Diapers Q&A

Cloth vs disposable diapers?

If I were to mainly use cloth diapers, on average, how many would I need? Would I have to do a load of laundry every night? And how exactly do I go about cleaning the bowel movements off them if they are runny messes? Does anyone highly recommend cloth over disposables?

Public Comments

1. Disposables are quick & a lot easier to use, i know you have the burden of cost & having to keep buying them but with the cloth ones you have to keep washing them & sanatising them & when you are out & about you have to carry all the soiled ones around with you until you get home.
2. I use disposables, I don't really know how the whole cloth diaper thing works, but one thing for sure, I didn't see myself washing poo everyday, I'm very busy and worked full time, so for me disposables were the more practical choice.
3. As a baby I was allergic to the disposable diapers so my mom had to use cloth diapers on me all the time...she wasn't too pleased lol because she had other things to do besides wash soiled cloth diapers. And yes, you would have to do laundry every night unless you want to keep a mess around. It's unsanitary! I'd go with disposable because it's practical and much easier, unless your child is allergic.
4. I love cloth diapering! It is not as hard, or yucky, as people may think and I feel it is worth it for the fact that it is better on the budget, better on the environment, and better on baby's skin. I do a load about every other day. For runny poo diapers I just rinse them off in the toilet, but there is a handy sprayer that you can attach to the toilet to just spray it clean into the toilet. After rinsing, then I just put them into my laundry bag(I have a seperate laundry bag for diapers made of PUL, that I just throw in the washer with the diapers and wash right along with) I highly recommend cloth.
5. People talk about the environment and we should all use cloth to save the planet, diposables take an eternity to dissolve, yada, yada, yada. These people have never been a busy working mom. lol. I use disposables, they're easy and sanitary. And when you've got a baby with diarhea(sp?), you really dont want those sticky cloths diapers sitting around....
6. I highly reccommend cloth over disposables.. (and any one with any level of intelligence would do the same.. only lazy selfish people would reccomend only disposable)... there are several kinds of cloth from the basic sheet that you have to fold to ones that are preformed and have closures and every thing.. these work even better if you also buy cloth liners (which are small and you can dunk in the toilet to remove bowel movements from them...) however I do find they are not as absorbant for over night so I did use disposable at night (and if on trips or such times you dont want to carry around a used cloth diaper with you till you get home) honestly it was so long ago I cannot remember how many I needed.. I didnt do laundry every night - possibly every 2-3 nights..... sometimes you can find used cloth ones in second hand stores...
7. I would love to switch to cloth - but my husband is against it *sigh* I was talking with my mom about cloth - my sister wore cloth 90% of the time, she was allergic to many brands of disposables. She only wore the 'sposies when they were out and about or something. My mom had about 3 dozen cloth diapers, She said that was the "perfect" amount because if she wasn't able to do a load in the wash every day, she'd still have enough. Make sure you rinse the diapers out when you change them, to avoid stains, and use the bag like another answer suggested to keep them in and wash it all at once. There are plenty of working moms who use cloth. And cloth is so much better for the environment! Personally, I like the idea of cloth because many moms who do use them swear that they have helped prevent rashes, and have assisted in earlier potty training, among many other reasons. If only I could convince my hubby...
8. I've been using cloth w/my newborn for about a month, and so far, so good - it's really pretty easy and very economical. I'm making diapers for my toddler this week as well because his disposables are wiping out my bank account! I think your needs vary as the child gets older. My newborn is using about 12, which I wash about once a day, sometimes less, but he "goes" a lot more than my toddler. Breastmilk poop can be thrown right in the washing machine and I throw the disposable wipes in as well - they just get clean, and you can toss them later. I'm using pocket diapers which are stuffed with absorbent terry or microfiber inserts to absorb liquid. When my baby transitions into food other than breastmilk, and for my toddler, the diapers will need to be poop-free prior to putting them in the wash. At that point, I plan to use diaper liners which are flushable. You just lay them in the cloth, and when baby poops, you peel it out and flush the whole mess. They're not too expensive ($6 for 100) and will save me the process of dunking or spraying poop off the diapers. I will say that though I'm not opposed to disposable use, and I can understand how there are times when they can be more convenient, my husband likes them as much as I do - they're not as difficult to use now that they are fitted with velcro or snap closures as the old Birdseye diapers with pins I had to use with my little brother. I've posted a few links for the diaper liners and a vendor that I'm planning to buy covers from because her pricing is really pretty good. The second vendor is one I got some of my materials from for making my diapers - she's great also. Good luck in your decision!