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@Brian: Couldn't even use it as a rag?

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When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

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Depending on the shape & size, I might have tried to make a surface bed pad out of it.

W.

Not with the way it was contoured and cut. It was also super thick and would have been too clunky as a rag. Adding in that zorb layer also made it bad for keeping damp, dirty, and irregularly washed like most rags would be.

So not really.

Brian, not to put too five a point on it, but most of those minerals/nutrients aren't mined for, and those that are (sulphur in particular) are of minor consequence. The issue of mining is kind of a red herring here.

However, I do agree that cotton production is very wasteful. The land use, aggressive use of biocides, and refining processes are pretty awful. The rub is, although growing pulp wood is much less demanding, the refining processes for that is also pretty awful.

I take more issue with the use waste of resources in laundering cloth diapers. Where I live, we have treated city water. We're using treated potable water, heating it for a hot wash, extra rinse, heavy detergent, long dryer cycle to get those puppies dry, and the water has to be treated again before it's released. It's not clear to me that the resource use per wash of an adult cloth diaper is any less than the resource cost of a disposable.

I think it's pretty much a toss up.

All good points, and yes I have been generalizing (just to try and keep it simple). Like you though, I too have come to the general consensus that neither is a greener option. This alone is not a good deciding factor for which one to go with.

While eviornmental factors are important, so is the reliabilty of the diaper. One HUGE advantage for the pocket diapers is I never have to worry about a tab sticking or ripping off.. or worry about whether the padding is going to break down. Also, If a diaper happens to not be wet, I can reuse it easily after washing.. cant say the same with disposables.. Not to mention the pocket diaper look and feel more like undewear than your garden variety diapers do.

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I can agree with that. Unfortunately they don't have enough absorption capability towards the sides without being so bulky they cause leg and hip pain. At least that was my experience.

Each one has its plusses, too bad we can't get one that also doesn't have their own minuses too.