Why did baby diaper companies go cloth backed?

Status
Not open for further replies.
LittleMissPink

LittleMissPink

Est. Contributor
Messages
464
Role
  1. Adult Baby
  2. Diaper Lover
  3. Sissy
Something that has always made me curious but never found an answer to is why baby and now most adult diaper companies decided to go cloth backed? I mean what real advantage is there to them? In fact "cloth" backed diapers are in really just plastic backed with the "cloth" being finely woven plastic strands.
If anyone has information or history on why the change occured I would love to know more about it.
 
I think the main driving force was the environmental impact the fully plastic diapers had and a small sprinkling of 'improved comfort' to be used as a marketing tool.

Whether the slightly less plasticy diapers are better for the environment I do not know, but I do know my babies prefer the fully plastic ones to wear as I do to use on them.

Interesting topic, look forward to others input and thoughts.
 
I can tell you 3 things that might be a little too situationally specific. I'm not sure. My sister has had issues with, we're not sure if it's skin breakdown, or her body responding as if the plastic is latex, even though there hasn't been latex in them in years, but some people's bodies go, "Oops, false alarm, but I didn't know, so here's some blisters."

That and Alzheimer's patients don't try to tamper with the cloth-backed ones as much, or so I've heard. Me? I like the quiet.
 
I think they did themselves a disservice because breathable means the liquid evaporates out and it takes longer to get full if you aren't flooding them. With plastic you have to change more often.

Sent from my LGL31L using Tapatalk
 
I think plastic back diapers safer for other people. If you sit down in a spot in a plastic diaper with plastic pants on and you wet It absorbs it all unless it a cheap diaper. Then feel the plastic pants it dry. Now cloth diapers back diapers if you put plastic pants over a good cloth back diaper and wet. Then feel your plastic pants it wet.

Now think about this. If it just plastic back diaper or cloth back diapers and you sit in a chair.
 
Someone here was posting not too long ago regarding buying "made to order" adult diapers in bulk from the manufacturer, and was told that the price goes way up if you want a plastic shell. So plastic is more expensive.

And nothing gets a manufacturer to change their product faster than finding a cheaper way to make it.
 
The material is less likely to tear or rip, it feels more comforting to parents and also on the baby's skin. Also I think it's cheaper to make.
 
I think cloth-like backsheets are marketed towards the parent or care-giver. Cloth-like backing gives them the subconscious impression that these must be comfortable for the baby, because they are soft outside.

It's nonsense, but in the same way, you can convince more people to buy something if you put it in nice packaging... even though they buy it and immediately throw the packaging away. People's perceptions of a brand are rarely based on any kind of conscious, rational decision.
 
I don't think that the cloth-backed ones are cheaper to produce.

I think the main reason behind the switch was that cloth-backing would be a bit more comfortable to the child wearing the nappy.

Either way, I don't really buy it. I mostly wear a combination of Pampers Size 7 & various plastic adult brands, and I find the plastic ones better in the way of comfort.

On a similar note, does anyone know when it was that the companies switched to cloth-backed types?

I wore nappies full-time until I was bout 2/3 (1998/9) to bed until I was about 4 (2000) & the ones I wore at that time were plastic-backed.
 
Goldberg, it was in the late 1990s/early 2000s
 
Most baby diapers are just a plastic backer diaper with a cloth covering glued to it. Even goodnites!! If you are careful you can peel the cloth cover off and have a plastic backed pull-up!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Having tried the new Bambino Magnificos and the Seni line of diapers, I have to say that the real reason is superiority. The Seni backing is very comfortable, and the Magnifico tapes are basically impossible to break. For years I, like many Adult Diaper users, hated the "cloth-like backing" that so many companies were switching to, but it's actually that those companies were making garbage diapers to begin with. They were doing it so they could make their products on the cheap for large volume buyers like retirement homes who were changing every twenty minutes instead of several hours like we need in the Incontinent community.

But companies that have legitimate interests to actually make a better product are switching to this system for the same reasons the baby diaper companies have been, comfort and security. I'm fully converted at this point. If ABU can make the Preschools and the Simples(and I think they're going to have to in order to compete with Tykables) with the Magnifico style tapes, I think we'll finally have the pinnacle of adult diapers with all the same features that Huggies and Pampers have.
 
It was originally an environmentally friendly movement. ALL the manufacturers were racing to come up with a diaper that would biodegrade easily, but still hold up against getting wet (they failed). They did manage to come up with what we have now though, which is a much thinner plastic that's reinforced with a cloth like backing.

Consumers liked it because less plastic ends up in landfills, and companies liked it because they were cheaper to make. Prices never went down for us though. Go figure.
 
let me slightly adjust that...
Slomo said:
It was originally marketed as an environmentally friendly movement. ALL the manufacturers were racing to come up with a cheaper diaper that would biodegrade easily, but still hold up against getting wet (they failed). They did manage to come up with what we have now though, which is a much thinner plastic that's reinforced with a cloth like backing.

Consumers liked it because less plastic ends up in landfills, and companies liked it because they were cheaper to make. Prices never went down for us though. Go figure.
Click to expand...
 
I have a different take on this. I think the plastic is more expensive than the non woven material. and 2 sheets of nonwoven material with a thin strip of plastic in between is cheaper to make. Now with that as your goal, you go off and find a way to market it as better. Even baby diapers no longer look like diapers. I wonder where this is all heading?
 
ArchtopK said:
I have a different take on this. I think the plastic is more expensive than the non woven material. and 2 sheets of nonwoven material with a thin strip of plastic in between is cheaper to make. Now with that as your goal, you go off and find a way to market it as better. Even baby diapers no longer look like diapers. I wonder where this is all heading?
Click to expand...

Uh, isn't that what bambinod and I just said?
 
Slomo said:
It was originally an environmentally friendly movement. ALL the manufacturers were racing to come up with a diaper that would biodegrade easily, but still hold up against getting wet (they failed). They did manage to come up with what we have now though, which is a much thinner plastic that's reinforced with a cloth like backing.

Consumers liked it because less plastic ends up in landfills, and companies liked it because they were cheaper to make. Prices never went down for us though. Go figure.
Click to expand...

Do cloth-like diapers contain less plastic? Plastic isn't considered biodegradable, but does the non-woven plastic degrade any quicker? If cloth-like backing was better for the environment, all the diaper companies would be telling everyone how much more "environmentally friendly" they are now, but I haven't seen any diaper company even mention the environmental impact of their product. :-/

Manufacturing of cloth-like backed diapers must be more expensive as it not only uses a PE film layer; it has a second non-woven PE layer bonded onto it -- making for a much more complex fabrication process.

I don't know, but I would guess that the cloth-like backing is almost entirely related to brand perception, which is why baby diapers switched sooner and more ubiquitously. Parents interact almost exclusively with the exterior of the nappy, so it's the primary point at which a brand can differentiate itself subjectively (beyond the functional performance of the product).

But we're all guessing, so... :dunno:
 
tiny said:
Do cloth-like diapers contain less plastic? Plastic isn't considered biodegradable, but does the non-woven plastic degrade any quicker? If cloth-like backing was better for the environment, all the diaper companies would be telling everyone how much more "environmentally friendly" they are now, but I haven't seen any diaper company even mention the environmental impact of their product. :-/

Manufacturing of cloth-like backed diapers must be more expensive as it not only uses a PE film layer; it has a second non-woven PE layer bonded onto it -- making for a much more complex fabrication process.

I don't know, but I would guess that the cloth-like backing is almost entirely related to brand perception, which is why baby diapers switched sooner and more ubiquitously. Parents interact almost exclusively with the exterior of the nappy, so it's the primary point at which a brand can differentiate itself subjectively (beyond the functional performance of the product).

But we're all guessing, so... :dunno:
Click to expand...

Yes, a lot less plastic. None on the sides, and much thinner in the middle. It will break down a little faster, but only because there's less plastic overall.

The cloth outer layer is also much more cheaper, as is less plastic being cheaper too. And yeah, it's more of a percetion thing, as well as diaper manufacturers making more profit.
 
wow I did not expect so many responses haha Good to hear everyone's opinion on it too. I hate cloth backed so I don't think I'll end up ever really understanding the whole "better comfort" argument. Cloth diapers when sleeping for me have always come off because of the horrible Velcro tabs and the ones that did have the proper plastic tabs would just feel rough and sometimes accumulate balls of the outer cloth layer adding to the displeasure. It's as though the nappy was falling apart before I'd even used it. The whole idea about making the diaper seem more friendly and soft to touch marketing it as "cloth" I think was the whole idea. Soft to touch gave the connotation that it would be softer on babies. And especially with the Drynites I mean their whole marketing thing is promoting how much like underwear they are. oh and the "breath-ability" aspect is another marketing ploy they get to use by going cloth. I think in terms of marketing going cloth seemed like the best idea ever. I think it had nothing to do with the product and everything to do with how much more marketing strategies would open up if they did.
 
SweetPrincess said:
wow I did not expect so many responses haha Good to hear everyone's opinion on it too. I hate cloth backed so I don't think I'll end up ever really understanding the whole "better comfort" argument. Cloth diapers when sleeping for me have always come off because of the horrible Velcro tabs and the ones that did have the proper plastic tabs would just feel rough and sometimes accumulate balls of the outer cloth layer adding to the displeasure. It's as though the nappy was falling apart before I'd even used it. The whole idea about making the diaper seem more friendly and soft to touch marketing it as "cloth" I think was the whole idea. Soft to touch gave the connotation that it would be softer on babies. And especially with the Drynites I mean their whole marketing thing is promoting how much like underwear they are. oh and the "breath-ability" aspect is another marketing ploy they get to use by going cloth. I think in terms of marketing going cloth seemed like the best idea ever. I think it had nothing to do with the product and everything to do with how much more marketing strategies would open up if they did.
Click to expand...

Oh god yes, this. Thinner does NOT equate discreete. "Underwear" type fitting does NOT leave enough padding for proper absorpiton requirements. Padding that is so losse it clumps is NOT more comfortable. And breathable sides are NOT waterproof so they leak urine- badly.

How so many people could fall for marketing ploys like this, then fool themselves into believing it's true, just boggles my mind.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top