Sunday, January 6, 2013

Cloth Diapers, Pros & Cons


I had a request for the pros and cons of cloth diapering vs. using disposables.  Now, granted, many of these are subjective or maybe, possibly sorts of things.  Also, some of them are clearly more important than others.  But given those caveats, here's my list!

Pros!
-The biggest pro for cloth diapering is the cost.  Between $150 and $400 will buy you all the diapers you ever need ever.
-They're also more environmentally friendly.
-Depending on your kid's skin, you may have fewer rashes with fewer chemicals.
-I also find them easier, because I hate shopping, only have one car that goes to work with The Hubby, and am very disorganized about getting to the store.
-I find I have less smell in my house b/c I wash every 2-4 days, and never have a wet diaper older than that sitting around.
-They say cloth diapered kids potty train faster, although I'm not sure that's been proven.
-I hear, also, that cloth diapers prevent more poop blowouts.  And if you do get a poop'splosion, you can just pitch the clothes in your wetbag or diaper pail with the diapers.
-Finally, they're cute!  Big and fluffy!  Cute patterns!  Blue and pink and green!  I love it!

Cons!
-If you have a heavy wetter (as in, doesn't pee for hours and hours and then lets it all rip) you might have pervasive leaks.
-Probably cloth diapers leak pee more often in general than 'sposies.
-You have to wash them, dry them, and store them someplace (easiest is just having a laundry basket that you dump the dry diapers into and diaper directly from that, but you might want to fold them and put them in a drawer or something).
-Some baby/toddler pants (especially for girls) are cut for 'sposies, so they don't fit well over cloth.
-Once baby starts solids, you have to dump poops in the toilet instead of just wrapping the diaper around them and forgetting about it.
-Some babysitters/daycares don't like doing cloth, although most will work with you.
-They're more of a hassle when you travel, because you have to either find someplace to wash or pack around dirty diapers, and they'll take up a whole bag of their own if you pack more than a day's worth.
-They're also bulkier than 'sposies, so you need a bigger diaper bag (at least until the toddler stage).

That's all I can come up with.   Any input from readers?  What do you put on your baby's bum?

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