Why Cloth Diaper?

You might be wondering why in age of convenience, anyone would choose to bother with cloth diapering. After all, even though cloth diapering is becoming more and more common, most parents still use disposables. When you walk into most grocery or large retail stores, there are stacks and stacks of disposable diapers. But did you know that cloth diapers have drastically changed over the last decade? While pinned flats and covers are still available (and to be fair, a cost effective choice!), parents today have many more options! With Velcro-like and snap fasteners, pins are no longer needed. Most all-in-one type diapers are just as easy (if not easier) as putting on a disposable. With pocket style diapers (that is, you stuff an insert in the pocket in the diaper) you can choose how much absorbency your baby needs.

So, why cloth diaper? For one, it is good for your wallet. You can expect to spend $1500-2000 dollars on disposables from birth to potty training (according to ConsumerReports.org). My daughter wore mostly disposables during her first 6 weeks due to a Pavlick harness she needed to wear. It made me sick to my stomach to continually spend money on a product I threw in the garbage every 2-3 hours. While the initial start up cost of cloth diapering can be expensive ( I won’t lie, I’ve been there too), you can use and use and use your diapers… many even come in an adjustable one-size and can fit your child from birth to potty training! Now that is a way to save money. In addition, if you treat your diapers well, you just might be able to use them for subsequent children or sell them (they hold their value surprisingly well) to another parent and recoup some of your investment. You most likely could not sell a used disposable diaper! To calculate how much you’ll spend on cloth diapers, check out the diaper calculator

Cloth Diapering is good for the planet. Did you know that the current estimate for a disposable diaper to decompose is 200-600 years? Disposable diapers haven’t even been around long enough to know for certain! And when you consider that disposable diapers are the third most common item found in a landfill, we have a big problem. Cloth diapers create less waste, because they are not thrown out after each use. Cloth diapers do have their environmental impact too. You’ll need water to wash your diapers. However, with high efficiency appliances, less water is used. Some estimates suggest that the amount of water used washing diapers in a week is about the same as the amount of water adults use flushing the toilet!

And finally, cloth diapering is good for your baby. As a daycare teacher, I’ve seen more than my fair share of diaper rash. Even with frequent changing, I saw my poor little girl suffer through red, puffy, bleeding diaper rash while in disposables… even the ones that are supposed to be the least irritating. We have not had this issue since we have switched to cloth diapers! Naturally, we’ve had the occasional redness due to a particularly messy diaper, but in 9 out of 10 times, it is practically gone by the next diaper change. Now naturally, every baby is different. Some children show no adverse reactions to disposable diapers. Regardless, the idea of chemicals that close to my child’s sensitive skin does not settle well with me. To top it all off, cloth diapers are cute! Next time you see a baby in an advertisement (not advertising disposable diapers obviously), notice what kind of diaper the child is wearing. Chances are, it will be cloth. They are just plain cuter!