Cloth Diapers: Why choose cloth?

When you are bringing a new bundle of joy into this world, the one thing you KNOW you will be needing for the next 2+ years are diapers. But with something so simple as keeping messes in, you would think that the choice would be easy! Unfortunately, that is far from the case. There are hundreds of different diaper brands and types to choose from, but before you get overwhelmed make sure you are asking yourself one question and one question only: "what is most important to me?" Are you looking for dye-free? Plant-based? The most economical? For me, it was a mixture of two things. I wanted a diaper that was safe for my baby's skin as well as easy on our budget. This conclusion led me to the world of cloth diapers.

As a first-time mom researching cloth diapers, I was getting information overload! While the differences between different brands of disposable diapers appear very minor, the differences between types of cloth diapers are so stark. I wanted to make sure what I was going to use was going to be easy to put on, easy to launder, and easy to tote around in a diaper bag. But all these hurdles didn't stop me from going the cloth diaper route, and I'll explain why.

First (and the most important for me), cloth diapers are more economical in the long run than disposable diapers. An infant goes through 6,000-7,000 diapers before they are potty trained, and the average cost of a disposable diaper is 40¢. That means it will cost between $2,400 and $2,800 for diapering each child! And that is just for the average diaper brand. If you were to use a higher-end brand (think Coterie), that is going to run you a bill of $5,500-$6,000 a kid. Cloth diapers, on the other hand, can cost anywhere between $300-$600 for a set that will last you from birth to potty-training. While there are other factors that play into how much you will spend on cloth diapers such as the type of diaper and how often you wash your diapers, cloth diapering is by far a cheaper option than disposable diapers. Not to mention they will last for several children. To me, that is a win-win!

Second, cloth diapers can be a safer, healthier option for your child's skin. Traditional disposable diapers often contain dyes, phthalates, perfume, and VOCs. According to the EWG website, many of the dyes used in disposable diapers contain heavy metals, such as lead. They have also found that these dyes and perfumes used in diapers are related to contact dermatitis on infants. Perfume can also cause breathing or asthma issues. While there is a wide range of cloth diaper materials, the best from a health option would be organic, unbleached cotton. It is super absorbant and does not contain any possible residual chlorine in the fibers that bleached cotton does.

While this was not the leading reason for me to cloth diaper, it is a very important aspect when looking at which diapers you are going to use. According to dyper.com, "For your typical disposable diaper containing these materials [polypropylene (pp) and polyethylene (pe)], it contains around 24 grams of petroleum-based plastic. This is around the equivalent of two or more plastic water bottles per diaper. That can add up throwing away the same amount of plastic as 20 plastic bottles (or more) when considering the average parent changes 8-10 diapers per day." In fact, in 2017, over 3.3 million tons of diapers were brought to the landfill on 2017. These diapers never deteriorate completely as they are made from plastic, and the glues, dyes, and absorbants can harm sealife. Not all cloth diaper brands are environmentally friendly either, as most of the water repellant outers are made of plastics, but they are a significantly lower contributer to waste than disposable diapers are.

In the end, you know what will work best for you and your family. Try out different brands and types of diapers to see what works best for your baby, and don't feel pressured one way or the other if you are getting guilted into choosing a specific diapering plan. And the best thing about diapering is you don't need to stick with one thing! While I do mainly cloth diaper, I used disposable diapers (I love the Earth and Eden brand) for the first two weeks after my daughter was born, and I still use them for when we are on-the-go and want an easy change. I will say that disposable diapers are easier, as you do not need to wash them every couple of days. They also take a little longer to change than a disposable diaper, but once you get the hang of it, it isn't really that bad.

I hope this helps you on your journey to decide how you are going to diaper your little one!

You got this mama!