Expectant parents face many decisions. They research whether it’s more beneficial to breast or bottle feed, if baby food should be store bought or homemade, or if their baby should sleep in Mom and Dad’s room or in their own crib. If that isn’t enough research, there’s also the famous, cloth vs. disposable diaper debate. As with all the other questions facing parents today, it’s not that there’s any right or wrong answer. The issue is what is better for you and your family. When it comes to diapers, you’ll have to decide if you prefer the convenience of disposable diapers, or if it’s more politically correct to use cloth diapers. To help you along, the pros and cons of each are outlined below.
Convenience: It’s true. Disposable diapers are convenient. Just diaper baby and go, or remove your baby’s diaper, clean the baby, and diaper baby again with a new ready-to– use disposable diaper. There’s no diaper pail and no washing, except of course, what happens to linger on baby’s bottom. You’ll still have to worry about odor though. If you don’t purchase an expensive diaper disposal unit, you’ll either have to throw your disposable diaper in an outside garbage can or risk stinking up baby’s room. A trash can with a lid just isn’t enough to contain the odor. Disposable diapers can also be convenient though, or at least more than they used to. With a more fitted design and Velcro for closing, this isn’t your mother’s cloth diaper, that’s for sure. There are differences, however. For instance, when your baby wets the diaper, the moisture stays on the cloth diaper, while your baby’s skin is more protected with a disposable diaper. You’ll also have to deal with emptying the solid waste out of a cloth diaper and washing these diapers yourself. You could employ the use of a diaper service if you’re so inclined, but this can be pricey. If you don’t, you’ll have to do all the cleaning and folding yourself. Let’s say two or three diaper loads of laundry a week.
Environmental Considerations: This is where the disposable vs. cloth diaper debate gets tricky. What’s better for the environment? The answer seems rather obvious, doesn’t it? Disposable diapers become landfill and, therefore, are worse for the environment, right? Well, it’s not so simple. No one wants landfill and no one wants human waste getting into to the soil either, but are cloth diapers that much safer? You have to consider the energy being used to clean and dry cloth diapers. Factor in the amount of water being used to clean the diapers, and the answer isn’t so clear cut anymore. The disposable people will also point out that the factories used to manufacture the diapers can pollute our airways, but in all fairness, so do the factories used to make disposable diapers. There are also health considerations. How healthy is it to put all that extra solid waste, not to mention soap and chemicals used to clean diapers, into our sewer systems? These are definitely areas one should take into consideration when researching the environmental aspects of cloth vs. disposable diapers.
Health: Your baby’s comfort is a definite cause for concern and there are health considerations. At first it was thought that disposable diapers were better for babies, as they prevented diaper rash because they pull moisture away from baby’s skin. This isn’t always the case, however. Both types of diapers can cause diaper rash and even infection if left on baby too long.
Cost: If you believe it costs more to purchase disposable diapers, you might not be right. Disposable diapers certainly are expensive. No one will debate that, but they may not necessarily be more expensive than cloth diapers. When you take into consideration the cost of cloth diapers and accessories, energy used to clean and dry cloth diapers and whether or not a laundry service is used, it can cost the same, if not more to use cloth diapers. Even if you don’t use a laundry service, it will probably cost about the same to use a lower priced disposable diaper as it does to use those made of cloth.
If you’re considering cloth diapers because of environmental or cost concerns, and considering disposable diapers because of convenience, be sure to do your research. You may find that your current choice is not the best situation for your needs or beliefs.
