+
More

There's one huge benefit to cloth diapers, but it's probably not what you think.

Raise your hand if you actually enjoy changing diapers.

Anyone?

Yeah ... no. GIF from ETOnline.


As a dad, I get it. Changing diapers is one of the dirtiest line items in a parent's job description. More often than not, the objectives are simple: clean up the mess and get rid of the mess as quickly as possible.

But do we ever take a moment to think about where that mess actually goes?

Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images.

Yep, a landfill just like this one.

The stats on disposable diapers in landfills are no joke.

Using a very conservative estimate, babies go through about six diapers a day. Even if a baby is a rock star at potty training and figures it out by the time she's 2 years old, that's over 4,000 diapers she went through. If a child spends a longer time in diapers, the numbers (and diapers) will keep piling up.

Studies have shown that disposable diapers rank third in terms of the consumer items taking up the most space in our landfills, and over 90% of single-use diapers end up there. It's also estimated it will take anywhere from 250 years to 500 years for disposable diapers to decompose.

Put simply, that ain't good.

We all want a cleaner world for our babies, right? Some believe we should start with what we attach to their rear ends.

Jennifer Aprea and her husband, David, with their son, Ryan (left), and daughter, Danielle. Photo from Jennifer Aprea, used with permission.

Jennifer Aprea is a married mom with two children living in Huntington Beach, California. When her daughter Danielle was 2 months old, she decided to give cloth diapering a try.

"Not to be too graphic, but her poop would go everywhere whenever I nursed with her," Jennifer told Upworthy. "I looked into the cloth option because of the elastic on the back, but I'll admit that I was a skeptic at first."

Not only is Jennifer completely sold on the idea now, but she's also an advocate for how cloth diapering can help families and the environment.

But isn't cloth diapering kinda ... um, gross?

Jennifer can't help but laugh this one off.

"Dealing with gross stuff is a regular part of parenthood," Jennifer said. "All parents deal with bodily fluids and other messiness from their kids no matter what type of diapers they use."

As mentioned earlier, she prefers cloth diapers because she believes the strong elastic contains messes better than disposables. Additionally, Jennifer also created an ingenious device called the Spray Pal which makes it so parents can quickly clean their kids' diapers without getting dirty themselves.

But that's not all.

Jennifer's son, Ryan, was a micro-preemie born at 25 weeks and weighing 1 pound and 13 ounces. He spent seven months in the neonatal intensive care unit, came home on oxygen and a feeding tube, and was discovered to be profoundly deaf and visually impaired upon discharge.

Ryan was 10 months old in the photo and is now nearing his fourth birthday. He has worn cloth diapers his whole life. Photo from Jennifer Aprea, used with permission.

Even with those health challenges, they still used cloth diapers during time he was in the NICU and still use them today.

Although some believe cloth diapering is an unnecessary time-consuming nuisance, Jennifer isn't buying it. All it takes is an open mind.

"We had a newborn in the NICU, his toddler sister was running around like crazy, I was running a business, and I taught part time," Jennifer said. "If I can can do it, anyone can."

To some, the jury's still out regarding whether cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables, but cloth diapers win big in one regard.

That's one happy baby. Photo from Thirsties Modern Cloth Diapers, used with permission.

Due to the amount of water it takes to clean cloth diapers and other factors, some have questioned how environmentally-friendly reusable diapers truly are. That debate will continue for a while, but cloth diapers have a huge advantage in passing used (but clean!) ones to those in need.

Giving Diapers, Giving Hope sets a great example as a nonprofit organization that provides cloth diapers to low-income families. Many of the diapers are donated by other families after they were used and thoroughly cleaned.

"Good luck trying that with disposable diapers," Jennifer said.

At the end of the day, we all want what's best for our children now, but we should also think about their future. Will cloth diapering help to make the world a better place?

That's up to you to decide.

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep Reading Show less
via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

Keep Reading Show less
Family

Mom’s blistering rant on how men are responsible for all unwanted pregnancies is on the nose

“ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don't believe me? Let me walk you through it."

Mom has something to say... strongly say.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are a conservative group who aren't known for being vocal about sex.

But best selling author, blogger, and mother of six, Gabrielle Blair, has kicked that stereotype to the curb with a pointed thread on reducing unwanted pregnancies. And her sights are set directly at men.

Keep Reading Show less
Family

Dad takes 7-week paternity leave after his second child is born and is stunned by the results

"These past seven weeks really opened up my eyes on how the household has actually ran, and 110% of that is because of my wife."

@ustheremingtons/ TikTok

There's a lot to be gleaned from this.

Participating in paternity leave offers fathers so much more than an opportunity to bond with their new kids . It also allows them to help around the house and take on domestic responsibilities that many new mothers have to face alone…while also tending to a newborn.

All in all, it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team, making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy!

TikTok creator and dad Caleb Remington, from the popular account @ustheremingtons , confesses that for baby number one, he wasn’t able to take a “single day of paternity leave.”

This time around, for baby number two, Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks, and he used an additional three weeks of PTO).

The time off changed Remington’s entire outlook on parenting, and his insights are something all parents could probably use.

Keep Reading Show less
Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

Keep Reading Show less
Images via Alan Taylor/Flickr , used with permission.

Updating the kitchen.


Remember those beloved Richard Scarry books?

Books from when you were a kid?

Keep Reading Show less
Education

Voice recordings of people who were enslaved offer incredible first-person accounts of U.S. history

"The results of these digitally enhanced recordings are arresting, almost unbelievable. The idea of hearing the voices of actual slaves from the plantations of the Old South is as powerful—as startling, really—as if you could hear Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee speak." - Ted Koppel

Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence —so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

Keep Reading Show less