Exactly how these different impacts balance out isn't clear. Even if disposable diapers turned out to be marginally better than cloth or vice versa, neither is likely to have a dramatic advantage. Therefore, people shouldn't worry too much about which one is environmentally preferable. Other consumer decisions, such as what type of car to buy, are much more important for the environment. A smaller population would considerably mitigate all the activities you do list.
Population growth is an important issue and deserves serious action.
But because the Consumer's Guide investigates consumer spending, overpopulation does not fit easily into our analysis. Yet the book does devote a few pages to the decision about whether or not to have children, and we note the significant environmental implications of population growth. We point out that the number of people matters, as does how and where they live. Recycling, which reduces energy consumption and many kinds of air and water pollution, must continue and even expand. But recycling alone is not enough.