Cloth Diapers – Should You Give Them a Go?

First Generation Cloth Diapers – Highly Inconvenient

When I was little, my Mom used cloth diapers because that was the only option. When my younger sisters were born, disposable diapers were already wide spread, and Mom says her life got so much simpler.

With the older cloth diapers this was true. They required a lot of cleaning and washing work, and if you needed to travel, they were just awful. Imagine a ten hour flight with a small baby. Now imagine you can’t dispose of the wet diapers on the plane and have to wait until you get to your destination to wash and clean them.

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Cloth Diapers Today – Are They Different?

Cloth Diapers today are different – but the principle is the same. They are made of cloth or some other natural material. They are reusable, they require washing, and still pose the problems around travel.
But there are other aspects you may want to consider as well. The last few decades of using disposable diapers taught us some valuable learnings about both types.

How do today’s cloth diapers compare to disposables?

The most obvious advantage disposable diapers have over cloth diapers is convenience. With disposables you peel off the soiled diaper, and toss it in the garbage. That’s about as much thought and planning that needs to go into it. If you run out of diapers – just go to a store and buy some more. They are quite cheap and found everywhere. It’s that easy.

With cloth diapers, you need to clean, wash and dry the diaper so you can use it again. You need to plan ahead in order to know how many cloth diapers you need throughout the day. You need to plan for extras in cases of diarrhea or other health problems, and you need to prepare for situations where you won’t be able to wash and clean the diapers. For example, when you are driving or flying long distances.

Another down side of cloth diapers is that they are harder to buy if you need some more. Some of the smaller stores don’t sell them, and some countries hardly have them at all. While it’s true you can “go disposable” for a little while in these situations, it may not always be so easy on your baby to adjust to a new type of diapers.

So, What’s Good About Cloth Diapers?

On the other hand, cloth diapers are usually more economical than the disposable ones. The initial cost for a cloth diaper is considerable, but all in all they are cheaper than constantly buying new disposables. Even when you weigh in the the costs of liners, water, detergents and power for washing.

It is generally believed that cloth diapers encourage earlier potty training. This is another cost you’ll need to add to the figure against the disposable diapers. So, when comparing total costs, you need to budget for a few more months of disposables compared with cloth diapers.

But cost isn’t everything. There’s convenience, Eco friendliness, possible health risks, absorption and much more. Which type, for example, would you use if your baby has sensitive skin?
Find out more by comparing the disposable and cloth diapers on the Choozza website.