The Great Diaper Debate: Cloth or Disposable

Christian thinks I'm crazy. I might be. I want to try cloth diapers. There are several reasons for this:

1. Cloth is cheaper than disposables. You can use and reuse cloth diapers and covers. If you get all-in-ones that adjust, you can use the same stash of cloth for 2 kids! You save hundreds of dollars (or thousands depending on how much use you get out of them!)!

2. Cloth is cleaner. This sounds counter intuitive, but every cloth-diapering mom I've talked to or post I've read has had fewer blow-outs from cloth than disposables. I'd rather clean my kid's poop from his/her bum, not his/her ENTIRE BACK thank you!

3. Cloth is more responsible. It doesn't use harsh chemicals or take a bagillion years to decompose in a landfill somewhere. You also don't find used cloth diapers dappling the sand at the beach (so gross).

4. Cloth is healthier. I'll say it again - it doesn't use harsh chemicals! I've read from cloth diapering moms that with cloth their babies have fewer rashes.

Of course, it isn't always convenient. Cloth diapers do need to get washed. You do have to rinse poop off. That said, once baby switches to solids, you can use flushable liners to help make that process easier (which Christian is all for).

Disposables are nice when you are travelling and don't want to deal with a wet bag etc. In all honesty, I will probably use disposables when I'm travelling. The idea of taking a wet bag and hauling poopy diapers around doesn't appeal. I know people do it, I just don't want to.

There are some eco friendly disposable diaper options out there, and I'm investigating those, however they are pricier than the chem-infested plasticized mass-production dipes. It's a choice of trade-offs with which every mom struggles.

Without knowing exactly how kiddo will react to cloth (or Christian, or myself), I'm going to try it. People did it for years before disposables and made it work. I'm sure I can figure out something come September.