The diaper genie
New parents, eager to do all they can for their newborn, are bombarded with tough choices. Bottle or breast? Family bed or bassinet? And that perennially poopy debate - disposable diapers or cloth?
Most families ditched pins and prefolds decades ago when disposable diapers hit the market. They're quick and convenient, just the thing for time-strapped working parents. But in recent years, as consumers have grown more environmentally savvy, throwaway nappies have become more than mere landfillers. For lots of parents, they've become a moral dilemma.
Two years ago, Salina Gonzales Frazier found herself weighing the diaper question. Her daughter, Sofia, was 6 months old and suffering through what seemed to be an endless case of diaper rash. Her pediatrician suggested cloth. So Frazier began researching online and ordering different styles. Some didn't fit right, others leaked. One brand required flushable liners, which clogged the plumbing.
A year later, her son Evan was born and she was spending $100 on disposable diapers every two to three weeks. By this time, she and her husband, Ryan, were determined to save money and leave a smaller carbon footprint, so they searched until they found just the right (cloth) diapers and made a permanent switch.
"There's all this great stuff out there," she says, "but no one tells you how to use it, and there's nowhere to buy it locally."
Now the one-time skeptic is a full-fledged evangelist. Her new Somerville shop, the Diaper Lab, helps curious parents sort through all the options and gets little junior properly outfitted. Frazier, 31, holds on-site workshops in the bright pink and green "lab" as well as consultations with expectant parents.
Besides concerns about the environment, cost is the major reason why parents go with cloth, she says. Frazier figures it costs less than $450 to diaper a baby in cloth for two years versus up to $2,500 for disposables. While you have to do laundry more frequently, Frazier argues that water is a renewable resource here, while disposables take years to degrade.
Ryan, 36, who works full time in Harvard's IT department, manages the Diaper Lab's website and finances. He jokes that the cloth diapering business is as close as he's come to using his degree in environmental policy. His take on the nappy issue mirrors that of most every new parent.
"It's very intimidating to approach," Ryan says. "It takes more time to [use cloth], but I think it's worth it." 