Disposable Diapers vs. Cloth Diapers
Disposable and cloth diapers come in a variety of sizes, materials and features. After use, disposable diapers can be sealed up and thrown away, while cloth diapers are laundered and reused. With all the improvements made to both options, the choices are equally good. The kind you choose comes down to personal preference, lifestyle, finances and environmental consciousness.
Disposable Diapers
Disposable diapers have an absorbent pad between two sheets of non-woven fabric that retains liquid to keep your baby’s bottom dry. They’re sized by weight, which you’ll see clearly marked on the box – they start at Preemie and go up from there.
If you decide to go with disposable diapers, you should also strongly consider a diaper bin for your baby’s bedroom or changing area to control the smell, as they’ll pile up quickly. Some municipalities allow the composting of diapers (check your local policy) but keep in mind that they’ll start to take a up a lot of space in your green bin, especially in the early days when you’re going through them at a seemingly record pace.
Cloth Diapers
Cloth diapers are made from absorbent fabrics such as cotton, fleece, terry cloth, flannel, unbleached hemp, wool or other materials. You can adapt them to the size of your baby or you can size by weight. They come in a variety of styles, including unfolded, pre-folded, fitted, all-in-ones, pocket diapers and/or diaper covers.
Some parents are turned off by cloth diapers; either the thought of tossing soiled diapers in to the washing machine is too unappealing or the extra work of folding diapers into position seems like too much.
Addressing the first objection, dumping a bowel movement from a cloth diaper into the toilet is actually quite easy. Most of the time, it leaves just a little residue on the fabric which (if you want) you can rinse down before throwing into the diaper bin or the wash. Some parents choose to use disposable liners in their cloth diapers to cut down on what sticks. These can be flushed like toilet paper.
As for the extra work involved, many cloth diapers come as pre-folded diapers with buttons so there’s no extra work required. But if you’re into self-assembly, it’s actually quite easy, and you’ll find a number of products to help you out, ranging from snaps to velcro fasteners.