This morning I saw a spot on Good Morning America about what's being dubbed "The Human Footprint" - a look at the impact each of us as individuals (U.S. individuals, I might add) has on the environment. This particular piece focused on diapers.
They had visual displays of how many diapers one baby uses on average, and then visual displays of how many plastics, chemicals, and the like, go into making those diapers. They spoke of the landfill ramifications and all of the other evils that come with the undeniable convenience of disposable diapers.
Now, I haven't made any secret of the fact that I use disposables. And I daresay that even the most ardent cloth diaperer would have been hard pressed to convince me they were suitable for Caroline during her GI problems - or, as we like to call it, "The Great Poo-Fest of '07"
But just as this news piece had me reconsidering and wondering about the merits of attempting cloth diapers for Caroline now that she's a more regular (pun very intended) creature, they hit me with all the facts about cloth diapering: The enormous quantity of water it takes to launder them; the detergent it requires and its effect; not to mention the energy drain and cost.
Gah.
So... what's your take? Surely we can talk about the merits of diapering methods here calmly. Is there a lesser of two evils here? What's a parent to do?
