by: Katelyn McSweeney - LICSW Center for Healthy Beginnings at Signature Healthcare
This week (9/15-9/21) draws attention to the many families who may struggle with diaper needs across the country. Many families often struggle to afford the cost of disposable diapers. In Massachusetts, disposable diapers can cost an average of $70-100 per month, or about $800 to $1,200 annually per child. On average, children may wear diapers until they are 2-3 years old. A child typically goes through between 5,000 and 7,000 disposable diapers from birth until they are potty trained. That's a lot of diapers and trash bags!
Throughout Massachusetts, there are local diaper banks to help families in need of diapers for their children. If you or someone you know is in need of diapers, you can learn more and find your local diaper bank listed here.
The True Cost of Convenience: Disposable Diapers
Disposable diapers significantly contribute to landfills and take up to 500 years to decompose. These diapers are made of plastics that do not readily break down. An estimated 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown away annually in the U.S. Disposable diapers are the 3rd largest waste item in households and a growing environmental concern. There are alternatives such as cloth diapers to address this growing problem.
Sustainable Diapers: The Cloth Option
If you're looking for a more sustainable option rather than disposable diapers, you may consider cloth diapers. The Cloth Option is a Massachusetts based organization whose mission is to provide access to cloth diapers and other reusable hygiene products to reduce diaper need and protect our environment for future generations. Since its founding in October 2018, over 120,000 cloth diapers have been distributed to hundreds of families in need across the United States, replacing at least 24 million disposable diapers. 24 million diapers are the equivalent of 32 million gallons, or three Olympic sized swimming pools. That's a lot of diapers saved from landfills!
The Cloth Option (TCO) is a great way to see if cloth diapering is a good fit for your family. You can fill out an application for cloth diaper assistance here to see if you qualify: https://www.theclothoption.org/apply.
TCO has blog posts listed on their website where you can learn more about caring for cloth, wash routines, and has volunteers from across the country To learn more general information about cloth diapering and how to get started, check out All About Cloth Diapers online at: https://www.allaboutclothdiapers.com/new-to-cloth-diapers/
