Earlier Potty Training with Cloth Diapers? Our Study is Conclusive.
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Photo by @isabelplett
Whether cloth diapers or disposable diapers are easier in everyday life can be debated. But there is one aspect where cloth diapers clearly have the edge, and that is the fact that children who are diapered with cloth diapers often become diaper-free earlier. There is even research that supports this.
We took a closer look at the studies (see below). We found the results so compelling that we conducted our own survey with over 3,000 parents. The result is clear. On average, children become diaper-free significantly faster with Judes cloth diapers than with disposable diapers. This also means: When you consider the entire diapering period of the child, the time investment for disposable diapers is significantly higher for many parents than with Judes cloth diapers. We show you why cloth diapers are the right way to become potty trained.
The results in brief:
Children who were diapered with disposable diapers were diapered 8 months longer than children who were diapered with Judes cloth diapers. About 10 % of the children diapered with disposable diapers were diapered for 4 years or longer, and every twelfth child even for 5 years or longer. For comparison: Among children who were diapered with Judes cloth diapers, the average diapering time was just 2 years and 3 months.
We surveyed over 3,000 parents
Summary of the results:
- Children who were diapered with disposable diapers were diapered for an average of 35 months (that is, 2 years and 11 months).
- Children who were diapered with cloth diapers were diapered for an average of 26 months (that is, 2 years and 3 months).
- 47 % of parents who diapered 100 % with disposable diapers diapered for 3 years or longer.
- Only 15 % of parents who diapered 60 % or more with cloth diapers diapered for 3 years or longer.
- 23 % of the children diapered with disposable diapers were diapered for 4 years or longer.
- 8 % of the children diapered with disposable diapers were diapered for 5 years or longer.
- NONE of the children who were diapered 60 % or more with cloth diapers were diapered for 3.5 years or longer.
It shows that the children who were diapered with Judes cloth diapers became diaper-free about 8 months earlier. Another finding is that some children were diapered with disposable diapers for an extremely long time. With cloth diapers, not a single child was diapered longer than 3.5 years. Interestingly, even children who were diapered partly (up to 40 %) with disposable diapers were diaper-free after at most 3.5 years.
Based on these survey results, a very late becoming diaper-free can therefore be prevented with cloth diapers. We consider this a very important result for two reasons:
1. Less effort for parents:
Half a year less of diapering means that parents save a lot of time and stress. Parents who use disposable diapers estimated their weekly time expenditure for shopping and taking out the trash at 34 minutes. Calculated over half a year, this would save more than 36 hours of effort.
2. Lower health risk for children:
Studies show that babies who are exposed to highly toxic diapers may face a serious health risk later in life. Our survey shows that children who were diapered roughly half the time with disposable diapers become diaper-free half a year earlier and are presumably never diapered longer than 3.5 years. Thus, contact with harmful disposable diapers can be significantly reduced by combining them with cloth diapers.
What are the details of the Judes Family survey?
In our survey, we asked several thousand parents about diapering. We therefore went beyond the sole topic of “becoming diaper-free with cloth diapers.” Of the participants who stated that they already had diapering experience, the following number respectively answered the question “Is at least one of your children already out of the diapering stage?” with “Yes”:
- Yes, with disposable diapers: 3173 people
- Yes, with Judes cloth diapers: 734 people
We then asked all those who had used our cloth diapers what proportion of the time they also diapered with disposable diapers. We asked: Did you diaper your child continuously with cloth diapers or with disposable diapers?
The answer options were:
- 20% disposable diapers, 80% Judes cloth diapers
- 40% disposable diapers, 60% Judes cloth diapers
- 50% disposable diapers, 50% Judes cloth diapers
- 60% disposable diapers, 40% Judes cloth diapers
- 80% disposable diapers, 20% Judes cloth diapers
- 100% Judes cloth diapers
It turned out that those who diapered 100% with Judes cloth diapers had by far the shortest average diapering duration: 2.2 years.
Those who diapered 100% with disposable diapers had an average diapering duration of 2.9 years.
It also became clear: The more Judes cloth diapers were used, the earlier the child became diaper-free.
Here is a graphical overview of the distribution:
In this distribution, it is easy to see that it took longer the more a child was diapered with disposable diapers. This suggests that Judes cloth diapers indeed on average significantly shorten the diapering period.
What proportion of children who were diapered with disposable diapers had to be diapered for a very long time?
We wanted to know how likely it is that a child who is diapered with disposable diapers needs a relatively long time to become diaper-free. The result was:
- Of the children who were diapered 100% with disposable diapers, about 22% of the children were diapered for 3.5 years or longer (almost every fourth child).
- About 10% of the children were diapered for 4 years or longer.
Why do children become diaper-free earlier with cloth diapers?
The theory of why cloth diapers help children become diaper-free faster
One explanation is that cloth diapers give the child a slight sensation of wetness. This allows your child to feel what happens when they go in the diaper. In this way it establishes the connection from action to outcome – and thus they can gain a (subconscious) understanding of it.
With disposable diapers, the opposite happens: They give the child the impression of being constantly dry. This could be the reason why children today become diaper-free significantly later than in the past. The superabsorbents in disposable diapers have become better and better over time. Ultimately, according to some studies, this can even have devastating health consequences.
By the way: We have not yet encountered sensitivity to wetness. Urine actually contains urea, a compound that provides moisture and thus ensures that the skin does not dry out. Therefore, when using Judes, you do not need a moisturizing ointment.
In disposable diapers, however, the superabsorbents can cause the skin to dry out. What many parents do not know: To counteract this, many disposable diapers already contain a kind of cream (often panthenol) that returns the moisture taken from the skin. In fact, your child's skin can regulate itself very well – in a natural way.
It is therefore not surprising that studies show that children who use cloth diapers become diaper-free faster than children who wear disposable diapers.
What the research says
The current state of research reinforces the finding that children using cloth diapers become diaper-free sooner
For one thing, research shows that children have been becoming diaper-free significantly later since disposable diapers began to be used in our society. However, this is for now only a statement of fact without an explanatory approach.
A larger meta-analysis also concludes that children using disposable diapers become toilet trained later. The eight studies show an association between disposable diapers and delayed continence in children.
Going a bit further are Beth and Shefaa, who found in their study that the convenience of disposable diapers and training pants likely leads some parents to delay toilet training.
The interest of the disposable diaper industry
Disposable diaper manufacturers have an interest in your child wearing diapers for a long time
Every industry, every manufacturer and every brand has its own interests. And everyone is influenced by their own interests, consciously or subconsciously.
By now, the super-absorbers in diapers are so “good” that they feel almost always dry. We believe that this is one of the reasons why children become diaper-free so late today. Children do not feel it when they go in the diaper.
Disposable diaper manufacturers benefit when your child becomes toilet-trained later. Because this way, more money can be made per child. Disposable diaper providers therefore have an interest in their diapers getting better and constantly feeling dry.
An example calculation:
The larger diaper sizes of well-known manufacturers cost around 40 cents per piece. These diaper sizes are needed from 13 kg onwards or when your child is about one and a half to two years old.
Let’s assume you have been diapering your child with disposable diapers for 2.5 years already and they still need diapers. The likelihood of this is very high.
As a reminder: Our survey found that 47 % of parents who used disposable diapers diapered for 3 years or longer. If we assume that your child needs five diapers per day, this results in costs of €730 per year (365 days x 5 diapers x 40 cents).
Added to this are the costs of disposable diaper accessories of about €182 per year. From the perspective of disposable diaper providers, this calculation results in €912 in additional revenue per year of diapering.
For many parents, this means a cost trap. Because children are often already so accustomed to disposable diapers that they are no longer willing to switch to cloth diapers. On our blog you can learn more about the comparison between cloth diapers and disposable diapers.
