. The EPA site states 450 years. After further looking into it I found that these are educated guesses seeing as disposable diapers have only been around for roughly 60 years, so no one knows for sure.  Also when guessing, most appear to be basing that on ideal circumstances with optimal exposure to light and oxygen.  Considering disposable diapers are most often rolled and secured into a tight ball, placed in a plastic bag, then in a garbage bag, before they are tossed into the landfill where they will soon be buried under more trash, I doubt they are getting the ideal light and oxygen required for breakdown.

http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php
http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/edresources/debris_t.html
http://behealthyandrelax.com/2007/11/how-long-does-it-take-to-decompose/http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/311/1/Waste-decomposition-rates.html

There was also a question about my statement regarding the detergent.  I do not have any statistics or figures or studies to support that statement.  However, cloth diapers need to be laundered with special cloth diaper detergent because  a lot of the ingredients in regular detergent will cause build up in the diaper, making them less absorbent and water repellent.  Commercially available cloth detergent (Charlie's Soap and Rockin' Green to name a few) are made with natural ingredients, non toxic, and biodegradable.  Overall better for the environment than regular detergent. Its also important to factor in that cloth diapers are washed with less detergent than regular clothes, a general rule of thumb is less than half of what you normally use.  I personally use Rockin' Green and use 2-3 tablespoons for 1 load of diapers.  So while the statement I made is not backed up by statistics and studies, I feel it is a safe assumption that parents who cloth diaper are not out there using detergent that could damage the diapers. 

I hope this helped clear things up for anyone who was confused, and hopefully for now at least has helped keep me from sounding like a crazy extremist who makes things up as she goes along. ♥

Pampers "Facts"

*UPDATE* It appears that Pampers also felt the heat of angered cloth diapering parents because they have removed their Myths and Facts section regarding cloth diapers!  Hooray!

Apparently Pampers is feeling the heat of the cloth diaper trend.  They have gone on the so called Offensive and have a Myths and Facts section on their website, listing different "Myths" associated with cloth and disposables and given the correct "Facts". While I was reading it, I couldn't decide whether to laugh out loud or gag.  I am parphrasing them here, to read their complete responses go here ---> http://www.pampers.com/en_US/diapers-myths-and-facts . 

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Myth- Cloth Diapers are better for my Baby.

Pampers "Fact"-  Sposies were invented to meet needs that cloth diapers couldn't, beyond convenience. They keep baby dryer and contain leaks and parents and doctors see less rash.

  

The only thing sposies have over cloth is convenience.  And even that is debatable.  I used sposies for the first 6 months before I converted to cloth and I don't think there is a noticeable change in work, except for an extra load of laundry here or there.  Talk to any parent who cloth diapers and the response is overwhelmingly that their baby has less instances of rash since using cloth. The reason?  Parents can feel when their baby is wet which means the baby isn't sitting in a pee soaked diaper for hours on end.  And containing leaks?  Speak to cloth diaper parents and again they will tell you that they have less explosions of poo since using cloth.  Wet leaks don't happen if babies are changed in a timely manner.  How exactly do sposies keep baby dryer? The chemicals in the sposie absorb the liquid.  Chemical reactions taking place right up against the delicate baby skin better for the baby? I think not.

Myth- Cloth Diapers are better for the environment.

Pampers "fact"- There was a study done in the UK that showed no clear winner in terms of environmental impact, once factors such as energy, water, and detergent are accounted for.

Really?  I can't even believe they are trying to make this argument.  Disposables take 500 years to decompose.  Every single sposie that has ever been used since the invention of disposables is sitting in a landfill somewhere.  Not to mention the energy used to manufacture and deliver disposables to the stores, and packaging.  Oh, and then there is also the contamination of ground water from people not shaking the poo off of the disposables into the toilet like they are supposed to.  The energy and water used to wash/dry cloth diapers is minuscule. Most people line dry their diapers, and barely see a change in their utility bill at all, if any.  As for the detergent?  The majority of cloth diaper users also use earth friendly/natural detergent, or make their own. 

Myth- Developing countries prove that cloth diapers are better.

Pampers "Fact"-  Sposies are better in terms of skin health, dryness, and sleep.  In China we've found that parents and children frequently wake up due to a soaked bed because they have no diaper, or a very thing piece of cloth.  In another test we found that fecal contamination around the home was reduced when using sposies.

Seriously?  Better for skin health and dryness? They are dryer because of toxic chemicals.  How is having those harsh chemicals right against baby's skin better for them?  Oh right, its not.  I don't see how they are putting No Diaper or a Thin Piece of Cloth in the same category as cloth diapers.  Cloth diapers are much more than a "thin piece of cloth".  They are made up of multiple layers of absorbent material, and also a water resistant material.  No soaked beds unless they aren't being used properly.  As for the fecal contamination?  Another user error.  I can promise there is no fecal contamination in my house from using cloth diapers.  That claim is just ridiculous.  Any fecal contamination in these developing countries is from general lack of knowledge about hygiene, NOT from the cloth diapers.

Myth- Disposables are bad for the environment.

Pampers "Fact"- All of the component materials in Pampers diapers are gentle to consumers and safe for the environment. Pampers diapers are made of materials that are also frequently used in a wide range of other consumer products. We are committed to continuing to reduce our environmental impact. For example, Pampers has decreased its diaper weight by one-third and packaging weight by two-thirds.

How is that a Myth?  500 years to decompose and they want to argue that they AREN'T bad for the environment? They have reduced their diaper weight by one-third? Know how they did that? By taking out some of the layers between the absorbent chemicals and the baby.  Have you heard of the chemical burn problems that a lot of people are having with the "New" Pampers?  That is why.  Because now those chemicals are even closer to your baby and causing rashes and burns. So yeah, they've made them a little better for the environment, but make it less safe for your baby. About their ingredients being safe for baby- disposable diapers contain Dioxin, a byproduct of the bleaching.  Dioxin is directly linked to causing cancer and compromising the immune system. 

To sum it up- Pampers is delusional.  Their Myths, are all actually TRUE, and their "Facts" are just word vomit they are using to try and salvage their reputation and win people back to their side instead of natural cloth diapering.  Epic fail Pampers.  The sad part is that I know there are people out there who don't know better and will believe their bull.