Monday, May 15, 2017

Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers

We used cloth diapers for E until he was about 18 months old but for Q we only used them for 6 months.  I like both but for different reasons.  I also dislike both for different reasons.  Here are my thoughts on the two:

Pros of Cloth/Cons of Disposable
Home Delivery - We didn't wash them ourselves, we had a service drop them off and pick them up on a weekly basis.  Also the cost was the same so I didn't have to think about sales or running out.
Unlimited Supply - We always had more than we needed so I didn't feel like I was wasting one if I changed a diaper when it didn't need to be changed.
Better for the Environment (allegedly) - I just hate throwing out the disposable diapers because I can see how they would build up in the landfill.  I know that there is still a carbon footprint associated with the transportation and laundering of the cloth diapers but I have to believe it is less.
Better on skin - I always feel like the cloth is better on the baby's skin than whatever plastic/disposable "fabric" is used for the other diapers. I always feel like Q's natural skin moisture is being wicked away along with the pee.  And not to get too gross, but since the diaper absorbs all of the moisture in the poop, then it sticks to Q's skin and I sometimes have to really scrub to get it all off.  He has not had any diaper rashes since he was born, but I do remember E getting diaper rash while still in the cloth diapers so it probably doesn't make too much difference.




Pros of Disposable/Cons of Cloth
Faster - Since you don't need to also put on the cover, then it is faster to change a disposable diaper.
Always Fit - If the baby grows out of the diaper, you can just go and buy the next size up.  With the cloth diapers, I would have to wait a week for our order to be changed and the bigger size to be delivered.
No Leaks - If any part of the cloth diaper is exposed under the diaper cover, then the baby's clothes will get wet, which is super inconvenient because you have to change their outfits more often.  Also when Q (and E) started sleeping through the night then I would have to put them in a disposable anyway because the cloth diaper would never make it that long.
Smaller - Cloth diapers with their covers are bulky and it means that certain clothes won't fit right, and as the baby grows, it is harder to fit them into their carseat and stroller.  This was the determining factor for me to stop the cloth diapers for good.
Better for being out of the house - When you use cloth diapers, you ned to bring the cloth diapers, covers, extra clothes, and a bag to put the wet diapers in to bring home.


We use Pampers now and they seem to work well.  I remember having an issue with Huggies leaking when E was a baby so I never went back to that brand after moving to Pampers.

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