In the last few years, disposable diapers have become most popular among parents due to their convenience and easy availability. Many parents prefer it instead of cloth nappies because it’s easy to clean up, but the convenience of the product has also made it a controversial product.
Disposable diapers have become a convenient choice for many parents, and rightly so. However, disposable diapers do come with a good number of disadvantages as well, along with being an environmental hazard. The total environmental cost is actually too much to bear, and our landfill issues are rising every day. Below we are accounting for a few health hazards which disposable diapers, can pose to your babies.
In This Article
7 Disadvantages of Using Disposable Diapers for Your Baby
Here are the disadvantages of using disposable diapers:
1. Skin Rashes
Skin rash (diaper rash) is a common condition that can occur due to prolonged usage of wet diapers in babies. The moisture in the diaper is a perfect breeding opportunity for bacteria.
This may cause the baby’s skin to get red, sore, tender, and irritated when a diaper is left on for too long and rubs against the skin repeatedly. Read also all about diaper rashes here.
2. Toxicity Can Harm Your Baby
An average baby uses 7-8 diapers in a day, which means that the diaper is used for almost 24 hours a day. During this time diapers come in direct and constant contact with the skin of the baby, which means that any toxic chemicals present inside the diapers can easily enter your baby’s system if he or she wears disposable diapers all the time. That is the reason ‘free time or ‘no diaper time’ is constantly advised.
3. Allergies
All babies, especially newborns have very sensitive skin and the use of any type of diaper can affect their skin. There are many cases where dyes, chemicals, gels, and synthetic materials that enhance the absorbency of the diapers can actually be a cause of skin allergy in the baby.
Also, you have to be extra careful when you start weaning your baby as the content and frequency of the baby’s poo can also develop a skin rash or allergic reaction in them.
4. Expensive
Diapers are very expensive, especially based on the fact that a baby uses 7-8 diapers in a day. The cost of these diapers varies according to the various varieties present in the market, which often cause confusion and concern among parents for choosing the right one for their baby. Many parents believe that a lot of money gets spent in buying diapers only.
5. Can Cause Infection
When the baby pees in the diaper- the substance which prevents the pee from leaking from the diaper also prevents the air circulation inside it. Due to this, the environment inside the diaper becomes warm and moist where bacteria and fungi can grow and which, in turn, can cause skin infections in your baby.
6. Non-Environment Friendly
Disposable diapers are considered non-environment friendly or environmentally hazardous products as they are harming the environment through their manufacture and disposal. Tons and tons of disposable diapers containing plastic, urine, feces, and paper are constantly contributing to every household and get dumped in rivers and landfills annually.
This is proving to be a huge environmental danger. Though companies are coming up with biodegradable disposable diapers, their accessibility is still limited.
7. Toilet Training Can be Harder While Using Disposable Diapers
Toilet training usually involves certain sounds, cues, and signals between parents and babies. So that their baby can learn to use the toilet for urination and defecation purposes. But in recent times the use of disposable diapers has increased the amount of time a child is in diapers for a longer period of time as the baby feels quite comfortable in diapers.
And moms and dads also don’t push them for potty training. Thus, this potty training lesson which was generally started earlier in the past may get lost in modern times.
Pros of Using Disposable Diapers
Some pros of using disposable diapers are:
- Convenient and easy accessibility- available at almost all daily needs stores.
- No need to wash or carry soiled nappies around- you can throw them away when they become dirty.
- Hassle-free, easy to wear, and keep the baby dry.
- No leakage and perfect to let the baby sleep in.
The choice of using diapers available in the market is based upon your own personal preferences, lifestyle habits, and financial situation. The best thing to do is to know all the advantages and disadvantages of disposable diapers. Later make an informed decision on what you think is best for your baby.
There have been reports on the chemicals that are used to make disposable nappies soak more and still smell their best, but in the event of having collated very limited data, the same cannot be ascertained with certainty. Yet, making an informed decision is your responsibility. You can always consult your doctor if you need to clear certain doubts about using diapers.
FAQ’s
1. Can Disposable Diapers Cause Rashes?
Yes, they can. In fact, they are very known for this side effect. The plastic substance and the chemicals together cause rashes.
2. Can Disposable Diapers Harm my Baby?
There are chances. Since there is not enough air circulation, it can lead to infections. If the baby is in diapers all the time, the risk is higher.
3. Can Babies Get UTIs From Disposable Diapers?
The gel used in diapers to hold the pee can cause infections. The baby is exposed to pee and poop for long hours. The bacteria can enter the urinary tract.
4. Is it Hard to Toilet Train a Baby Who is Always in Disposable Diapers?
Some people say so. Since the baby is not used to the “wet” feeling when in diapers, they are unable to tell when they have the urge to pee. Switching to cloth can help speed up the training.
Read Also: How To Pick The Best Diaper To Ensure Your Baby’s Good Health
1 Comment
Use of diapers can effect on walking position of baby in future.?