Your baby needs lots of love and reassurance and, as every parent knows ... diapers. Wrapping a diaper around your baby's bottom is a routine chore - but is it a "green" one as well?

"Diapers solve a public health problem," says Chaz Miller, director of state programs for the National Waste Management Association. "They take feces and urine and create a safe environment for their deposition by incontinent persons. This option is far better than soiled pants or [pooping] in the woods.

That having been said, which is better for the environment: disposable diapers or the reusable cloth, wash-and-wear kind?

Britain's Environment Agency recently discovered that, believe it or not, disposable diapers ("nappies" as they're called across the pond) have a slightly smaller carbon footprint than washable ones - 550 kg versus 570 kg (1,212 versus 1,256 pounds) of carbon-dioxide equivalents over two and a half years of use.

Relevant articles: Diapers Buying Guide

From: Fox News
Published February 6, 2009 08:40 AM