SOUTH PARIS, Maine (June 9, 2010) – In tough economic times it’s no surprise that more budget-strapped parents are switching to cloth diapers to save money. In fact, a new online survey out today conducted by Harris Interactive for DiaperShops.com, a leading online cloth diapering boutique, reveals that one-third (33%) of parents who use disposable diapers say they would be “extremely” or “very likely” to switch to cloth diapers after learning that cloth diapers could save them $2,000 over the course of their baby’s diapering years.
However, just because parents say they are willing to switch doesn’t mean they are. The survey found that only approximately one in ten parents (9%) with children in diapers (ages 0-2 years) use or have used cloth diapers. This number represents a substantial minority of the parenting population.
Kelly Wels, the founder of DiaperShops.com, says this study exposes a knowledge gap among American parents. “It is true that cloth diapers can save a family $2,000 and more over the course of their baby’s diapering years; that said, it’s evident from this survey that parents don’t know just how much is at stake by switching to cloth diapers,” she says.
Environment, Diaper Rash Top Concerns for Parents
One-third (33%) of disposable diapering parents say they would be “extremely” or “very likely” to switch to cloth diapers after they learned how disposable diapers negatively impact the environment. Experts say disposable diapers take 250-500 years to decompose in a landfill and more than 27 billion diapers end up in landfills each year.
Other key findings from the DiaperShops.com and Harris Interactive survey include:
• Moms are more likely than dads to switch to cloth diapers out of concern for the environment. Sixty percent of moms say they would be likely to switch to cloth diapers for environmental reasons, while only 49 percent of dads were likely to do so.
• Moms are more concerned about diaper rash. Almost 30 percent of moms say they would be “extremely or very likely” to switch to cloth diapers if it could ease or eliminate diaper rash. Only 19 percent of dads say diaper rash is a reason to switch. (Note: This survey was conducted just prior to the firestorm surrounding diaper rashes alleged by parents using Pampers Dry Max for their babies.) • Dads like the convenience of washing diapers at home. Forty six percent of dads who use disposable diapers for their babies say they would be “extremely likely” to switch to cloth diapers after learning that cloth diapers can easily be washed at home with only 2-3 extra loads of laundry per week. In comparison, only 35 percent of moms say they are “extremely likely” to switch for the same reason.
• Convenience is the number one reason for choosing disposable diapers. Of the 91 percent of parents with children ages 0-2 who currently use disposable diapers, an overwhelming majority (85%) cite convenience and ease of use as the main reason for their choice. Sixteen percent choose to use disposable diapers because they think that cloth diapers are more expensive.
• Financial reasons for using cloth diapers are greater for parents in the Midwest. In fact, 68 percent of parents there say they would be “extremely,” “very” or “fairly likely” to switch to cloth for financial reasons. Compare that to 55 percent in the Northeast and 52 percent in both the South and the West who say they would switch to cloth diapers to achieve financial savings.
“Cloth diapering has been a growing phenomenon among today’s modern parents, especially when parents have done their homework to learn about all of the easy-to-use cloth diapering options like FuzziBunz®, Happy Heinys, GroVia, Kissaluvs, BabyKicks and bumGenius,” said Wels. “However, even though these options exist, this survey reveals that there is a significant misinformation about cloth versus disposable diapers.”
Tereson Dupuy, the founder of FuzziBunz® and mother of the modern cloth diaper, agrees, “To solve this knowledge gap, we need conscientious parents to take an active role in learning about their diapering options and finding what truly works best for them by taking into account cost, health of baby, convenience and style. Cloth diapers have come a long way and are nothing like the diapers of yesteryear!”
About the Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of DiaperShops.com from May 5-11, 2010 among 1,144 parents of children age 17 years or younger, 276 of whom have children ages 0-2 years. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact sarah@diapershops.com.
About DiaperShops.com DiaperShops.com, owned by Kelly Wels of Kelly’s Closet, Inc., is the home of five online specialty baby boutiques and diaper shops including KellysCloset.com, FuzziBunzOnline.com, OneSizeDiaperStore.com, HappyHeinys.com, and BulkClothDiaper.com. Together, these five cloth diapering boutiques under the DiaperShops.com umbrella offer one of the most comprehensive selections of modern cloth diapers and accessories. DiaperShops.com has been a trusted name in cloth diapering for nearly a decade and has served more than 50,000 customers since opening its first store, KellysCloset.com, in 2001.