Cloth diapers seem to solve the problem of diaper waste, however what was before cloth diapers? What was before things could be washed and dried regularly? Before textiles were easy to come by?
Infant pottying.
This method of baby care which is ancient as creation is still in use in many cultures around the world, though it is highly targeted by the money-mongering diaper manufacturers. These diaper-makers continually add larger sizes to their offerings, subtly indoctrinating us into their materialistic, throw-away, spending-depending mentality of not being able to break free from diaper use.
However, since just the 1950s, the age of potty training a child — to completely reliably dry day and night — has risen from 18 months old to over three years old. And, with the advent of size 6 and 7 diapers in just the past few years, children are now not fully potty training until ages 4 or 5. These are typical children, not those with cognitive or physical disabilities that might make potty training difficult. Anything but infant pottying doesn’t make sense historically.
Then add to this the Mr Mom movement. Now we have children diapered longer, and Dad assisting with diaper changing… all this serves to violate the child’s modesty.
My third reason to promote infant pottying is the extreme inhumanity of expecting our children to walk, sit, play, and sleep in their own excrement.
Especially when it’s a cloth diaper.
No matter how “absorbent” a modern diaper claims to be… with a cloth diaper, the child has a wet nappie nearly continually on his bottom with water proof cover that makes the pee stink and prevents mom from noticing that the child has voided…. and with a landfill diaper, the child has an ever growing volume of chemicals nearly continually on his bottom causing the child to walk funny. Both of these scenarios normalize wetting oneself. Neither of these scenarios, I would conclude, are humane.
So, someone may wonder when seeing my child in a cloth diaper or underwear… but there is an important difference. I do not use any waterproof cover. Currently, I am pottying my 4th child, and he’s been my most difficult to potty train. He’s been late on most of his milestones such as first tooth at 12 months, walking at 14 months, still only 4 or 5 words at 18 months. But he’s full of personality, and with his “hmm”s and “ooo”s, he definitely gets his point across. In the past month, when he pees, he immediately tells us about it. And we immediately change his cloth. We place him on the potty frequently, plus at transitions such as getting back home, waking up, coming inside, getting out of stroller, etc.
Baby is great. When he puts pee or poop in the potty, he gets and a little chocolate. So, while he’s sitting there throwing duplos or not-really looking at a board book, and he starts to void, he claps his little hands and points in! Yes, he understands full well what he’s doing! Giving our children the opportunity for this accomplishment and confidence at 18 months is simply put: kindness.
So, please consider before investing so much money in these nasty cloth diapers or to put off potty training again that your child deserves better.
Here are the resources that I suggest:
Diaper Free Before 3 by Jill Lekovic, MD ISBN 9780307237095
Baby Bjorn potty that a child about 12 months and up can use.
Gerber training pants (thicker underwear for babies) for boys, for girls, or white for either. Be sure you’re purchasing the 100% cotton training pants with no “waterproof” liners. Otherwise, you won’t know when your child has peed and cannot change him directly. TIP: buy larger, rather than smaller. Because these are 100% cotton, they do shrink considerably. My little babies ages 4 months can fit in 18 month size due to the shrinking. Skip the “waterproof pants.”
The Revolution 