As part of our Earth Day 2010 Contest, Stephanie P  shares her thoughts on how cloth diapers influenced her as a parent:

Choosing cloth diapers led me down the path I am on as a parent.  When I heard about cloth diapers during my first pregnancy, my research led to finding so much other information about natural parenting and green living.  I'm thankful we made the decision to use cloth for our babies, and for the lasting benefits. The advice I would give others when deciding to become a cloth diapering household is simple. Always think about the benefits, and how these outweigh the challenges.  My first reason to cloth diaper my daughter Lily when she was born was for health reasons.  I personally have environmental allergies to perfumes, and chemicals. Therefore I could not use disposable feminine hygiene products and soaps and shampoos to mention a few. My personal experience led me to worry for her health.  We have chosen to use clothing made from organic cotton and diapers made from bamboo.  I also use only the most natural and scent free detergents to wash her diapers. It seemed like a logical choice to cloth diaper; her health means the world to me. Secondly the environment played a huge part in that decision too.  In our home, we choose organics and whenever possible we support local business and farms to feed us.  We compost, grow our own vegetables in the summer and recycle and reuse just about everything...cloth diapers make sense in that way too, they are reducing our foot print on the earth. Considering the health and environmental benefits,  washing a load of diapers and hanging them out to dry (or even tossing them in the dryer) will seem like a small price to pay.