Should I be buying a cloth diaper now? Or just wait and buy some disposable diapers?

Re: Should I be buying a cloth diaper now? Or just wait and buy some disposable diapers?

• J1D member

  July 2015

  I have registered for 1 or 2 each of the few brands of cloth diapers I am considering. I've done a ton of research as far as what's best is concerned and it seems to boil down to "it depends." Different brands fit differently so it'll depend on your baby and you won't know til you try them. All in one reusable diapers are the easiest but most expensive and take the longest to wash and dry. Flat folds are the easiest to wash and dry and the cheapest but take more steps cause you need a separate cover.

  Cloth are better for the environment and are cheaper in the long run if you use them exclusively and are said to be less likely to cause diaper rash. Disposables are way easier and less likely to leak. It really just depends on you and your baby and your lifestyle.

  I have a small stash of disposable diapers already and like I said registered for a several different kinds of cloths diapers. I'll buy more cloth diapers once I decide on the style I want to use and will supplement with disposables.

  Some people do disposables for overnight and when they leave the house and cloth for at home during the day. I think I'm going to be that kind of diaperer

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• tbasinski member

  July 2015

  Newborns go through 12-20 diapers a day for the first few weeks. So either way you need to start stocking up sooner than later. I'm doing disposable because I hate the environment and want the earth to be covered in litter, so I've been buying a box every month or so. You will need lots of wipes also. With my first baby I thought 3 packs of wipes would last me forever. 5 days later I was at the store buying in bulk.

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• J1D member

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  tbasinski said:

  Newborns go through 12-20 diapers a day for the first few weeks. So either way you need to start stocking up sooner than later. I'm doing disposable because I hate the environment and want the earth to be covered in litter, so I've been buying a box every month or so. You will need lots of wipes also. With my first baby I thought 3 packs of wipes would last me forever. 5 days later I was at the store buying in bulk.

  
  

  ____qoute block fail_____

  
  

  "I hate the environment." Lol, I say this every time I use paper plates or throw something away instead of recycling it.  "I don't want to do the dishes today and I hate the environment so just use a paper plate." 

  
  

  In general I recycle, reduce, reuse, keep a garden and compost (I even compost the weeds from the yard as opposed to sending them the landfill) as much as possible blah blah blah so I refuse to feel guilty if I'm not dedicated 100% to cloth diapering. 

  
  

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• J1D member

  July 2015

  Some helpful reviews on cloth diapers if you decide to go that route:

  
  

  https://www.babygearlab.com/Cloth-Diaper-Reviews/ratings
  

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• mom4liak member

  July 2015 edited July 2015

  Having used both cloth and disposable diapers with my other kids I have some opinions...lol
  
  1. Each kid needed a different type of cloth diaper for the most part. Don't stock up on 1 brand because (just like disposables) you will find one brand/style you like way better for this LO.
  
  2. Disposables IMO just make more sense for the first couple of weeks. Believe me when I say that what comes out of your LO is something very unexpected and quite frankly a bit disturbing. The last thing I wanted to be doing in those first few days/weeks was cleaning some form of explosion multiple times a day.
  
  3. My kids who exclusively wore cloth diapers (after the first couple of weeks) potty trained much easier and faster than my ones who mostly wore disposables.
  4. Cloth is cheaper in the long run.... Maybe. Money spent on washing and drying (water, electric, detergents, gas, etc.) or diaper service may make it a wash as far as price.
  5. I am not sure that the "cloth is better for the environment" thought is necessarily correct. You can buy disposables that fully decompose. Cloth will use a lot of clean water for washing and electric or gas for drying. Plus with cloth there is the added detergents that will be being used. Also if you use a diaper service there is emissions for delivery and pick up and often plastic wrap around the diaper bundles.
  
  With this LO I will be using mostly cloth diapers after the first couple of weeks if she agrees and they work out for her.
  
  To summarize my points, have disposables on hand, try out a few different types and brands of cloth before committing to anything. Everybody is different and enjoying motherhood is the most important thing. Don't let diapering be a stress factor for you. Believe me, we have plenty of other stress inducers for the rest of our lives thanks to our kiddos. If you find disposables are best for your family, great but don't feel like a hater of the environment. If cloth is your thing, wonderful but don't do it just because it's trendy or "better" for the environment. Do what is better for you and your LO. They both have pros and cons.
  
  Just remember there is no bad or wrong choice. Your LO will not be judging you on type or brand of diaper. They just want a clean and dry bottom.

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• shantyrae member

  August 2015

  Either way, yes I would suggest buying now to stock up. We're doing AIO, one size cloth diapers - so since they're the more expensive option upfront, I've been buying a few at a time in addition to registering for some. We also will do NB disposables at first so we've bought 2-3 packs of those also! Good luck!

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• Limie member

  August 2015

  Visit fluff love university they have a ton of helpful info! I plan to cloth diaper and I just bought a bunch of pocket diapers and have some covers and prefolds and a couple of all in one's. They're are more pros to cons of cloth in my opinion.

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• ameares721 member

  August 2015

  Since I'm returning to work at 12 weeks and baby will be in part time child care, we are using disposables. I can't imagine the nightmare of cloth diapering for a day care - anyone have success with that?!

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• shantyrae member

  August 2015

  ameares721 said:

  Since I'm returning to work at 12 weeks and baby will be in part time child care, we are using disposables. I can't imagine the nightmare of cloth diapering for a day care - anyone have success with that?!

  Many daycares don't even allow cloth, I've found! Ours does and says they've found no issues with doing it, they just send home the wet bag at the end of the day. I imagine I'll either dump them straight into the wash or straight to the diaper bin if it's not a full load yet.

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