larry@hpfcla.UUCP (08/30/85)
Re: Disposable diapers Our first daughter, now 4 years old, wore disposables for the majority of her diaper days. With the birth of our second child we were a little more aware of the real problem with disposable diapers. That is solid waste. Diapers now account for the majority of our landfills. E. coli, which is a bacteria normally found in the intestine, as been found in the water tables near landfills were it presumably came from disposable diapers. E. coli can cause illness when consumed through infected food or water. The name of disposables is a misnomer. These plastic diapers do not dissapear with our weekly garbage. They live on and on at the landfill. While I have read the arguments regarding the disgusting task of dealing with baby poop, I don't understand why this is so difficult. It seems to me that the most difficult part of changing a diaper is to wipe the child off, rather than dealing with the diaper. Rinsing the diaper in the toliet is no less offensive than sticking the plastic diaper in a bag and tossing it in the trash. The idea of cost effectiveness with diapers is a tough issue. First off I can think of many things I would rather do than wash clothes, BUT since it has to be done two extra loads a week doesn't present much of a problem. Secondly, as a full time stay at home mom I'm not certain as to the value of my time. Certainly my time is worth something, but a price cannot be applied to the work I choose to do. As for the actual energy expense line drying is as effective for killing germs as is drying in a clothes dryer. The diapers must be rinsed if poopey, stored in a solution of bleach or borax, washed in hot water, rinsed twice, and dried. This sounds much more complicated than it is. As for using plastic panties wool diaper covers are a nice alternative. Look for the brand names Nicky's and BioBottoms. A diaper service is also a nice alternative. For us the cost of dissposables at this point in our child's diapering would be approximately $10 per week. This money would be better spent on dolls than diapers. Willy Fenske *In just seven days I can make you a man!