My kids are way past the diaper phase, and honestly when they were in the diaper phase, I dismissed cloth diapers as way too difficult. And besides, I was able to throw disposables in the
City of Toronto Green Bin, so they were fine for the environment.....weren't they?
Cloth versus disposables. One of the greatly debated issues among new parents, that will draw an amazing diversity in opinions. After a visit from
Comfy Cotton to momstown west Toronto's Baby Basics, I am wishing I could go back about 9 years and rethink my decision. I had no idea how easy and economical cloth diapers are! Not to mention all the facts that point to the benefits of cloth diapers. Here are some of the amazing things we
learned.
Cotton diapers are very comfortable for your
baby. One of our little Baby Basics members, Charlotte can attest to that! The soft, natural fibers allow the diaper to breathe more freely,
absorb efficiently and contain no plastics or perfumes. Cotton diapers
are the natural choice for a happy baby. And the diaper covers are
so darn cute!
Did you know that each
baby uses between 6,000 and 8,000 diapers before being toilet trained? Holy cow - that number is astronomical!
Diapering your baby in cotton not only saves thousands of trees from
destruction, but also conserves precious space in our dwindling landfill
sites. Disposable diapers are used only once, whereas cotton diapers are reused
over 100 times. And bonus - children in cotton
diapers generally toilet train anywhere from four to eight months
earlier than children in disposable diapers! Wish I'd known that, because toilet training was a whole adventure unto itself.
Another interesting thing we learned was the link between male infertility and disposable diapers. In the past 25 years, there has been a
significant decline in male fertility. A recent
study by German researchers suggests that the plastic lining of
disposable diapers leads to overheating of a baby boy's scrotum,
interfering with normal testicular development. This in turn, hampers
sperm production and increases the risk of testicular cancer in men who
wore disposable diapers as babies. This is just the heat - the study didn't even look at the strong chemicals used in
disposable diapers.
However you choose to diaper your baby, consider all your options. Disposables are definitely necessary for certain situations, and may suit your family's needs on an everyday basis. The last things we moms need is more guilt about what we are or aren't doing for our babies.... However, I urge you to check out cloth diapers, and especially
Comfy Cotton. A
diaper delivery service makes your life so much easier if you choose to go cloth. We all know how much laundry a new baby generates without having to contend with diapers as well! If you decide to go cloth, check them out. I was really impressed, and wish I'd been more informed when I made my decision about diapering nine years ago.
Who doesn't love spaghetti? Barilla Plus® noodles were the perfect base for our delicious tomato sauce and mini meatballs. Our moms were thrilled because the new line of multigrain pasta also contains protein, fibre, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The best part, the kids will never know. We couldn't keep their hands off the noodles while they waited for the fixings! Little hands were digging in and eating fistfuls of plain noodles, without a clue they were snacking on treats chock full of nutrients. 
While our team waited for lunch to be served we took advantage of the great ingredients we had and used the noodles to assemble some fun activity stations. Barilla Plus® is available in four different varieties including Penne, Rotini, Spaghetti and Spaghettini. The variety of sizes and shapes were terrific for some fun sensory play.
