Disposable diapers began to be produced on a large scale from the 1950s. The idea came after a family trip by American chemical engineer Vic Mills, where he ventured into the difficult task of washing his newborn granddaughter's diaper. Seeing how difficult the task was, Mills developed an absorbent product that prevented leaks, kept the baby clean and dry, and could be discarded after use. The goal was to make life easier for moms.
Over the years, what was once a luxury item has become essential in the lives of the vast majority of families. The practicality of disposable diapers made sales reach a percentage of 90% of the preference of the Brazilian consumer. However, concerns about the environment and the destination of garbage began to generate discussions about the impact of disposable diapers.
According to a survey by the Unicamp Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urbanism, a disposable diaper takes an average of 600 years to decompose in nature. In addition, the destination of disposables is landfills. Added to this is the fact that for the manufacture of disposable diapers, resources such as oil, trees and water are used.
For these reasons, cloth diapers have been used again in recent years as an alternative for families aware of the impact that disposable diapers have on the environment.
According to Ana Paula Silva, creator of the Morada da Floresta Ecological Babies diaper line, a company founded in 2009, the demand for the last four years has been increasing and? The choice of cloth diapers is a more sustainable attitude since Does not its production imply the massive felling of trees and the generation of a huge amount of waste produced by disposable diapers?
Disposable diapers: practicality
There is a consensus among mothers that the use of disposable diapers is practical and convenient. Time saving is one of the predominant factors in choosing. The fact that it is easily accessible, widely available and easy to use also adds to the popularity.
Also, one of the benefits of using the disposable diaper is the gel with which it is made. Are disposable diapers composed of an outer layer of polyethylene and an inner layer of paper pulp, polyacrylate and water? that form a gel. This gel has a very large absorption capacity, which makes the baby very dry.
Cloth Diapers: Environmentally Friendly
One way to preserve the environment is to replace disposable diapers with reusable cloth models.
Forget about that traditional model: a piece of cloth pinned and wrapped in plastic pants! Cloth diapers are now more practical and have adjustable button or velcro closures.
There are versions with absorbent fillings (cotton strips) that may or may not be removed for washing. The outer layer also varies: cotton, plush, knit or polyester, which has the advantage of drying faster: Cloth diapers are made of different materials, offering options like 100% cotton or sports fabrics like Dry Fit and polyamide, which are fast drying fabrics and machine wash resistance ?, says Ana Paula.
In addition, the use of cloth diaper allows the delicate skin of the baby not to be in contact with chemicals and harmful.
Economy: do the math
According to estimates, a baby up to five pounds uses eight disposable diapers a day, 240 at the end of the month and approximately 3,000 in a year. Considering the average cost of one real per diaper, the expenses would reach more than 6 thousand reais in the first two years of the baby's life.
On the other hand, Ana Paula states that the average spending on the use of cloth diapers would not exceed 2 thousand reais: "only 20 one-size diapers meet the need for use from newborn baby to baby". According to the expert, "the choice of cloth diapers also allows for economic savings and at the same time encourages the local economy and sustainable business practices."
Where to buy cloth diapers?
Check out some Brazilian stores that sell cloth diapers over the internet:
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