Cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers

MrsMCBMar2014 · June 2014

So, DH and I went to BRU this weekend to pick up a shower gift for a friend. While there, we were checking out pricing for diapers. I started looking at cloth diapers as my mom did it for myself and my siblings so I figured if it worked way back when, it'll work now. Both DH and I spoke with a mom who cloth diapers and she raved about it. Of course DH is not convinced and thinks that washing cloth diapers in our washer is not sanitary. What he doesn't get is its perfectly fine.

The cost to start is less expensive AND after a year we would be saving money. They say it costs almost 1500 or more to use disposable diapers for one child. Plus, if we have another baby with in a year or two of our precious baby now, we wouldn't have to buy much in regards to diapers.

What does everyone think? I'm on mobile so I'll be checking as often as I can. I tried searching this, but mobile search sucks major donkey doo.

YaMrWhite · June 2014

There is a good thread on this but I'm
Mobile and can't link. I cloth diaper and it rocks

[Deleted User] · June 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

mandyreads · June 2014

I have a friend that lived over in Korea recently and I think she had to use cloth diapers. But she found a lady on etsy that makes them and she still uses them even now that they are back in the states. She has found a couple of duds. But otherwise has been extremely happy with them from what I have noticed with her fb posts.

MrsMCBMar2014 · June 2014

YaMrWhite said:
There is a good thread on this but I'm
Mobile and can't link. I cloth diaper and it rocks

Do you wash yours in the washer like I plan to? Ahh. So many choices. May be tonight I will check out that link. Eh.

liladelphia215 · June 2014

I think it's great if you can do it! Personally, If I stayed at home, I'd think about it. But truthfully, I can't keep up with the laundry as it is with three of us. I couldn't imagine doing it for four of us and then adding diapers in the mix.

It's not a sanitary issue for me, it's a time and a "don't heap too much on your plate" issue.

KJsbabe · June 2014

I I love cloth diapers. I wash them in the washer just like clothes. I had some one tell me one time that they were afarid poop residue would get on their clean clothes from being washed in the same washer as diapers. The point of a washing machine is to get things clean. If your washer is not getting things clean, then it's time for a new washer!

And just for the record, I've never heard of any one actually having this issue happen to them.

YaMrWhite · June 2014

MrsMCBMar2014 said:

YaMrWhite said:
There is a good thread on this but I'm
Mobile and can't link. I cloth diaper and it rocks

Do you wash yours in the washer like I plan to? Ahh. So many choices. May be tonight I will check out that link. Eh.

You bet! Before solids I just threw them in and now I use a diaper sprayer attached to my toilet to remove waste before washing.

Lanatir · June 2014

Wait. Hold the phone. BRU had cloth diapers?!?!?! Jealous! The TRU/BRU combo closest to my house doesn't have them and the BRU by my parents' house doesn't have them!

TRU/BRU is losing sooooo much business to BuyBuyBaby in my area because BBB has better selection, better sales, and carries greener products (not just cloth, but like Babyganics and 7th Gen diapers, but BRU doesn't by me).

marie81118 · June 2014

My sister uses cloth diapers for her DD and swears by them! I'll admit that I wasn't too keen on the idea before she started, but only because I didn't know enough about them. I talked hubby into it too... I just had to remind him that there are liners that will catch the solids and the pee will go through. So you just dispose of the poopy liners in the toilet and then you rarely have to worry about spraying them out. I'm sold for sure! Also, my niece has never had a diaper rash from her diapers. There are lots of benefits for us. Plus some of the designs are adorable!

drpayne · June 2014

GrahamSchneider said:

I think it's great if you can do it! Personally, If I stayed at home, I'd think about it. But truthfully, I can't keep up with the laundry as it is with three of us. I couldn't imagine doing it for four of us and then adding diapers in the mix.

It's not a sanitary issue for me, it's a time and a "don't heap too much on your plate" issue.

This. I will say that I cringed a little when my oldest was potty training and we had to wash really poopy underwear in the machine. Sometimes I just threw them away

but I think that's a mental thing - I'm sure the washing machine is fine as long as you use the right cycle. From a waste and cost standpoint, if I wasn't working I'd consider it. I just have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry for 4 people (soon to be 5) that convenience wins for me.

LadyXaverian · June 2014

I liked it but didn't stick with it past the first year for several reasons. Still, I liked it enough that I'm considering giving it a 2nd try. I haven't decided yet.

LuckyPenny1231 · June 2014

I use cloth and I love it. I was skeptical at first too. But the amount of poop that actually gets in your washer (I wash my own) is tiny. You either use a diaper sprayer or disposable liners. most of the poop is removed before you wash them!

Pips09 · June 2014

I don't cloth diaper, but if your H thinks it's unsanitary, where does he think you are going to wash all the clothes that the baby will poop, pee and vomit on?

MNgirl326 · June 2014

I will do disposable, daycare doesn't allow cloth. So that is that.

We did disposable with my first, and to be honest, I was glad that it was one less thing I needed to worry about (DH workd out of town during the week so i was basically a single mom).

If I stayed home i would probably do cloth. But for me, connivence wins and so disposible it is.

jennkg3 · June 2014

BRU's carries Gdiapers btw (I'm not a fan many are). We cd'ed dd. Ds has a set, I can barely keep up with the laundry with two kids. I did like them and I used Glowbugs they are soooo cute. Oh well as a SAHM with one it was easy with two I found it challenging.

Mrs_Bennett · June 2014

I use cloth for multiple reasons (pretty sure I mentioned them in that other thread), and love them! We wash them in our washer.

caraleeb · June 2014

Most of my friends did cloth, honestly, i didnt have the money for the investment and i am not the best housekeeper and cloth is a lot of washing. Also i suffered from PPD and so there was no way i was able to start at first. I am debating doing 50/50 for the next, but you have to get quite a stash going! also still, not very good at doing laundry

MrsMCBMar2014 · June 2014

Wow. It seems like the consensus is 50/50. I really have to think about it. I'm a working mom...I used to work Full time up until this past Friday. My hours got cut from 40 to 28/30 a week. Wow. Anyhow. I'm sure they'll be cut further as there is no business. Anyway. I'm on the fence and will be reading the thread that was linked above. Thank you for your help and opinions.

YaMrWhite · June 2014

MrsMCBMar2014 said:

Wow. It seems like the consensus is 50/50. I really have to think about it. I'm a working mom...I used to work Full time up until this past Friday. My hours got cut from 40 to 28/30 a week. Wow. Anyhow. I'm sure they'll be cut further as there is no business. Anyway. I'm on the fence and will be reading the thread that was linked above. Thank you for your help and opinions.

I'm a working mom and it really isn't difficult. Doing laundry doesn't take that much extra time unless you stand there while the washer/dryer do their jobs. Super easy!

Bigboneded · June 2014

I was 16 when my brother came along and he was a hybrid of cloth at home and dusposable for babysitter's it worked. My mom swears it is easier to potty train a toddler with the cold wet butt incentive.... but to each his own. We had a bucket system to prewash, solids got swished in toilet first then a few soaker bucket including bleach, then run through the washer... but cloth diapering is a different animal these days... GL

mmooki · June 2014

If I stayed home, I would probably cd. Too little time now with job and DD, can't imagine adding in diapers too.

jovencita1224 · June 2014

Just make sure the daycare will do cloth. Some do, some do not.

mom2case · June 2014

We CDd DD from 4 months through potty training. It has a lot of benefits and I really enjoyed doing it. We used Flip diapers with the microfiber inserts and occasionally used the prefolds (mainly when she had a rash). I bought quite a few of them used on ebay and spent maybe $400 on the whole set.

I planned to CD our next baby from birth and bought a bunch of newborn, old school cloth diapers for that. I still need to buy some snappis for those.

MrsMCBMar2014 · June 2014

This is all still a toss up for DH and I. I'm really pulling for cloth diapering and if his step-mom decides to retire early so she can babysit, I'm sure she'll be more than thrilled to watch baby and do the cloth diapering routine. If not, my mom will most likely babysit and she's a cloth diapering queen. She did it for all 4 of us...well, up to an extent with my baby brother and sister. LOL.

The cost savings are amazing and although the start up is expensive, I'm sure it'll be worth it in the long run. I like the idea of cloth at home, disposable at daycare/out/traveling. Makes sense to me. However, a lot of the places we would go would be families homes so I think CD would be the best option all around. Now it's time to convince DH. I have 8 months to do so...

literarymuse · June 2014

I'm definitely CDing. It's just so much greener and economical. Plus, a looooot less diaper rash, if any. And they'll last for multiple kiddos. I am planning to stay home/work part time, though, so we won't be using a daycare. However, we also don't have our own washing machine, so baby and I will be taking trips to the laundromat pretty much every other day. Oh well. Worth it!

Lanatir · June 2014

Not necessarily true on the "less diaper rash if any." Depends on how sensitive your child is to wetness. We change at least every 2 hours with CDs and DD still sometimes gets a rash because she is a heavy wetter. We sometimes have to get a brand of disposables with no dyes or chlorine and with a corn based absorbent layer to clear up her rashes sometimes because coconut oil, corn starch, and all the CD safe rash creams fail us.

Unfortunately, it seems DD is just like me. I can't even sit in a swim suit for more than like 30 minutes without developing rashes and those things don't hold the liquid like diapers do.

mmebrucewayne · June 2014

I will be cloth diapering because it is way less expensive and (of course) is better for the environment. Not to mention it has to be more comfortable for LO. I know I would not want to wear paper and plastic underwear for two years. If he is afraid of doing diaper laundry in your washer then simply handwash your diapers. That way poop doesn't touch your washer and you can get to use cloth diapers!

Cbeanz · June 2014

We CD and both work full time. Our daycare is fine with CD and about half the babies are in them. We use wet bags and wash every few days.

The idea of accumulating week's worth of used disposables in a pail doesn't sound very sanitary to me.

nikknakk4 · June 2014

We use disposables for DS- I had considered cloth before he was born. But my husband said absolutely no way! I think I might change his mind for baby #2 since he realized even in disposables he has to sometimes touch poop.

If you can do cloth, and want to, do it! All my friends that cloth diaper love it!

AggieMom0809 · June 2014

I've done both. It has to be a personal choice you stick to. Cloth diapering can be a lot more taxing on you and it is harder to find someone to take care of your child when needed.

With cloth you will have to do an extra load everyday even when you're exhausted. If you take care of them and don't dry them in the dryer, they should last a long time and end up saving you money.

It's supposed to be easier to potty train with cloth diapers too.

Want a personalized experience?

Cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers

Re: Cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers

Choose Another Board

Search Boards