Regarding the choice between using cloth and disposable diapers discussed in Nadisha Hunter's article (Gleaner, May 13), I think this is yet one of those areas where Jamaican women, so eager to shed what they believe as 'Third World' and 'old-fashioned' behaviours, have quickly picked up a practice that is most definitely not in their, or their children's, interests.

Who benefits from this new dependence on diapers? Well, the diaper manufacturers are very, very excited about this 'modern' shift, and are constantly finding new ways to develop new items so we don't have to spend time attending to our children's physical and emotional needs. That's hardly progress.

Much like the aversion of many parents to breastfeeding, using nappies is seen as a major inconvenience to the person, when, in fact, the disposable diapers are a major inconvenience to the society. This, after all, is a country that has not been able to match its love and level of consumption of all things 'foreign' with an equally effective waste management system. As such, disposable diapers are to be found everywhere that garbage is strewn along the roadsides, waiting for a pick-up that might never happen for days.

just as convenient

In fact, nappies are just as convenient as disposable diapers, but cost far, far less. Furthermore, consider that parents are spending many many dollars on a product for the sole purpose of throwing it away.

Nappies beat disposable diapers hands down, no matter what the child delivers in that covering. Using nappies requires a little awareness about how to manage their use, and a basic commitment to rely less on the technology of 'dry to the touch' diapers, and more on your and your child's sensory experiences. It is also far easier to train children to use the bathroom by themselves when one uses nappies.

I have a full-time, professional job which takes up more than 70 hours per week, and I used nappies for the first two years of raising my child. I can say that I would not have done it any other way. All the diaper money that I didn't spend was put towards the things that matter far more in the long run for my child: books and educational activities.

I am, etc.,

VERNA KITSON

verna.kitson@gmail.com

Montego Bay