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The Great Diaper Debate
The great diaper debate, cloth or disposable? Until the mid 20th century there wasn’t really a choice, it was all cloth. However, with the industrial revolution and people looking for more convenience the disposable diaper was invented and the great debate began. Really it boils down to personal preference, but everyone has an opinion and when you are pregnant those opinions will definitely be shared with you. You don’t have to listen to the endless advice you will most certainly get on this topic, just listen to what makes sense for you and your family.
I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other on this topic. I think each family needs to choose the diaper that they think works best for them and then agree that it is OK to change your mind later if your situation changes. We chose to go with disposable diapers mostly for convenience. All of the kids in my family wore disposable diapers and it worked out just fine for my mom. Believe me I heard the whole cloth diapers are better for the environment speech a hundred times at least. I did a little research and it turns out that which diaper is better for the environment depends a lot on where you live. If you live in an area where landfills are a problem cloth diapers may be the better choice. However, if you live in an area where water shortages are a problem you may want to opt for disposable diapers. Of course with the whole green movement has come “green” diapers, so now there is a third component to this battle!
When it comes right down to it the choice you make shouldn’t be based entirely on the environment or on someone else opinion it should be based on what works best for your family. Be it cloth or disposable or green diapers, if it works for you and your baby it is the right choice.
To help in your research to determine which diaper option is best for you here are a couple of helpful websites.
Just yesterday I was purchasing cloth diapers at WalMart. The cashier went on and on about how great I am to be using cloth diapers since it helps the environment, how young kids these days only go for convenience with disposable ones, how hard it was when she had kids and had to wash the diapers by hand, etc.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was buying those cloth diapers to make burp cloths. LOL!
BTW, was that baby in your header always smiling? For some reason I thought it was sleeping.
That’s funny. I’ve also heard that they make great dust rags!!! And yes the baby has always been smiling
I am the mother of a 6 1/2 mos. old daughter and have been using cloth diapers full-time since she was about 2 weeks old. I use a combination of Motherease (Sandy’s diapers as well as one-size) and Fuzzibunz. I find them extremely easy to use and hope that more people will not simply choose disposable diapers because they perceive them to be more convenient. Cloth diapers have come a long way! What could be more convenient than throwing a diaper in a dry pail (or plastic bag if you are out and about) instead of the garbage and doing an extra load of laundry once a week? Take it one step further and buy an energy efficient front load washing machine that uses less H2O (if you live in an area where water shortages are a problem). Come on parents, there’s definitely something to be said for doing our part to help the environment by not dumping our landfills with diapers (personally, I don’t know an area where landfills are not a problem), not to mention the example you can set. It’s unfortunate that cloth diapers are the exception and not the rule. They really do work wonderfully for their intended purpose, not just for burp clothes or dust rags!
I agree that cloth diapers have come a long way and that they are great for the environment. However, I don’t think they are for everyone. I think it is important for parents to do their research and chose the type of diaper that works best for their family.
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