A few years ago (when I was about to become a dad), I read a similar comparison on the impact of disposable diapers vs. cloth ones. While disposable diapers have been the whipping boy of environmentalists for years, the overall ecological "footprint" of cloth diapers wasn't all THAT much better when EVERYTHING was taken into account.

All the extra energy heating washwater and running washers/dryers for all the extra loads. Fuel for the diaper service trucks for those who use them. The extra chemicals (bleach and detergent) added to the wastewater stream. The additional load on water treatment plants from all the waste water.

We endedup "splitting the difference", using disposables for the first year or so, then going over to (recycled) cloth... [Linked Image]