Cloth Diapers Versus Disposable Diapers

In today's society many modern moms are going back to a few parenting ideas of the past. Drug-free births, home births and cloth diapering are just a few examples of this reverting to the past. Cloth diapers are gaining in popularity more and more each day. As I sit here looking at a nice clean pile of cloth diapers waiting for me to put them away, I begin thinking about cloth diapers versus disposable diapers.

One of the top reasons that people choose disposable diapers over cloth diapers is that they think cloth diapers are more expensive. That is a complete myth. The truth of the matter is that disposable diapers are far more expensive in the long run than cloth diapers are. On average, disposable diapers will cost you close to $2000 per child during the 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years that your child will be in diapers. In comparison, cloth diapers only cost approximately $700 depending upon the diapering system you choose. I went even cheaper than that by purchasing my cloth diapers and accessories on Ebay and by making many of our diapers myself. Cloth diapers can also be reused on any furture children you may have to increase your savings.

Some people say that used cloth diapers smell worse than used disposable diapers. I have used both types during the diapering years of my three children and I can assure you that a dirty disposable smells far worse than a dirty cloth diaper. Sure the human waste does have the normal smells but with disposable diapers the smells just reek terribly because of the chemicals inside of the diaper. Also consider that you would wash cloth diapers every 2-3 days. Where as your trash is probably only taken out on a weekly basis.

Comfort is another point between cloth and disposable diapers. Disposable diapers are made of paper fibers and plastics with a chemical gel layer for absorbancy. The gel layer can quickly become overly full without parents realizing it and the gel can leak, leaving little gel "balls" all over the baby's bottom. This can not be comfortable to the child. Cloth diapers on the other hand, are just that, CLOTH. Cloth diapers are made from a variety of fabrics like cotton, fleece, flannel, sherpa and many others. Which would you prefer to wear, cotton or plastics?

There are also health-related issues between cloth and disposable diapers. Babies who wear cloth diapers, generally, have fewer diaper rashes than their counterparts wearing disposables. There are also many babies who are allergic to the components in disposable diapers and therefore they have to wear cloth. There is also research going on in order to determine if disposable diapers have an effect on male fertlity. Disposable diapers have plastic liners which hold in heat that could possibly prevent a baby boy's testicles from developing normally.

Many people think that cloth diapers would leak more than disposable diapers. I have found, during my years of diapering, that disposables actually leak far more than cloth diapers that are on the baby correctly. With newborns, especially, you are more likely to have many ruined outfits from "blowouts" in disposables diapers than you would in cloth diapers.

Potty training is another way that cloth diapers are more helpful than disposables. Children who are diapered in cloth, generally, potty train 6 months sooner than children diapered in disposables. Children need to feel wet in order to understand why they should use a potty. Therefore, cloth diapers are much better with this than disposables.

Another myth is that disposable diapers are more convenient than cloth diapers. With all of the different types of cloth diapers available, this is completely untrue. There are many brands of cloth diapers that go on just like a dispoable. Very easy. You also don't need to worry about running out of diapers in the middle of the night with cloth diapers. No more late night diaper runs to the store.

Cloth diapers might cause an extra load of laundry and will take a little time to get the hang of using, but in the longrun they are cheaper, healthier, more comfortable and just as convenient as any disposable diaper. So why not jump in and try cloth? You may just fall in love with cloth diapering.