Your baby shower is long behind you and your bundle of joy has officially burned through the last of what seemed like a “lifetime supply” of assorted diapers gifted to you during that memorable, calm-before-the-storm soirée.
- Compared to mainstream versions, compostable diapers reduce landfill burden and ecological impact.
- Like disposable diapers, compostable versions are convenient to use and easy to take on the road.
- They are made with natural, sustainable, plant-based materials that allow the skin to breathe (rather than energy-intensive, synthetic materials).
- Compostable diapers are produced without conventional skin irritants such as dangerous chemicals, scents, etc. Plus, they are typically hypoallergenic and latex-free.
- The majority of today’s compostable diaper brands are stylish and esthetically pleasing.
- Some are actually flushable!
- If landfilled, compostable diapers will still break down in as little as 50 to 150 days rather than the 500 years that experts believe conventional versions require.
- Nationwide, there are even multiple compostable diaper services that take care of the dirty work for you.
- There are a relatively limited number of compostable diaper brands on the market today.
- In many cases, compostable brands aren’t readily available at mainstream stores.
- Eco-friendly diapers are typically a bit more expensive than conventional versions.
- Special composting rules can be a turn-off. (It’s essential that you add only urine-soaked diapers to your bin and maintain proper temperature, moisture and aeration levels.)
- Some brands only successfully break down when exposed to the high temperatures found in municipal composting facilities.
- Plastic tabs on some compostable diaper brands throw a wrench in the whole eco-formula, making municipal composting facilities less likely to accept them.
- Overall, compostable diapers suffer from a bad reputation. Conventional consumers are under the mistaken notion that the majority of compostable diapers are messy, ill-fitting, poorly constructed, inconvenient and even smelly.
- Some brands (such as gDiapers) are made with a crystalline, petroleum-derived polymer called sodium polyacrylate that, while an effective absorbent material, is nevertheless linked to diaper rash, staph infections and immune system suppression.