While I have never used cloth diapers I thought I would do some searching on them versus disposal diapers. For me just the thought of using cloth diapers freaks me out. I mean think about it? You want me to do what with that and then wash it? No thanks! My son is just about out of diapers but now I am intrigued. I did some reading about this and have come up with some pros and some cons. Remember while reading these, these are MY personal pros and cons based on all that I read.
Pros of cloth diapers
- Better for the environment
- Lower costs to buy
- Less diaper rashes for the baby
- Less time in diapers
- There are some cute cute styles out there
Pros of disposable diapers
- Less maintenance
- Less hassle if you take your child to daycare. Most won’t do cloth diapering
- More convenient
- now come in eco-friendly chlorine free versions
Cons of cloth diapers
- Too much work
- Too smelly and gross
- Not as convenient with daycare, babysitters, or going out( I did ask my daycare about it and 2 babysitters, both frowned upon it.)
Cons of disposable diapers
- Not environment friendly
- More rashes on the bottom (my son gets them all the time)
- Some babies have a reaction to what the diaper is made of
- Harder to get them potty trained (oh great)
Now looking at both the pros and the cons of each, I still think I would make the decision for disposable diapers. Personally I am all about convenience and less hassle. I am not one to scrap poop out of a diaper. Potty training is coming up for me and my son and I have already told hubby that we maybe throwing away a lot of underwear. that is just me. While some may not agree with me. I believe this is a personal decision that each parent makes based on their beliefs. I think no matter what decision is made, it will be the right one for you. Again, keep in mine these are MY opinions. I am sure there are more pros out there and I know some may not think my cons are true but to me, those would be true.
Karla Bond is your typical mother looking for balance in life. She is a career woman with one son. Trying to find a balance between parenting, weight loss, and finding a spiritual path is difficult. There will be a day when my life is balance. Follow me on my journey at Bond With Karla.
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[...] Disposable Diaper User Weighs Option of Using Cloth Diapers | Dinker and Giggles [...]
I used to think just as you did, until I really started researching cloth – now I wouldn’t look back. Unfortunately I think you’re quite mistaken in some of your perceptions on cloth. They have changed so much since we were in diapers. For one, they don’t smell AT ALL. Disposables have a chemical/urine smell, but the bamboo nappies we use HAVE NO SMELL even when they’ve been wet for a while. Also, we dry pail, so none of that wet nappy smell in the house. AT ALL. We use a disposable liner inside the nappy which when pood on we just take out and flush down the toilet, leaving the diaper a little stained, but not at all gross.
I really don’t find them too much work. Since the poo is flushed, the nappies are just washed with normal washing and we still do one load of washing a day, like we always have.
As for nurseries/daycare/babysitters you can buy cloth nappies that are almost identical to disposables in design. They just go in a wetbag and go home with the baby. Check out Bambinex, for example. When I take them off the line I do them up like a closed disposable (with the velcro tabs) and put them in a nappy bag and there’s little to no difference to disposables with the exception that they dont smell, don’t leak as much when my LO explodes and she has NO nappy rash any more.
.-= Luschka´s last blog ..Calpol – What Every Parent Should Know =-.
Thank you Luschka for visiting. I have to say that one thing that I noticed when I started diapering my newborn is I no longer had the newborn poop up the back and out the legs as I always did with disposable diapers. The amount of clothes I was washing with a disposable diapered baby was just insane. I have to say that the cloth diapers really cut down on the amount of clothes we were going through in one day.
Not to mention all the clothes that had to be thrown out because of the nasty stains that I just could never get out.
Thanks for your view!
Alaina
I’ve been both sides of the fence as I used disposables with my older children who are now 21 & 18. Back then, cloth nappies were bulky terry towelling squares with pins and a lot more work than now.
When I used disposables I had to try several different brands to find best fit and least leak or least nappy rash cause. Despite changing nappies frequently, both my older children suffered nappy rash at some time. They also had lots of leaks and were smelly, not to mention expensive. I dread to think how much I spent across both children and how many are clogging up landfill sites now.
Fast forward to 4yrs ago when I was pregnant with C. I again researched re-usable cloth nappies and was astounded by the advances. Ease of use, cheaper, environmentally friendly. This was right up my street!
I chose a combination of Tots Bots Fluffles nappies and Motherease wraps, used the dry pail method and away we went. We had no nappy rash, barely any leaks, no smelly nappies and when we went out, had a wet bag which used nappies went into until we got home.
We used liners, so no handling soiled bits and they got washed with our normal load. They dried in no time in the tumble dryer, on the line or radiator.
C was potty trained in 5 days, one month over 2, a lot quicker than his siblings, who were 2.5 plus to dry up.
Only drawback was going abroad, so we switched to disposables. But after almost instant nappy rash, he was pleased to have his soft fluffy nappies back once home.
I was lucky not to have to work while he was small, so no need for daycare, but I wouldn’t have chosen a nursery that dictated what type of nappies they would change. They would have to fit with my chosen lifestyle. After all, It’s only a case of putting a wet nappy in a wet bag rather than in the bin.
I miss my lovely fluffy nappies and would use them again in an instant.
Thank you Bubblegum for visiting! I’m glad to see that you have had the chance to be on both sides of the fence. I have been a disposable diaper and a cloth diaper user. I had the same pro vs con list for cloth diapers as Karla has. It wasn’t until I took 3 months and used the cloth diapers and realized that I was wrong on many things.
Alaina
I’m sorry but you are completely wrong in your views of Cloth Diapering. If you would really do your research you would find that cloth diapering is not too much work at all. In fact I do the same amount of laundry then I did before we cloth diapered. As well as the fact that I’m actually on top of my laundry because I’m more conscious of when it needs to be done instead of when I feel like doing it.
Until you change or use Cloth Diapers you cannot assume they are smelly & gross, there is not one bit of research out there that will tell you they smell. As both the other mom’s here have told you, there really is more of a smell associated with disposable diapers then there are with cloth.
You say that daycare’s will not take cloth diapers. I’m not sure which daycare’s you looked into but most daycare’s are willing to take cloth diapers once you show them the modern options. They realize they are just as easy to use as disposables, and you’re saving the environment as well as cutting down on their trash buildup. When you asked your daycare did you show them a picture of modern cloth diapers? Did you tell them they were as easy as disposables? I think not, if they frowned upon it. When I asked my daycare, she informed me she wouldn’t do it because of the pins. Once I told her there wasn’t a single pin or plastic pant involved she was more likely to open up. She in fact then turned her sister into a cloth diaperer!
Cloth diapers are super easy to use on the go as well! JUST as easy as a disposable. I think they’re easier in fact. I don’t have to go looking for a trash can to throw a disposable in, I am able to just put it in my wet bag and continue on.
So until you really do your “research” on cloth diapering. I really don’t think you should be writing a “pro’s & con’s” post on cloth or disposable diapers. Find a local cloth diaper store/retailer and get a feel for what it’s really like and maybe you’ll see how easy & environmentally fun cloth diapering can be.
.-= Amanda´s last blog ..Busy Weekend Ahead =-.
Amanda,
Thanks for stopping by. As a cloth diaper user myself I was excited to see what a non-cloth diaper user thought of them and what her Pros and Cons were. I have to admit before I used cloth diapers in the Dinker & Giggles household I had a lot of the same fears and misconceptions as our guest author Karla did. We are a long way from cloth diapers being “mainstream” as these are still the thoughts that many world wide still have of cloth diapers. So here’s my wet bag raised to education of the disposable diaper users!
Alaina
Wow I am loving all these comments. As I stated in my post these were just MY opinions and pros and cons on cloth diapering. Its up to each of us to decide which is the best route to go and I thought giving a disposable users point of view would be interesting. I respect everyone opinions and comments.
.-= Karla Bond´s last blog ..Summer Activities =-.
Wow I love the comments. Keep in mind that these were just MY views. I still wouldn’t go the cloth route if I had to do it over again but the is just ME. Everyone has to choose what they think is bed. I must say though, the one benefit of doing cloth would be the diaper rash. My little guy gets it all the time.
.-= Karla Bond´s last blog ..Summer Activities =-.
I use 7th generation brand. It’s good for my baby, the environment, and very convenient for me.
i found karla’s thoughts interesting. being a mother myself, i like to ponder child-rearing trends and see if i will or will not like something. however i have to mention that the amount of politics that seems to go into parenting these days is astounding. there should be no “fact-battle”… a sharing of ideas is great. people have to realize that though they are excited about a particular way of doing things that they have chosen for themselves, not everyone will agree with it, or like it, thats okay. karla said these were just her opinions and thoughts, no problem there. this is a bit off the subject of diapering but relating to parenting nonetheless… and is actually somewhat humorous: i tried, after much thought on the subject when brought up by a friend who is a health-savvy advice columnist and “expert” on many things… the recommendation was tossing toothpaste and brushing with (drum roll) soap! i thought this was a little weird, but when considering the argument made about toxins found in toothpaste and that “flouride inhibits re-calcification of the teeth”… i decided to give it a try. i bought some organic, irritant-free, basic bar soap (the sort suggested in the article)and gave it a try for one week. much to my surprise, it didnt turn out too well. i had awful gastrointestinal problems (perhaps because i swallowed a bit here and there, by accident)and the yellow film that coated my teeth in a matter of days, turned out not to be calcium deposits, but plaque! oiy! So my husband and myself (yes i got my hubby to do it too…glad i passed trying this on my toddler) i stopped using the soap and switched to using Tom’s instead of colgate or crest. See… you just have to discover for yourselves what wont work and what will… you can try taking people’s word for it, but then you’ll never know any better. disposable vs. cloth diapers are the same thing. sometimes we cant control what our children use, sometimes we can….its different for every mommy and daddy.