Disposable Diapers

Mass produced disposable diapers were introduced to the US in 1949, by Johnson & Johnson. The switch from cloth to disposable diapers happened almost overnight. Perhaps disposable diapers appealed more to Mothers because they eliminated leaks, sagging, safety pins and wash. Disposable diapers were more convenient. But there has been much debate over the impact of disposable diapers on the environment. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers for American babies alone, and it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing. Today the cloth diapers have greatly improved. With the newer style of cloth diapers that are on the market, disposable diapers are not much more convenient than cloth diapers. The new multiple layer, Velcro fastening, and Snappi make taking on and off cloth diaper just as easy, not to mention you can hire a diaper cleaning service for just $45 a month. Maybe we need to revaluate disposable diapers because although they were more convenient in the past that is not the case today.