Diaper Dilemma: Has Anyone Tried Cloth?
May 5th 2010 14:00
Another new thing my wife would like to try with our upcoming child (besides not finding out the gender) is cloth diapers. And once again, we are on completely opposite sides of this issue. I personally have no interest in trying cloth diapers. I'm a big fan of disposable ones. Take it off, wipe it up, wrap it up, throw it out. Easy. Everything stays nicely contained, and cleanup's a breeze. Leaks are rare (except during that period of time when he was still breastfeeding and started sitting up...that stuff shot right up out of the back of the diaper!). And they're easy to put on a squirming child, which is a HUGE plus.
So where's the advantage of cloth diapers? I can't really speak from experience on this, but this is how I see them: soggy messes that you have to handle for more than five seconds, empty into the toilet, wash, and re-use. Yes, I know. They're more environmentally conscious. And I'm a big fan of helping the environment-I was even in a 4-H club specifically devoted to it. This fact isn't conclusively proven, however. Google it-there are tons of studies on which ones are more environmentally friendly, taking into account energy used by washing machines and dryers, energy used to produce each type of diaper, etc. What conclusion you find depends on what study you read...they land on both sides of the fence. To the advantage of cloth diapers, they're almost certainly cheaper. Rather than buying new ones constantly (and I do mean constantly!), you use the same set over and over. That would lower the shopping bills a bit!
On the whole, though, I vote disposable. Call me lazy, but they're easier. Having a new child is crazy enough without making changing diapers more complicated than it needs to be. Does anyone have experience with cloth diapers? I'd like to know your opinions of them, as well as any advice on making using them easier.
In the interest of fairness, I will say this-cloth diapers make excellent burp cloths!
So where's the advantage of cloth diapers? I can't really speak from experience on this, but this is how I see them: soggy messes that you have to handle for more than five seconds, empty into the toilet, wash, and re-use. Yes, I know. They're more environmentally conscious. And I'm a big fan of helping the environment-I was even in a 4-H club specifically devoted to it. This fact isn't conclusively proven, however. Google it-there are tons of studies on which ones are more environmentally friendly, taking into account energy used by washing machines and dryers, energy used to produce each type of diaper, etc. What conclusion you find depends on what study you read...they land on both sides of the fence. To the advantage of cloth diapers, they're almost certainly cheaper. Rather than buying new ones constantly (and I do mean constantly!), you use the same set over and over. That would lower the shopping bills a bit!
On the whole, though, I vote disposable. Call me lazy, but they're easier. Having a new child is crazy enough without making changing diapers more complicated than it needs to be. Does anyone have experience with cloth diapers? I'd like to know your opinions of them, as well as any advice on making using them easier.
In the interest of fairness, I will say this-cloth diapers make excellent burp cloths!
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Comment by Danielle 9
Baby In Blog Land
I don't blame you for your choice at all! Hope things go your way...
Comment by Anonymous