Why don’t we distribute cloth diapers? It’s a question we’re asked often. I mean think about it: every disposable diaper that has ever been used is still sitting in a landfill–where it will stay for the next 400+ years. And if that’s not crazy enough, the average cost of $100 a month for disposable diapers (per kid!) should have folks flocking to cloth diapers. We have current and former passionate cloth-diapering parents at Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, but there are some pretty important reasons why our focus for now is on disposables:
- Cloth diapers save money in the long run, but they require an initial investment of money that many low-income families can’t afford.
- To clean cloth diapers, families must hire a diaper service or have access to reliable laundry facilities.
- Most laundromats don’t allow cloth diapers to be washed in their machines for sanitary reasons.
- Most daycare facilities still only accept disposable diapers.
Does this mean we’ll never have the option for families to begin cloth diapering with a starter stash from Sweet Cheeks? Not at all! There are definitely low-income families in our community who have the right resources and desire to make cloth diapers work for them. But until we have the disposable diaper thing down to a science, any cloth diaper programs will be in the future.
Has your family recently switched your kiddos to cloth diapers? Congratulations! Consider dropping off any leftover disposables you have to Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank (contact [email protected] to coordinate). We have lots of babies who would LOVE those diapers!