HOUSTON -- Cloth diapers have come a long way, baby. Some Houston moms are choosing cloth diapers to solve their soiled situations. Going old-fashioned, however, doesn't mean mothers have to juggle with safety pins, rubber pants and easy leaks. Instead, today's cloth diapers have Velcro; they are all in one, and some even come with designs, News2Houston reported Monday.

Two moms found that their babies get all the protection while they have less hassle and more money in the bank.

"It doesn't make my life any harder, it actually makes it easier," said Tonya Allender, a Houston mom. "If I find at 11 at night that I am out of diapers, have to go to the store and buy some more, I just do a load of wash."

The only problem Allender has with cloth diapers is finding them.

"There is no availability in the stores," she said.

Dianne Coldiron, another cloth diaper connoisseur, liked the idea so much that she started her own business, Kissaluvs Inc. Coldiron's sells her products worldwide on the Internet.

"We can do this. It's easy. It makes sense, and we can save a butt-load of money," Coldiron said. "It's like putting on a disposable. It has snaps no big deal."

She said that her products are easy to use, affordable and have the added benefit of maintaining a clean environment.

"The washing is easy the way washing machines are now. They do a fabulous job. You knock the poop off. If there is a big pile, you knock it off, which you are supposed to do with disposable anyway. You are not supposed to throw that stuff in the trash. Knock it off in the toilet, toss it in the washer, toss it in the dryer – you're done," Coldiron said.

Although cloth diapers are not available in most baby stores, Allender won't stop wrapping her baby's skin in soft cloth. For her money, she said and mother nature come first.

"It was actually a lot easier and (I) discovered the financial benefits were just unbelievable and the environmental benefits were an even greater impact," Allender said.

Disposing Disposable Diapers Properly

Disposable diapers versus cloth diapers -- it's a big debate that can be confusing for expecting parents.

In stores, disposable diapers dominate the shelves.

Even though they are more popular, many parents may not be disposing of them correctly, according to News2Houston's Healthbeat reporter Krista Marino.

The directions are in the small print, on the packing of any diaper brand. It clearly states, "Shake baby soil into toilet." But it's a step many parents don't know about.

"It's best, if possible, to dump the contents in the toilet," said Dr. Melanie Mouzoon, a Kelsey-Seybold pediatrician.

Mouzoon said there's a reason for this extra, yet not often followed, step.

"It also allows the waste to be processed by a sewage treatment plant, which is designed for that type of waste, instead of going into a landfill, which really isn't designed for that," she said.

Dirty diapers in landfills can become a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria for years to come.

Researchers say that what you are wrapping your babies in today will outlive them by 500 years.

Mouzoon said it's an environmental dilemma.

"There's a concern for groundwater contamination, but the landfills these days are so layered with lime and other things to prevent that," Mouzoon said.

There's also a debate over whether the bowel movement a baby has after an immunization could impact the environment. The worry is the virus in the stool could mutate and make its way from a landfill into the water supply.

Mouzoon, who specializes in immunizations, said that couldn't happen now.

"None of the currently used vaccines sheds any kind of virus into the stool," she said.

Only oral vaccines did that and she said they have not been used in the United States for five years.

Another reason parents turn to cloth is their baby's comfort. But University of Texas Health Science Center Dr. Adelaide Hebert said disposables have come a long way, too.

"You're much less likely to develop diaper rash if you wear one of the new protective disposable diapers," Hebert said.

Mouzoon said for parents, it really comes down to their baby's skin sensitivity and personal preference.

More Information:

Cloth Diapers Vs. Disposable Diapers
Baby Center Web Site
Kissaluvs Diapers
Canada's Parenting Web Site
Cloth Diaper Guide
Consumer Reports Cloth Diaper Findings
Earth Talk: Cloth Diapers
Happy Heinys Web Site
Seventh Generation Environmentalist Web Site
E-Mail Tonya Allender