Myths about cloth diapers
They are time-consuming
When you use cloth diapers, your child will become potty trained much earlier. They will be over the diaper period around the age of 2. It only takes a few minutes to throw the laundry in the washing machine. You will always have diapers at home.
Compare this to changing diapers for 3-5 years and constantly having to buy and carry home large bags of disposable diapers.
You have to be handy to use cloth diapers
Modern, fitted cloth diapers with snap buttons and velcro are easy to use. Our one-size diapers fit throughout the diaper period and you just have to make sure that the diaper cover is the right size in relation to the child's weight. The All-in-One diaper is similar to a disposable diaper in use, as it does not need to be folded or assembled.
You spend all your time washing diapers
You can either wash the diapers separately every 2nd - 3rd day or put them in the machine with the rest of your normal laundry.
They are unhygienic
The diapers are hygienic. They come out completely clean when washed at 40-60-90°C. ImseVimse sells diapers for a lot of births. Use Ulrich Natürlich Stain Remover and wash at 40°, it removes all bacteria.
Only hippies and misers use cloth diapers
Today, all kinds of families use cloth diapers, for health, environmental and economic reasons.
The diapers smell
When you rinse the feces down the toilet with the disposable insert and wash the diapers every 2nd - 3rd day, the cloth diapers do not smell. Use Ulrich Natürlich Stain Remover, which removes odor and bacteria at low temperatures.
Questions and facts
What does the health visitor say?
"I think cloth diapers are a really good idea. It's really good for the environment - think of all the rainforests that go to disposable diapers. And I also think it's healthier for the child - we don't really know what's in disposable diapers. Besides, it's NOT inhibiting for the child to wear cloth diapers, even though they take up more space than disposable diapers. Just think of how many motorically impaired people there would be in our parents' generation..."
Inge Mikkelsen, Health Visitor Vesterbro, Copenhagen.
Which diaper is best for the child?
Soft, airy diapers in organic cotton are the most natural and wonderful material you can use close to the skin. Cloth diapers have been used for millennia, disposable diapers have only been used for a short time. Research has shown that the chemicals in disposable diapers can cause asthma in small children and be the cause of poor fertility in adulthood.* Hormone-disrupting substances have been found in disposable diapers**, and with about 40% reduced fertility among young Danish men, this is worth considering. The temperature in disposable diapers is about 5 degrees higher than in cloth diapers, and this is also suspected to be the cause of reduced fertility in men.
*Source: Acute Respiratory effects of Diapers Emissions Archieves of Environmental Health, October 1999. Dangerous diapers, Expressen October 11, 2000.
**Source: Greenpeace, Hormone-disrupting substances found in disposable diapers, Press Release 12/5-2002.
When does the child become potty trained?
In the last 25 years, the diaper period has grown significantly.
In 1989, children were diaper-free around the age of 2.
In 2006, the age had grown to 3-7 years. This may be due to dry disposable diapers, which are available for children up to 30 kg. Children can neither stop nor want to stop using disposable diapers. Normally, children who use cloth diapers are over the diaper period before they turn 2. This is because the child can feel when it pees.
Cloth diapers provide a shorter and more comfortable diaper time.
What about the institution?
Most institutions are very positive about modern cloth diapers and especially the All-in-One diaper. Fresh diapers are delivered in the morning and the dirty ones come home in a bag. It also reduces the amount of waste to the delight of the nursery or childminder. Most people find it exciting and nice with something other than disposable diapers and the institution is also obliged to try to comply with your wishes.
Is it environmentally friendly to wash cloth diapers?
Yes, by choosing organic cloth diapers, you can feel safe. If you wash the diapers with your other laundry and hang them to dry, you further protect the environment.
Which diaper is best for the environment?
A child uses about 6500 disposable diapers during a diaper period. This amounts to 1.9 tons of waste, which takes 500 years to decompose. In Sweden, 23,000 garbage trucks are filled with 420 million diapers each year. Cloth diapers amount to about 4.5 kg of cotton, which is recyclable. The environmental costs of producing and disposing of disposable diapers are enormous.
An independent English organization has conducted a survey of which diapers have the greatest environmental impact. They have found that:
Disposable diapers use 3½ times more energy, 8 times more non-reusable material and 90 times more reusable material than cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers produce 2.3 times more wastewater and 60 times more waste than cloth diapers.
Disposable diapers require between 4 and 30 times more land to grow materials on than cloth diapers.
Does it require extra work to use cloth diapers?
You have to change diapers regardless of which type of diaper you use. You wash the diapers with your other laundry or once every 3rd day. You change cloth diapers a little more often than disposable diapers, but on the other hand, you don't have to change diapers for as long, as the child becomes potty trained faster. A big advantage is also that you always have diapers at home.
When you have to learn to use something new, it requires a period of adjustment. Most people need to figure out how to best use a disposable diaper, and it's the same with cloth diapers. After a few days, the new habits are ingrained and become a natural part of your daily life.
What do cloth diapers cost?
You can use our diaper calculator, which you can find here. Cloth diapers cost from about 5100 kr. and disposable diapers about 17,000 kr for a whole diaper period.
What about diaper rash?
Children do not get diaper rash in cloth diapers, unless it is due to fungus. Unlike disposable diapers, the skin is allowed to retain its natural moisture and the diapers are without chemicals, so we never see any diaper rash. Health visitors usually say that if your child is struggling with diaper rash, switch to cloth diapers. However, you should be aware that if you have recently switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers, it may take a few days before your child has gotten used to the new diaper. All disposable diapers contain superabsorbents. It is a plastic material that absorbs moisture very effectively, but also absorbs the natural moisture in the skin. Give it some time, the child will get used to it, it usually takes 2-3 days.
What do you do to make cloth diapers leak-proof?
Change diapers often, it is also most natural for the child. Choose the right size of diaper covers in relation to your child's weight. If the child pees a lot or sleeps for a long time at a time, you can increase the diaper's absorbency with extra inserts or a pair of wool diaper pants. The cloth diaper must not go over the diaper cover. Make sure the diaper cover fits snugly around the stomach and thighs.
Do they hold as tight as disposable diapers?
Our experience tells us that our cloth diapers keep accidents better inside than most disposable diapers. All diaper covers and All-in-One have special leakage barriers that hold the accidents. Since a cloth diaper is more expensive than a disposable diaper, better materials can be used and this results in better leakage barriers. However, you should always change the diaper as soon as possible after defecation, as the barrier of course cannot hold it for an unlimited time.
How often should you change diapers?
A newborn pees 15-20 times a day. Regardless of whether you choose cloth or disposable diapers, you should change diapers often, as it is best for the child's skin. We recommend 7-8 diaper changes a day, but it can certainly vary from child to child.
Don't they inhibit the child?
Cloth diapers are larger than disposable diapers, as they do not contain superabsorbents. However, they do not inhibit the child, as many believe. We have countless happy parents whose children crawl and walk with cloth diapers on, and not later than their peers and earlier it was quite normal to use cloth diapers. Fortunately, we have not had generations before disposable diapers, who were bow-legged or developmentally delayed. Press the diaper a little together in the middle if you think it seems too big.