cloth vs.disposable diapers?

having2

I would really like some feed back on the pro AND cons of cloth diapers.  I am trying to make my mind up on which one. I know that the disposable is much more cost effective but is it worth the extra time and extra laundry they create?  Also if you do use them which brand and type do you like?

ErinCB

I CD for my DS, I am debating still whether or not I will continue to do so when the twins come. I don't have laundry in my unit in our condo, it's shared in our building with the other neighbors. Since I have to leave my condo to do laundry (not the building but the unit), this is looking daunting, since essesntially with 3 in cloth, I will have at least 1 load of diapers to do everyday plus our regular laundry schedule.

I'd like to continue though. I'm really, really torn! We are planning on a remodel that will add laundry in our unit and that will help a ton!

At any rate here are MY personal pros: cheaper in the long run, SUPER cute, environmentally friendly, good for the baby (though I am not of the personal belief that disposables are "evil", they still have a place in our house...like when m/s kicked my @ss this time and I just couldn't handle the poo in cloth).

Cons: extra laundry, poo can be unpleasant to deal with (though it is either way!), can be overwhelming to figure out what works best for your family.

Many women LOVE to CD. I highly suggest you check out the Eco Friendly Family board here on The Bump. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have personally. IDK how PM's work here, but you could PM me, or if you want my email you can have that too!

To get started, my advice would be to start out with a diaper trial. A website called Jillian's Drawers offers one, as does the Denver Diaper Company (you don't have to live in Denver, don't worry). They will send you a few different brands and kinds of diapers to try for a few weeks on your babies. Keep the ones you like, send back the ones you don't. It's a great way to get started.

I like pocket diapers best, they just fit my needs most. I have a few different brands, but my favorites are FuzziBunz and Swaddlebees.

MawrtyrB

Ok I'm firmly in the cloth camp. Originally we got into it because of environmental concerns and chemical exposure concerns. I didn't want all that chemical in the disposables next to my baby's skin. Once I started looking into it, there was so much more options than I expected. Check out the Eco-friendly board for tons of info on CD. 

We already had a good sized stash of diapers from our daughter so it made sense monetarily to continue to use them for our twins. We do launder them ourselves so we can use the more convenient pocket type diapers (no covers). All of our child care providers have been able to use this type with ease. Once you get into the habit of the laundry, it's no big burden.

LoveEeyore

I use green mountain prefolds and all different covers for all 3 kids.  Way cheaper- when the last is out of diapers, I will have spent 300 or less total on diapering.  I also use washcloths with water instead of wipes.  Not only is wash not that bad, but wait and see, you will get a dorky, immense high from pulling a load of fresh dipes out of the dryer!

urbanwifey

I'm a mom of one so my workload for diapers and the like is very different but... I love cloth.  We didn't start using cloth till DS was 2 months because we wanted to get the hang of things and get a routine down first.  When we made the switch the first week or two really sucked the energy out of me but now I can't imagine doing it any other way.

When we go on vacation or if there's something crazy that's making my live at home particularly busy I switch to disposable (seventh generation) for a few days and then go back to cloth.

I use bumGenuis brand (which requires assembly after each wash before you can use them again) buy Mommies Touch is virtually identical and doesn't require assembly because they're all attached.

I have a friend who uses biodegradeable liners in her son's cloth diapers which she says makes clean up a breeze.  It's a tissue paper thin layer that you lay in the liner before putting it on the baby and when you have a poop to change you just grab it by the ends and toss the whole thing in the toilet. (I'm going to use these for baby #2 especially when the poops aren't solid for the first 4-6 months.)

Good luck in your decision!

Temp6313048411121614

I CD'd DS for about 1 year.  I did it mostly to save money and used mainly pf's (I had some fancier diapers, but I actually preferred the plain old fashioned pf's).  They were great.  They definitely helped with blowouts, were pretty easy to launder, I didn't mind at all.  The reason I quit was because I was having ammonia issues (we're talking about knock you out ammonia).  It was a hormonal pg day and I just said to heck with it and we've been using disposables ever since.  It makes me sick to know how much money we're spending in disposables (we've already spent over $300 in disposables for the twins alone and only have a few boxes that will probably last maybe 2 or 3 (at the most) months.  CD's are DEFINITELY cheaper (even if you get all expensive diapers, some are $40+ each), but nobody can deny that disposables are way more convenient (except the inevitable blowouts that WILL happen with sposies).  IMO, I'd definitely give it a whirl.  Buy some used diaps on diaperswappers.com, if you don't like them, you can usually sell them for close to what you paid.  GL with your decision.