In a Tennessee statewide paper 9/24/07: 

Cloth diapers get makeover in fit, variety More Middle Tennessee mothers join the movement to ditch the disposables; area services grow By BONNA JOHNSON Staff Writer You'd think you could smell this revolution from a mile away. But mothers swear the cotton coverings they use to swaddle their little ones' bottoms don't stink any more than the disposable diapers they are rebelling against. Several Middle Tennessee families are ditching disposables and joining the cloth diaper movement because they believe cloth is kinder to the environment, gentler on their babies' tushies and better for the bottom line. On average, disposables can cost a family $2,500 until your tot is toilet trained. Cloth diapers, which are reused, and can be resold, come in at $1,500, even after you factor in the water and electricity to wash, according to Diaper Decisions, a Colorado group that promotes cloth. One indication the cloth revival is gaining momentum here: two east Nashville moms this fall are opening a diaper cleaning service, something Nashville hasn't had in years. At least three Nashville-area mothers have launched home-based online stores in the past three years to sell an assortment of cloth brands and styles. "It makes me feel better knowing he has real stuff on. I wouldn't want to wear plastic pants," said Erin Leach, 32, a stay-at-home mother in Nolensville, who recently began using cloth. Ill-fitting disposables that cut in to her chunky 9-month-old's thighs and tummy drove Leach to look into cloth, although she was reluctant at first. She remembered the cloth diapers her mom used on her little brother. "Back then, you had these giant diaper pins and you tried not to stab the baby. That was the only option." But on this day, Hank is comfortably wearing a fitted cloth diaper attached with Velcro tabs. Inside, a micro-fiber insert adds extra absorbency, and a cute baseball design covers the outside.

Wednesday, 04/25/07 Cloth diaper biz finds niche online By MEALAND RAGLAND-HUDGINS SMYRNA A.M. Four years ago, Dina Demarest started the cloth diaper business NoPins4Baby.com because there wasn't anywhere locally to shop for them. "We didn't have a lot of money (to spend on disposable diapers) at the time and I wanted to save money. I said, 'Well maybe this is where I come in,'" the Smyrna native recalled. Sons Brennan and Noah were 6 years and 9 months old, respectively, when the business started. Demarest was a cloth diaper baby herself ? disposable diapers were a new thing and caused her to break out as an infant. When the former Stewartsboro Elementary teacher started the business, Demarest says she was the only cloth diaper retailer in the state. She and husband John also have a 14-month-old daughter, Abby, who they adopted from Korea in January. The diapers Demarest sells are fastened with Velcro or snaps and have inserts in them, eliminating the need for pins and plastic pants. "It's really easy. They make a sprayer that attaches to the toilet and you can spray the (waste) directly into the toilet and put the liners in the diaper pail. I wash them every three days, like a regular load of laundry," she said. Demarest said about 98 percent of her customers are from out of state, with the most orders coming from Washington, California, Texas and New York. She used to attend baby fairs when the business was still new, but said the best customers are the ones who found her online. "We're unique and different and not a lot of people know about it," she said. Smyrna resident Andrea Presley grew up in a home where cloth diapers were the norm, as she and all four of her siblings wore them. She quit her job to stay at home with son Fisher, now 3 months old, and tried the old-school way of cloth diapering for about two weeks to save money. "We always used the plastic pants. My son is scrawny and they were gaping on him. The first day I used them, I told my mom I didn't remember it being so difficult. This is so convenient and easy, and it helps the environment," said Presley. The diapers are also an accessory, coming in solids and prints, including some with soccer and football motifs. Sizes are available for newborns and children over 40 pounds. In addition to the diapers, Demarest also sells shopping cart covers, mattress and changing pads, sling-style baby carriers and diaper pails. www.NoPins4Baby.com also carries summer essentials, such as swimsuits and swim diapers. For more information about cloth diapering, log onto www.NoPins4Baby.com    WHY MOMS LIKE CLOTH Some local mothers, as well as various environmental and health groups, think cloth diapers are better than disposables for health, environmental and convenience reasons. ? Cloth diapers are free of the many chemicals contained in disposable diapers, including carcinogens such as Dioxin, and polymers that turn into gel balls when wet. ? Cloth doesn't fill up landfills. About 27 billion disposables go to landfills annually, making them the third-largest single item in landfills. In a house with a child wearing diapers, disposables make up 50 percent of household waste. ? Cloth diapers don't take as much of the Earth's resources to make. Disposables generate 60 times more solid waste and use 20 times more raw materials, such as crude oil and wood pulp. ? Cloth can be better for your baby's health. Tots diapered in disposables are more prone to rashes, in part, because they wear them for longer stretches. Cloth users usually change every two hours. ? Cloth can be cheaper over the long term. ? New cloth designs that incorporate snaps and Velcro make them almost as convenient as disposables. Accessories such as rice paper liners also make it a cinch to dispose of baby poop. Diaper cleaning services make cloth an even more convenient option. ? Cloth-wearing tots often toilet train earlier because they feel the wetness in cloth more than they would in a disposable. ? SOURCES: REAL DIAPER ASSOCIATION AND INTERVIEWS BY THE TENNESSEAN