The universe of diapers is something that can not be missed by any new family. Starting with the quantity, types, models, environmental and economic impact, something as simple as a diaper, can take hours of sleep and rest to the future parents and have a real impact on the health and well-being of the baby.
Let’s go, step by step…
Amount:
A newborn can need between 8 and 12 diapers a day.
Further forward decreases slightly but never drops more than 5 a day until about 2/3 years.
Types and Models:
There are disposable (use and throw away after it) diapers and reusable (wear, wash and reuse) diapers.
In the disposables, there are those of fast absorption, those of great capacity for longer periods (ex: night), the ones of absorption by the fibers (less effective to keep your baby dry), the ones of polymers (better at isolate the humidity), the biodegradable ones, the specific ones to use in water (ex: swimming pool, sea), the diapers of adhesives and pull-ups like underwear (that help in the transition to leave the diapers).
In the reusable ones, there are the one-size adjustable ones (accompanying the child’s growth), the traditional ones in various sizes, the pocket ones (they have absorbents that are inserted in an inner pocket), those integrated with bathing suits for use in water (ex: pool, sea, …), etc …
Environmental and Economic Impact:
Obviously, non-biodegradable disposables are the ones which increase the most our ecological footprint by far. The practicality is paid with environmental impact. Halfway there are biodegradable disposables that, while not 100% degradable, always relieve our ecological conscience.
The footprint gets smaller with reusable ones, of course. However, we must not forget the necessary washes, the pollution of water with detergents, the consumption of electricity, etc … right?
Economically speaking, every option has a big impact on the family budget. The reusable ones require a higher initial investment that is monetized later (and especially when the second child arrives), the disposables require a regular and more or less constant expenditure over 2 to 3 years.
And myths related to diapers… Do you know some? Lookup for our next post… 😉