Cloth vs. disposable diapers

At Friday’s doctor appointment, Kurt thought it would be funny to step on the scale as the nurse weighed me. When I saw the scale swing up to 190, I immediately flipped around to see “what” was fucking with the scale. I’m now 173 pounds.

This appointment Kurt also decided it was time he start asking the doctor questions and try to get an authoritative figure on his side of our cloth vs. disposable diaper argument. The question he posed was, “Are there any medial concerns for using disposable diapers?” Ass – I know that millions of babies use disposable diapers with no medical problems other than diaper rash, which also happens to cloth diaper wearing babies (that’s pretty much what the doctor said regarding medical “issues” as well). I have already told Kurt I just want to avoid all the extra crap companies put into disposables and I’m hoping that *maybe* we’ll have less diaper rashes to deal with. That’s it! I will clean the diapers, he doesn’t have to touch ‘em other than to change the baby, and the diapers I’m looking at will be just as easy to change as disposables.

Here is the warning on Pampers disposable diapers,

Pampers Swaddlers contain these mild ingredients which are gentle to the skin: Petrolatum, Stearyl Alcohol, Aloe Extract.

If you notice a gel-like material on your baby’s skin, don’t be alarmed. This comes from the diaper padding and can easily be removed by wiping your baby’s skin with a cloth.

By the way Petrolatum is the same thing as petroleum jelly which I was just told in our newborn care class shouldn’t be used on baby’s skin. And that “gel-like” material is Sodium polyacrylate, which is the same stuff that causes Toxic Shock Syndrome in women that wear tampons and don’t change them frequently enough. – Yes, I realize there is a difference between wearing a diaper and inserting a tampon in the who-ha. I just don’t like the idea of my baby wearing diapers 24/7 with that stuff. I also realize that Sodium polyacrylate is used in “feminine napkins”, but I don’t know anyone that uses them 24/7 for two plus years. Generally they’re only used 24/7 for three to seven days out of the month.