Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers Comparing the Choices

When wondering whether you should choose cloth diapers versus disposable diapers, there are several things you must consider. These things can be numerous and while the choice is largely a matter of personal preference. However, the differences must be considered.

First thing most people will notice when choosing cloth diapers is the price. You can find a package of twelve for $18 at Walmart stores. Sure that sounds like a lot of money but compare the price of buying twenty-four reusable diapers that can last for most if not all of the baby’s diapering stage. Compare that  to buying enough disposables to last the same amount of time. You can save  around $300 to $400 a year by using cloth diapers.

Environmental impact is another thing to consider when debating cloth diapers versus disposable. All of those disposables are used once and then thrown in the trash. That trash then ends up in local landfills which have already been stretched to the limit and have created a crisis point. Using reusable diapers help to ease that problem. For people who are looking for even more environmentally friendly items, many cloth diapers are being made using organic materials such as hemp and bamboo.

Another good thing about cloth diapers is breathability. Many babies who are prone to diaper rash or yeast infections have the problem agitated because of continuous wetness held against the skin. This can many times be alleviated by using cloth. However, there is a flip side to the cloth diapers versus disposable debates. Many babies start out in cloth diapers only to have the same problem as many babies in disposable diapers. If the child experiences rashes or infections it is many times advisable to go to disposables.

Disposables can be the more convenient of the two simply because of the ease of changing, no covers or pins are required and if you travel on trips, even overnight trips, carrying dirty and wet diapers can become a smelly, messy hassle. Therefore, disposables can be more convenient. In retrospect they can also be an inconvenience. When you wake up at the crack of dawn to a very wet, very angry baby, the last thing you want to discover is that the last diaper was used earlier and you must tote the wet little guy to the store for more.

In all of these cases, there are pros and cons to both sides of the debate of cloth diapers versus disposable diapers. For many parents however, there has been compromise. If you use both, the cloth during the day or in emergencies and the disposables at night and on trips, life can be much simpler and you will ultimately be ready for whatever life, or junior, can throw at you.